Ellsworth American., 1875-11-11
By TnE ArrnoK Oh .rArrY.

WAS there ever a child 80 awkward and
80 uuiucAy! Get along with thee. Jeanne
and carry the pitcher steadily. or thou wilt
certainly break it To pieces"
IheSc i such a peculiar tone in the voice
such riug of sadness in it. utterance. that
stand s;iil and look round to iind the
speaker
had been walking beside the lovely
River NIrc. with II tiny cascades foanniu :
over huge gray stones, bord,red by dycing
house, with long stretches OF blue cloth
hanging 90 poles between the houses, or
soaking ia tank in front
But the sun biAz-l hcrcely overhead. and
the glitter OF the bri Ehi dancing r., er Tired
my cye>. lturn,d gladly into by-strcct
on tile lett. which ! hoped would take me
homcwatl.
\ very narrow. steep street. leading
down. i,.l sure. into the very heart OF the
charming town ut Nlre. GA each side OF
the way were quaint houses. some built OF
stone, win curious carving about the dor
mcr windows. othvrs covered with wooden
tiles, laid one over another like fi,h-scalcs.
mOs>-growu. b!aCkcued. and uneven with
age and decay.
Oue OF these tiled houses on nv right
ha, bright blossoms OF fuchsia aud nastur-
tIum showing through the clustering iue-
leaves that cling round its upI er wiudows.
while, lower down. just above the shop
door, two or three bunches Of haricot
1,"n' hans dryi to an exquisite rosy hue:
cF'r-And ! glance across the way.
\ tall g,fi OF fifteen or 80 j. coming out
OF SIDE door: She >toops. and she mas a
iargr-boned. uugaiuly figure; She Is bare
beaded, and her matted srown hair look
rough and coarse. Clean. but very unai-
iractive ia appearance. a. She stump> along
with huge. shabby black sabois on her
stocAinglrss feet.
She wAiks quickly on. looking ixedly on
the ground. aud holding a great red pitch
er wiki both hands; but there l. no nim-
blene,s Ia her gait; she moves one large
I foot afscr another a. II she found them
| heavy to drag along.
'.Ah. but She Is B,diadr0ie. Mon Dieu
1 what VII become Of the unhappy one!"
/ The harsh. sad voice came from so near
/ 10 me that / started. Close by the door
/ from which the girl had come was 4 lar.,
| open wiudow, aud ia the middle OF the
| square dark space revealed within sat at
/ Old woman with very red and wrinAleC
/ face: her little, bleared eyes were no biz
/ ger than q pigs white stocking-cap came
| down nearly 10 her hairless eyebrows sh,
/ had on a faded rusty-brown gown. a lila,
ueckerchiei over her shoulders. She wa,
/ sitting before spinniI s-wheel, but sh,
was not spinning she looked al the wheel
/ but she held her di-taf idly 10 one brown
I hand aud supported her chin with the 9th
er. The hands showed little purple knot,
/ through the hard brown skin.
| looked up al the house. IL was very
small and ruinous; no clinging vine-Ieaye'
aud gay flowers masked the molderiu.
crooked beams and dirty. blackened hu,
OF the scaly front. The gable seemed readl
to topple over into the street below, and
the lattice window was so incrusted Will
cobwebs that 1t could not have been open
ed Tor months.
l looked again at the old woman; sh,
was rocking herself backward and forward
murmuring. as if in pain.
Bon jour. Madame said, rather tim
idly, for the red face had scowl Oh it, an
knew how harsh the voice was. She LET
of rocking. turned her head slowly. an,
fixed the little dull red eyes on me.
1t is never bon jour to met she sal
harshly. You are not of Nire, that
plain; every Viroise knows that l can nev
er have a good day."
There was again that sad. despairin
ring in her voice.
Il am very sorry SAID, feeling guilty
What Is your trouble. my poor woman
You say; my poor woman she blink
ed her little red eyes at me till felt neI
vous as well as guilty; this was the fir.
uncivil French woman had met with. an
also the first of her class who did not aC
dress me as Madame-"and you say yo
are sorry. | am poor indeed. You are lik
all these who live in sunshine-you tall
and you do not know the meaning of you
words. How can you be sorry? you hav
nothing Ia be sorry for, and, mon Dieu
what do you know about me?
tried to speak. but she went on wit
almost fierce vebemence;
You have health. and strength, au
clothes. and plenty to eat; what dc know
sitting here in this dark corner. you hay
perhaps money, aud husband and chi
dren; mon Dieu! what cause have you I
be sorTy:"
Her little eyes looked very angry, an
ugly too, as she strained them upward I
my face.
i mean | am sorry for you. l sal
this with the idea of making an ingenior
change of sense, and then became pail
fully conscious OF failure. She actuall
scowled at me, and turning away, bega
to spin with foot and hand also.
| stood watchdog her. ! did not kno
what to say next A cloud OF gnats tn:
had followed me from the liver took a,
vantage of the silence to sound shri
chorus in my ears.
Presently three O'Clock chimed loud
from the clock tower-the crosse horioge
Vire-and | remembered that my cousi
Jemima was waiting for me at the inn
go ln search of Oliver Basseln. Howeve
| must satisfy my curiosity about this pO'
woman.
Il beg your pardon" l said this vel
meekly, but / take an interest in peOp
who suffer, and fear you have suffer,
very much. Is that yonng girl who b.
just gone away with pitcher your daug
: ter1r
She did not answer; she began to frov
again. and then large tear rolled ov
her red, wrinkled face; she tried to gu
IL down. but another and another follow,