The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1875-08-19

NJ. L'Estrange urged me to prolong
my journey, ct least as far as New Or
leans.
q We must OF part as strangers" he
said, inpulsively. "My heart has gone
out to you-for We are akin Some
observation-disclosures We not meet
again p and he clasped my hand
warmly.
My retioent northern nature stirred
within me.
81 tru,t so, hope So" responded.
"But the world is wide. shall never
forget you, NJ. L'Estrange."
"Ah you are young," he said, with
slow shake of the head, "yOu are
young, and the young have short memo
ries. But stay hold shall give you
a sign-a token. So shall you keep one
in your hC arr"
Taking from his pocket tiny box, he
unlocked it with a key attached to his
watch. guard. A number of pearls
cleaned and shimmeTed in the sunlight.
He selected four of remarkable size and
purity.
" You shall wear these for my sake, !"
he said, placing them In my hand.
But 1 demurred, saying it was too
costly gift.
d" Are we not friends?" he cried, his
lip curling with superb scorn. How
talk you then of cost?"
" Two, then, to be mounted as sleeve
buttons?" Still shook my head, and
still he persisted.
Here, then, mon ami, ;" he said at
| last, elf you will not have two, you
| shall have one ;" and, taking my hand,
! he placed one large, pure, lustrous
pearl on the palm, and closed my
! fingers over it. alt shall be mounted
| like this" drawing design on the lid
of the box, "and you shall wear it for a
! sign. Then, you see, I shall have its
mate set in the same manner. 1t shall
| be for a token between us ; and the
pearls shall bring us together again.
All, l know it ! The pearls-they are
! charmed !"
"Ab, NJ. L'Estrange I" 1 answered,
81 can resist no longer. 1 viii wear
| your pearl, and If shall at least be a
souvenir of days never TO be forgotten. D
AS he was replacing the box a card
photograph fell to the floor. picked
it up, and was handing it to him, when
my eye fell upon a face of such rare
loneliness that held the little picture
as if spellbOund-a woman's face, softly
outlined, delicatly rounded; a pure,
calm forehead, crowned with "braided
tresses d8rkly bright ;" tender, unsmil
ing lips, that wore a sweetness deeper
and holier than smiles; a chin and
cheek that might we'll have served as
models for a sculptor. There were soft
laces resting about the throat; and {
lace shawl, thrown gracefully over the
stately head, rested lightly on the
shoulders like n radiant cloud. Blu
the eyes were the glory of the picture
large, dark, spiritual ewes, that looked
into yours with unbelievable meaning
in their liquid depths.
My self-possession and my good man
ners returned to me at the same mo
ment.
81 beg your pardon, said depre
catingly, as 1 gave the picture to III
owner "but it is so beautiful It il
your wife ?"
"My wife? No." he said, with {
low, wise smile, "but it is my Mar
guerite-my pearl |! "
There was no time for further speech
We were at Calumet. L'Estrangt
threw his arm around me in his i'm
pulsive French fashion and kissed M,
cheek with a warm "God bless you =
Another moment and our short chapter
of romance was ended.
But was there no second chapter
Certainly, or / should hardly have
thought it worth while to tell you this
l returned to New York in few weeks
bad my pearl mounted precisely az
L'Estrsnge had directed, and wore it
at iir5t with a half. superstitiOus feeliDs
that it was truly link between us, anC
would one day draw us together. l
was, indeed, as he had said, sign,
token. It kept fresh and green in ny
memory what might else have gradualIl
faded away as one of the many forgot
ten incidents of life that vas change
full and full of adventure.
But it was not his face only that
recalled. 1 never wore it without see
ing as in a vision the dark, soul-lit eyei
that had looked up at me from the pho
tograph, the pure, calm brow, the
tender, wistful mouth of my friend
Marguerite. Not his wife, bu
doubtless his bethIothed. What othe
meaning could I give to the suddel
light that illumined his face as he ex
, claimed, in that last, hurried moment
1t is my Marguerite, my pearl? ?"
/ "I shall write you from San Fran
, CISCO" he had said. But days, week
and months heightened into years, ant
| 1 heard nothing. My pearl scarf. phi
was the only token that those charme,
= days of travel had been more than
= dream. believed that he was dead
( Last summer l was in Paris. Earl
one morning l went to the Madeleine
, and, leaning against one of the flute
| columns, watched the worshipers q
they came and went. The sun she
] yellow rays through the grained wiz
! dows in the roof the chanting of
{ hidden choir sounded far off and dream
) like; the sculptured M6gdalen of tn
3 high altar looked strangely real in tn
, weird, uncertain light ; and the Who'll
r atmosphere of the place was bewildel
t ing.
, AS I stood near one of the grea
T. bronze doors, lady, yelled, and gather
] ing the folds of her mantle closely abou
! her throat, passed me with a light step
The figure was exquisitely graceful
I and l watched her with a young man
/ idle curiosity as she knelt at her pray
ers, wondering if her face was worth
of her form. AS she rose, a fresl
5 breeze from an opening door blew bac
her veil, and caught passing glimps
! of her features.
All the blood III my veins rushe,
madIy to my heart. Surely it was tn
/ face of my dreams-the face of m,
friends Marguerite Yet it seemed
} younger face perhaps less Madonna
like than the picture, haloed by cloud
/ Xix dTapeTy. You see I had not for
, gotten the slightest peculiarity of tn,
, photograph. 1 cCuld have sworn to tn,
very pattern of the lace.
Before 1 recovered my senses she hGC
disappeared.
For three days / haurteG the Made
leine in vain. On the fourth l caught
glimpse of her again, stopping to droI
a coin III the hand of a pallid child
But it was a fete day, and the croweC
swayed in between rs. After that
saw her no more.
went on to Switzerland, lingering
for a month among its mountain
passes made n short run into Italy
and came back. was lettering aloag
Les Champs Elysees one evening in 6
fit of homeslckness, half inclined tc
take the next steamer for Hayre, and sc
end this rowing life, when I became
! oyrora Of hniuo wptphpd- Watched nv q