Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1877-10-06
POINTE D'ALENCON.


A story of Kansas I'm Pioneer Days
Mrs. e. W. Chrmpney, "a the October Gulary.
Mrs. Rutherford was looking over h n
laces. There were many choice pieces OF
fTus PI noin, r, u, EuroR. Mechin AMI
ton, delicate d'AlencOL, and one precious
piece of antique pOinte de Nenise, for Mrs
Rutherford was a cOnnoisseur In laces, and
threw away her money in a recklessly ex-
concerned.
Hope Rutherford wish You would tell
me how you happened to take the lace
mania,'1 said, as lifted from the hi ndsOme
Japanese casket an odd piece, q mixture of
lace and EN- broidery, which fancied she had
picked up In some out OF the way corner of
Switzerland.
Il believe j was 10 years old :" she replied
"when began my study of lsces. The strip
which you hold in your hand was my nrst
acquisition. II has rather curious history
Would you like to hear it?''
And then Hope Rutherford told me the fol-
lowing story, which proved to be not of
quantity costumed peasants In some Swiss
Nalais or of some princely lady of the court
of Francis l., but of her own stormy child
hood and first love.
The daughter OF n pioneer judge, Hopes
early lie had been spent on farm in the
West, five miles from the little town of Con-
fiict. Their nearest neighbors were the An
TONES A shrinking little woman with light
hair and washed-out eyes was N RS. Antoine
but she had fuItive way OF glancing from
them that seemed to tell that she mi ght have
had ideas Of her own before they were
crushed out by The "cOlOnel, - who had never
been In the army. OF French descent, and OF
merry Gallo temperament. he united to
many hereditary vices others for whose dis
nnctlVe originality he might have taken ont
patient Life with him could not have
be- u pleasant under any circumstances
The two dwellings stool within few rois
CT each o'htr, but long detour was neces-
sary to pass between them, for, dividing tEe
woo@ed knoll on which Col. Antoine mad
reared ms strange structure from the broad
acres OF cOrDheld, scarcely OyertOpped bv
Squire Mays stOckade of logs and mud ran
deep rayine. the bed ola fierce little stream
called the Wild Cat.
Another gulf separated them, for though
their position as settlers in new Kansas Of
fered many points OF resemblance in the
trials and hardships which both met so
bravely. yet the heads of the families when
they met, as they did on their way TO aud
from Conflict, never recognized each other
Mrs Antoine would have explained this In
spose, sence you uns are from the Nawth
and We uns rom the SaOuth.'
The very houses with their surroundings
spoke the difference between them. Squire
Mays farm had been as hickly wounded as
The cOlOnels estate, but with his own right
arm he bad chopped down the trees, built his
home OF two rooms and q loft above them
and pried up the stumps, plowed and sown
his cOrnfield. After three years Of labor as A
farmer be was beginning 10 reap results.
The deserted law books stood upon rough
shelves against the log wall of the s'front
room; a good library of miscellaneous
literature Kept them company. Above the
books hung the squire's carbine, only usei
against the prairie chickens, for he was a
man OF peace A rag carpet OF Mrs Mays
Workmanship covered the floor. Every
thing bore marks OF thrift and industry
Col Antoine had prcempted his cIai n the
year previous To the coming OF the MAYS
The Wild Cat joined the Missouri river near
the site which he had chosen for his resi-
dence, and the reason OF his choice of this
particular spot had been the presence at its
mouth OF a sunken steamboat its uppar
cabin Just emerging from the muddy W ater
band OF the colouel's companions, sympa-
thizlng In the noble cause which had led him
10 leaVe his plantation in Missouri, that of
helping To- drive all Tree state" men from
Kansas, had come over TO establish him in
his new home. They brought a gang of ne
srOeS with them, and had raising" in
which great deal OF WHISKY was consumed
ana the cabin OF the sunken steamer was
raised and dragged 10 the top of the knoll.
It's side faced the road. presenting the pecu-
mar spectacle OF a house with 20 front doors
After this II needed not a great deal of wOra
on ne colonel's psrt 10 render 1t habitable.
and 10 was not long before he removed TO IL
his family and chat'els. The former con-
sisted OF his gentle little wife and four boys,
and the latter OF one mule. one COW, and one
"piggah," faithful Aunt PoIlyanthus The
colonel made no attempt 10 improve the
place, but projected daily 10 Conflict
mounted on his mule, and armed In the most
ferociOus manner, his business being polftics
and gambling.
And yet, in spite of this chasm between
NJ.
ire women folks" OF these two homes be-
came earnest friends. Though Mrs. Nav dis
approved OF the shinlessne-s ~ Mrs An
tones housekeeping, OF the dirty ruffiei
pillow cases, OF the painted plaster paris
parrot on the clock-shelf, of the number of
the eoloneis empty whisky bottles and old
Dools mat strewed the ground opposite the
'front.' entrance, and OF The calmness with
which Mrs Antoine regarded the Confusion
OF ner Kitchen and the ragged condition of
Ter sons clothing, while she worked endless
bands ofyery dirty bat very fiue embroifery
yet SIZE loved the little woman with all her
heart, and had done 81 ever since the night
That he locked the drunken colonel In one
O1tt stateTOoms. ard battled death with her
until at dawn ffIh little Antoine Law IN his
mothers arms. "pOut talk To me- she
would say To her husb and. $50 he has o NV
10 look at those boy 20 know there - pluck
in III, ir mother" And II Gus Antoins, the
eldest. was "a sarp'e OF what the rest woulI
BE-. her words had their weight.
Gus was - a clerk in n hook store al Con-
fict, ard 70 was principally from his earn
1Igs that the family were supported. Tlay
saw him walking bravely To town early
every morDiI <. carrying his dinner in n little
tr pail, his Jacket, whose buttons were all
old bachelors. i'm that no one OF the n hal a
nate, fastened tight 10 the throat, where 1t
was met by turned paper collar and Il ashy
magenta necktie- Squire May liked the
boy. Once, when he had called on some Err
fand, ne stood for q To- < time puzzled and
curious before a box of geolog cal specimens
which the squire had collected. .What are
Them hingsT' he asked. Fossil leaves" re-
piled Squire May: 81 give myself q vaca-
lion every summer, and go of for week or
Two geologizing." The boy asked O few
more questions before he len, which showed
MN bright and observing. A fortnight AFTER
ne came again "ive been reading all