The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-03-30


With liberia! ealu:ation,
Hath welcomed all that's bright and beet
Throughout the wide creation.
PROF. Blake. Edtnburgh University.
A PIECE OF PRESUMPTION.
Everybody knew that the Bellesche
vaux were an old family, with lands ane
stocks, to which they seemed to have &C
uuired such a prescriptive right that i
never crossed anybody's mind that Provi
dence had any right to take them away
And great was everybody's CONSERVATION
when Providence exercised the right, and
Mr.. Belleschevaux, having fallen over in
a At was found to have left his estate in.
solvent: and everybody wondered, and
everybody pitied and nobody helped
Those WHO had partaken of the Bellies
chevaux's bounty, had sat at their table,
slept under their roof, been relieved, pros.
nercd h,,tered by the Belleschevaux
called and condoled, but asked no leading
questions. Perhaps it would have been
ike presumption to offer help there. AT
anv rate, they didn't presume. And per-
hans Mrs. Belleschevaux's stately manner
made it impossible. And SO, when every
thing was settled, and she could see what
there was before them, she found nothing
left but the little disregarded dover she
had brought with her. The family man.
sion. with its ancient splendor, its woods
and gardens, was sold to upstairs who had
never heard the name Of Belleschevaux,
and the family moved into cottage, which
in a wear or two they made beautiful with
vines and shrubs.
OF couse Louise Belleschevaux, with
her spirit, was not content with life in
that cottage on her mothers dover, with
the children vet to be launched unon the
world. She had been taught, simply as a
matter of tact, that they were OF noble de-
scent; and the best way to prove nobility,
she decided, in this country, where work
was honorable, was to earn it over again.
"In old times YOU fought for it, now you
work for it," she said; and shall take
the first situation that OFFERS The poor
child had an idea that situations went
about begging to be taken, and it was
only when six months search enlightened
her that she accepted chance as teacher
of music ana painting in an establishment
emplo, ing some dozen other teachers.
TO say that Louise Belleschevaux did
not regard this as degradation of the
dignity of her name would be untrue, and
she would have been herself untrue to
the traditions of her blood if she had not
so regarded it. No Belleschevaux lady
had ever yet dressed her own hair; a
body. servant had always been an integral
portion of Belleschevaux gentleman !;
and here she was, waiting upon ounces
for paw But she had sense enough to
know it would be worse degradation to
sit down in idleness and make more scanty
yet the household supplies; and she used
to repeat daily to herself:
"Who sweeps a floor as to Gods praise
Makes that and the action fine;
and nobody ever knew what it cost her to
sweep this floor, till the time when she
laughed at the woes for which then she
had no respect.
Yet, after all, there was not much OF the
aristocrat in the little lady's looks; her
sonorous name-Henriette Desiree Louise
Belleschevaux, her old Huguenot great
grandmother's name-was more impos-
ing than her appearance. She was q tiny
woman, but perfect as tiny, with her fault
less hands and feet, her shell-pink bloom,
her delicate features, her luminous brown
eyes, and her hair, whose braids sat upon
her head as gold crown might sit upon
a queens; yet if you looked closer you
saw her always erect, now so gracious,
now so imperious, every inch OF her
queen. But this discrowned queen was
apt to lie perdue, unless it was necessary
to assert herself, and perhaps nobody but
John Mowbray had ever come into open
contact with her.
He was the teacher Of mathematics,
which duty he assumed only while using
all the time it left himafor the study Of his
professional stalwart, well-knit fellow,
with broad intellect stamped upon his
face, who had worked his way through
college, and apparently thought It no dis,
honor to work his way through life. Yet
he knew the hardships Of teachers life;
none Eetter; and when he saw this little
lady enter the school, he could not but
feel pang of pity to think of the unused
path before her, and of the suffering from
the ounces who were to play on her nerves
as on the keyboard. There was some
thing very winning about her gracious yet
reserved manner, her calm smile; he
thought he should like to make the way
easier for her. He left on her desk, one
morning as he went by, single rosebud,
like word of welcome.
1t was not the season with her of flowers
in plenty; it was long since she had had
flowers in plenty; an. this was lovely
one. She took it up eagerly, and when
the bell tinkled she pinned it in her
throat, with sonieth ink of The color deep
ening her cheek. John Mowbray, seeing
her through his glass door, could but
think the little. flower had frightened the
path of the little feet that day. Some
days afterward he laid, not one, but two
or three stems in cluster, On the desk
again, taken. from. his own window gar
den that he tried to keep in bloom all the
year round-a carnation, . bit of hello
.rope, white bud, q geranium leaf. She
looked up, as he passed, with q smile;
they We're so sweet, the sight of them, the
breath of them, gave back the days when
she was surroufled y n them = she kept
them with her 11kdT, an4 AdbK Nm
home at night ~ Al afef H6 efver. it
never occurred to her to remember him;
she had always had A0wers,, and here
was some kind fate still Ibestowing thems 4
John Mowbray was merely the servant of
this fate. 1t seemed, though, as if the
little flowers wer6 in some sort seal of
benson upon her work she went about
it with better heart because of them. So
TOR one week and another she took her
seat at her desk and every few DAYS, the
passing hand quialys laid before her The.
few blossoms, OF she found them therc
when she came-a single spray of salmon
colored geranium flowers ringed with the
darkest pansies, just one splendid cactus
blossom, to look at her likee md ,hneed
live creature, score of the 1T deSpvio-
lets, snowy Gala full Of th6D yio3ets,s .
spike of creamy hyacinths, or, il there
were not any blossoms out, . bunch Of
fragrant leaves. The 6nEratsfnl girl never
thought for moment about the way they
reached her; 1t was 80 natural that she
should have them; they came as . part Of
her belongings, and she gave q nod of
thanks to John Mowbray, as she would to
o waiter, and went her tiresome way, but
made no complaint.