Litchfield enquirer., 1876-11-09

which climbed over and around her moth er's cottage door. ''Mere Giraud's little l daughter, she had been called, even af- I fer she grew into the wonderfully tall and ! wonderfully fasf creature she became be- fore she left the village, accompanying her brother VaIentin to Paris.
 "Ma foi she is truly beauty, Mere Giraud's little daughter r
 ''She should be we'll looked to-" said the wiseacres,-"Mere Giraud's little daughter"
 ''There is one we must always give way before," said the best natured among the girls, "and that one is Mere Giraud's lit tie daughter
 The old Cure of the parish took interest in her, and gave her lessons, and, as Mere Giraud would have held her strict ly to them, even if she had not been tractable and stpdious by nature, she was better educated and more gently l trained than her companions. The fact. was, however, that she had not many companions, Some element in her grace | and beauty seemed to separate her from the rest of her class. Village sports ahd festivities had little attraction for her, and upon the whole she seemed out of place among them. Her stature, her fair face, and her slow, quiet movements, suggested rather embarrassingly to the humble feasters the presence of some yonng princess far above them.
 l "Pouf Y said a sharp-tongued belle II have no patience with her. She is so tall, this Laure, that one must be forever looking up to her, and I, for one do not care to be forever looking up."
 The. hint of refined pride in her de- meanor was Mere Grauds greatest glory.
 ''She is not like the rest, my Laure," she would say to her son. "One can see it in the way h which she holds her head. j Iol She has the quiet, grave air of great parsonage"
 There were great many who wonder ed that Valentin showed no jealousy or distaste at hearing his sisters praises sounded so frequently to his own detri- ment. There was no praise for him. The poor fond mothers heart was too full of Laure. Her son had been bitter disap- pointment to her, and. to her mind, was titted for nothing but to make himself an adoring slave to his sisters beauty; and this the gentle, generous fellow cer- tainly was. He was always ready to serve her :; always affectionate always faithful; and Mere Giraud, who was blind to, or careless of, all his loving, constant labor for her own comfort, deigned to see that he did his duty toward Laure.
 ''He has at least the sense to appreciate her as far as he is able," she said. So when Valentin, who had a curious talent for engraving. was discovered by some one who understood his genius, and could make use of it, and was offered place in the great. gay city, Mere Gi- raud formed an ambitious plan. He should take Laure and find her position also she had the fingers of fair magi- elan, and could embroider marvelously. So she trusted Laure to him, and the two bade farewell to St. Croix and departed together. A month passed, and then there came letter containing good news. Valentin was doing we'll, and Laure also. She had found place in great family where she was to embroider and wait upon a young lady. They were rich peo- pie, and were klnd. and paid her we'll, ! and she was happy. ze
 "When they first saw her, they were as- tonished,' wrote the simple, tender Val | entin. l went with her to present her. self. My employer had recommended her. There is son who is past his youth, and who has evidently seen the world. He l is aristocratic and fair, and slightly bald, 1 but extremely handsome still. He sat holding newspaper in his long, white l fingers, and when we entered, he raised his eyes above it and looked at Laure, and exclaim under his breath. Mon Dieu! as if her beauty fairly started him."
 When he Cure, to whom the proud mother showed the letter, read this part he did not seem as reioIced as Mere Gi- raud had expected. On the contrary he, looked little grave, and rubbed his fore head.
 "Ah ah !" he said; "there lies the danger"
 Danger ]" exclaimed Mere Giraud, starting.
 He turned and regarded her with a rather hesitant air, as if he were at once puzzled and fearful, puzzled by her sim plicity, and fearful of grieving her unnec- essarily.
 "Valetin is a good lad" he said. "val- entin will be watchful-though perhaps he is too good to good to suspect evil"
 Mere Giraud put her hand to her heart. rs"You are not afraid ?" sine said, quite proudly, beginning at last to comprehend. "You are not afraid of evil to Laurel"
 "No, no, mo-" he answered, "surely l not"
 He said no more then, but he always asked to see the letters, and read them with great care, som etimes over and over again. They came very regularly for six or seven months. and then there was a I gap of few weeks, and then came strange, almost incomprehensible letter from Valentin, containing news which al- most caused Mere Giraud's heart to burst with joy and gratitude. Laure was mar red. and had made such a marriage as could scarcely have been dreamed of. A r1o ob cko yLo o1 ployers. had fallen in love with her, and married her He had no family to restrain | him, and her beauty had won him con- tpletely from the first hour. He had car- ried her away with him to make a pro- Ilonged tour. The family with whom she had lived had been lavish in their gifts I and kindness, but they had left Paris also l and were yoyaging The name of Laure's bridegroom was Legrand, and there came l messages from Laure, and incl0sed was a handsome present of money.
 Mere Giraud was overwhelmed with ioy Before three hours had passed. all St. Croix knew the marvellous news. She went from house to house showing the letter and the money, and 1t was not until night that she cooled down sufficiently to labor through long epistle to Valentin. It was a year before Laure returned to I Paris, and during that time she wrote but seldom; but Valentin wrote often, and an. swered all his mothers questions, though not as fuently, nor with so many words as she often wished. Laure was rich, and beautiful as ever; her husband adored her, and showered gifts and luxuries upon her; she had equipages and jewels; she I wore velvet and satin and lace every day; she vas great lady, and had house like palace. Laure herself did not say so much. In her secret heart, Mere Gi- $ rand often longed for more, but she was discreet and far-seeing woman. I 'sWhat would you9" she said. s'She must drive out in her equipage, and she must dress and receive great people, and am not so blind mother as not to see