The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1876-06-02
MAlEM0ISELLE PlERRETTE.
FROM THE FRENCH.

the HrSt performance OF - CTISelle, the
best ballet of Theophile Gautief. The
baton of the conductor was already in
the air ready to give the siarlzi for the
opening overture, that'lyric preface which
always precedes the risingsof the curtain,
From the boxes -te,. tle.z==s..-slez 49,
sOlemnity of this momen Ssrds'so deeiD u
felt that conversations were broken 81 in
the middle of a sentence. You might
have heard, had you listened, from a
dozen directions, the murmur: 8" won
der what it viii be?"
Those who are blessed with good
memory can recall the success OF Giselle
Never before had the poetry of the Worth
so expressed by pirouettes The whole
house was under the spell. At the time
of which we write, in the ballet the
opera set the fashion for the world. Il
NJ lie Taglioni had escaped to St. Peters
burg; if Pauline Leroux had retired to
private life, there was yet Therise and
Fanny Esler-Cerito, who was Just
coming out, and Rosati, who was not
far of.
a marvellous array of ballet girlsl y
said the Count dc BOismorand. turning
his glass TO the stage.
In the midst of the troop there was
one small dancer whose grace attracted
the attention of the ancient amateur.
Blonde and fair, and with a wasp-like
figure. She represented an elf. one OF
those Undines who dance in the water
and spring about on the tops of the lilies
and water-tiags
That Is rising star" said the Count.
This verdict, believe me, was given in
all honesty and honor. When he said it.
only the love of the terpsichorean art
animated him. 1t was as if at the sight
OF landscape of Diaz, or of Rosseau he
had said, That is great painter"
The elf has left trace OF her stay in
the traditions OF the opara house. She
was known simply as Pierrette, and was
called future star. Oh. heaven, the
cruelty of the fate that invalided her
after the first battle On this evening.
after the performance was over, when she
retired with her companions to take off
her dragOn-hy wings, and her crown of
water lilies, a badly secured decoration
fell on her foot and crushed her big toe
The accident was related the next dav
in the Green Curtain, little theatrical
journal, with the following comment
An elf who had her big toe crushed at
the close of ballet, Is like the Young
Duke dc Coigng, who had his arm sew
cred by a sabre-stroke at the moment of
victory" On all sides the unfortunate
dancer was pitied. The Count de Bots
morand was not the last to speak.
What viii become OF the poor little
thing If she can no longer dance" he
asked.
They told him that, having some slight
knowledge of painting, PieIrette would
make her living by coloring fashion plates.
Come, / will think of her" said the
old ambassador. A little while after a
rather original opportunity presented
itself
Although he had assigned himself to a
herInIt's life, the count, nevertheless,
passed portion of his time at the Rad
lsroses club, an aristocratic circle fire.
quented by the flower of the oilers and
by the elite OF foreigners. The play there
was desperately high. On one occasion
NJ de BoismOrand staid late as he carried
good fortune to the highest Point. When
he stopped, finally, he had won from Sir
Reginald O'SullivaE, rich freshman.
the sum of one hundred and twenty thou
sand francs-which the loser sent him
punctilously on the following day.
The confidential messenger who
brought the money, said TO the old di-
plomatist before leaving:
must inform you NJ. lie Comte. that
the payment which have just made you
Il pOsthumous one"
What do you mean, Monsieur"
:" That the gentleman blew his brains
out ten minutes after putting his affairs
in ORDER
But, why did he kill himself, was it
because he lost ?''
Partly Tor that, AID because life
wearied him.
Thoughts full of gloom and slightly
mo Il I. l. Z L =
NJ. de Boismorand. He seemed to see
blood on the notes and gold that had inst
been brought to him.
. Certainly / will not keep this mon
ey." said he.
Then by chance coincidence he re-
m 'mbered Pierrette of the opera andher
broken toe.
Pardieu, he cried, here is employ
ment ready found for my hundred and
twenty thousand francs.
Three days after the former elf was
working in her room Rue FditboR, when
letter was brought to her post-marked;
Iaris. The contents were very brief.
Nile. Pierrette, formerly of the Gov
al Academy, IS requested to come In Der
son ~ uooTs fDo~sihse-eo
jean Achille Conturat ,Sattorney at law,
Hue Louis GranG. No. II, on business |
THAT CONCERNS PGr. ~ 1
TIMoBEAU DURAND, Chief Clerk.
Always prompt, the ex-daIcer re-
paired to the place where she had been |
summoned. She was then informed that |
an enthusiastic patron of art, who desired |
to remain unknown, having learned from /
the . Green Curtain" of the accident.
which forced her to retire from thestage
had been seized with generous desire |
TO compensate her for the loss. He set
tied upon her sum which at five per
cent returned her an income of six thou
sand francs per annum.
Mile. Pierrette thought the adventure
was rather novel and accepted without
hesitation.
Had she still had the use of her great
toe, she would certainly have executed a
pirouette for JOY. In the time of Louis
Philippe, for an opera dancer six thou
sand francs year was the wealth of Po-
tosi. Paris was not then a city of mar
BILE, when he who is not millionaire is
lsidered as being in want.
Mile. Pierrette laid out for herself
life that was calm, even, and almost po-
etic. She did not however, cease her
work on fashion plates. +
BY adding to her income the product
of this work, she succeededin making for
Ltt0tit ~ IOottiOu tlldb WAS DOI HluC0 IN
contrast with that of her former friends !
The cOrypsiees of the opera.
In the midst of her modest happiness
,ne thing astonished her. She never q
heard of the benefactor who had made I
Known to her, through his attorney, a '
'econd case of the hour of plenty f
Il must be some crazy old man she t
sii. some eccentric person, with
rood heart added to his other eccen-
ricities." {.
Soon the weeks became months, the q
months years. Years passed by. Mile. O
2iersette became an egstist, and allowed /,
ierssl to drift with the current Ten a
fears had thus passed by. ]
Butwhat had become Of the count? Dill b