Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1877-10-31
DIAMOND CUT DIAMOND
A GRANDPARENTS STORY,

A GRANDPATHERiS STORY.
About sixty years ago I was ia
Paris for the first time in my life
Bonaparte still fingered ut St
Helena; and tho adventures, good,
bad and Indifferent in character,
who had served in his armies, had
not yet lost all hope of the return OF
their idol, and consequently had not
yet thought it worth whilc to settle
down into thorough peace and quiet
ness.
Young Paul Ferrand, whom l fire..
quently met ut tho CATO, and who
had served as a captain at Water.
loo, was sure that the Little Cor.
pOral would como back again soon.
"You have not yet beaten him." he
would tell me laughing. "You sent
him to Elba, but he returned; you
have sent him to st. Helena, and he
will return again. We shall Sec"
Ferrand was an exceedingly nice
follow; and although he protested
to cherish an unquenchablc hatred
for England and everything English,
he had, by some means or other,
become attached to Alicc Rae, q
young English lady of my acquaint-
anoe, and who had been living with
her mother since tho conclusion of
peace at Paris, not far from the
abode of the ex-captain. And he
was always very friendly with mo
too. He would, it is true, abuse my
countrymen most numerically; but
he was always particularly good.
naturcd, and whenever ho found
himself saying a little too much he
would arrest himself and apologize
80 heartily that l mover could he
angry with him. Twas alone in the
French capital, and but few friends
there except Mrs. Rae, her daughter
Alice, and Paul; and so it happened
that l passed good deal of my
time In the society Of these three.
Tho mother, woman still in the
prime of life, and the widow of q
kings messenger, was q connection
Of mine by marriage, and that fact
gave mo o good excuse for Offering
my services as escort whenever she
and her pretty daughter thought At
to 60 to tho theatre or the opera.
At such times Paul always had a
seat in the stalls; and between the
acts he would come up to my box,
to the delight of Alice, who was in
love with him, aud to the no small
satisfaction of Mrs. Rae, who herself
had quite o maternal affection for
tho young Freedman, aud did not
in the least discourage his attentions
to her daughter. II there were no
formal engagement between the
two, it was at least perfectly under
stood by all parties that as soon as
Paul should get an appointment, for
which at the time he was o candi-
date, he was to marry Alice; and i,
though only o few years her senior,
was to give her away.
One night the opera house was
crowded moro than usual. A great
singer was to appear, and q new
work by o renowned composer was
to be performed. But Paul Fer.
rand, sitting in tho stalls, seemed
scarcely to listen to tho music or to
notice the acting; and much moro
often were bis eyes turned in the
direction Of my box than in that Of
the stage. Alice and her mother
were with me, and a. the curtain
fell at tho conclusion of the first act
Paui came up to rs. He was in
high spirits, for he had heard that
the Ministse had decided 10 give hin
the coveted post, and he expected
to hear in few days that his sp-
pointment had been signed by the
King. We congratulated him, and
as he left rs to retarn to his scat I
whispered to him: "YOuTl be .
happy man In o month o. two now,
Paul. Hc smiled aud shut the
door. : u .ht
We watched him ae he threaded
his way to his place. 1t was in the
centre Of the second row from the
orchestra, and he had left his opera
glasses o. tho chair IN order to pro:
serve his right to it; but during his
absence tall, military looking man
had appropriated it, aud had Coolly
put the glasses on one side, Paul