Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1878-01-03
hand. "Ilike you better than any one else.
7 do not want TO 90 back home"


vocs "We will see whether you can stay
here, my child" she continued, aloud. IL
will myself write to your uncle Monsieur
Dashwode and make an arrangement.
Until then we can positively settle nothing"
"Monsieur Dashwode" was written to &C.
cordingly, in the following quaint style.
"Le Bocage, Country seat near Toulouse, France,
ITO MONSIEUR E. EASTWOOD, New Orleans:
"MoNs1EUR: Madame Therese Preville, wild
ow of Alphonse Preville Notary, late of Toulouse,
has the honor Of addressing herself to you on a
subject of Importance, being no less than the well
fare and disposition of your orphan nece, Helen
Forester This charming little one is in state
of desoaton, greatly to be deplored. Her heart
is rent with despair for the loss of her very good
and much lamented father. am touched with
her grief and desire to assauge it by rendering
her all the aid in my power: Will you, Monsieur,
(since you find it impossible to accord to her
your protection) grant me the privilege OF as
suming, for the present, the Office OF her protec-
trice? She is of age too tender, as think, to be
cast among the rough elements of a pension, or
boarding school as you term it. Suffer me, re-
quest you, to retain her under my roof, until she
is old enough to have more care Of herself than
now. At future time we will, at your pleas
| ure communicate between ourselves again in re-
gard of the subject The child herself is desirous
to remain with me. It Is in accordance with her
request that write.
Tin the hope of soon receiving an answer ia
vorable to my petition, remain, Monsieur, with
much respect, THEREsE PREv1LLE."
To this epistle was added a postscript, in
Helen's round, childish hand.
"Please, dear Uncle, let me stay with Madame.
She is very good to me, and I love her mnch. I
do not want to 90 to apel'sion yet.
"Your affectionate Niece,
This time the answer came more promptly
than on the first occasion. It was brief and
to the purpose.
"NEw ORLEANS, Sept. 18th, 1854.
"Mr. r. Dashwood has the honor to inform
Madame Therese Preville that her communlca-
ton is received. Mr.. Dashwood thanks Madame
Prevlle for her kind interest in the welfare of his
little niece, Helen Forester, and gladly avails
himself of her offer to assume the post. Of his
niece's protrectress, on condition that she will
agree to receive a certain sum, payable quarterly
or yearly for the support and education OF the
undertaken by Madame Preville in her behalf.
If Madame Preville will suggest the amount
which she deems suitable, and place the affair in
the hands of man of business, Mr. Eastwood
the subject"
Madame Preville was her own man Of bus.
mess, and never consulted anybody about her
affairs. She deemed it quite proper to accept
this proposal of Helen's uncle, for though
generous she was also prudent. Had the
offer not been made, she would have provided
for the child, as long as she remained under
her care, without murmur, although quite
aware that Mr.. Foresters property must
have been considerable, and that Helen
would doubtless inherit the bulk of it on CON-
ing of age but it was certainly much more
convenient to have a specified amount fur
nished her, regularly, for the purpose. She
deliberated briefly. then fixed upon sum, by
no means exorbitant, which she considered
sufficient to cover all expenses; wrote to Mr..
Eastwood. received satisfactory answer,
and the affair was settled. Helen was de-
lighted. She had dreaded the notion of a
boarding school, and as she had many COM
panions in the neighborhood, had no fear of
finding life lonely at LIE Bocage, under her
old friends care.
Madame Previle had no idea ofpermitting
her little charge to waste her time in idleness.
She engaged atutor-a solemn.faced cure from
village close by-to come three times a
week and instruct her in all necessary branch
es, including English, which the curs, like her
self, understood sufficiently we'll. Helen
found these lessons little irksome, for she
had not been accustomed to study, and her
tutor was strict but tho restraint was whole
some for her, and when she became more used
to it, she did not find it so disagreeable, after
all. She was bright child, though not fond
of application. Her anxiety to get back to
her amusements, made her take pains, and
she generally learned quickly in order to es-
cape from her lessons the sooner. The cure
praised her, and Madame Preville was de-
lighted with her progress. Everything went
smoothly, and the union between the child
and her guardian grew closer and warmer as
time progressed Each became gradually
more indispensable to the other, and Helen
was soon as contented as though she had never
known any other home than LIE Bocage. :.
Thus her life glided on, very peaceably
and quietly, unbroken by any startling events;
but in the mean time Madame Previls was
getting old end rather infrm, and at length
discovered that she had no longer the ability
to manage her own affairs as hitherto. She
accordingly sent for nephew of hers, a clev'
er young notary of the name of Victor Du-
clos, and offered him salary larger than his
business gained for him in Paris, to come and
settle down at LIE Bocage and look after her
property for her. Helen was now fourteen,
and charmingly pretty and attractive girl
Whether Madame was prompted by any se-
cret schemes or desires in regard to her, in
making this new arrangement, cannot be de-
termined. At all events, young Duclos agreed
to the proposition made him, and came to his
aunt's to live. Shortly after, Madame Pre-
vile, having strict notions of propriety, no.
tilted Helen that the time had arrived when
she considered it advisable to follow her un-
Gle Dashwood's original plan, and let her 60
to boarding school. Helen could not but
agree, though reluctantly enough. Her uncle
was written to on the subject, expressed his
appreciation, and suitable pension was Sc.
lected, whittier the old lady herself conducted
her charge. Fortunately, it was not at a great
distance of, and Helen was accorded the
privilege of spending so many days in each
month at LIE Bocage Thus the intercourse
between herself and her protectress was not
broken of, while at the same time the latter's
conventional scruples were satisfied by the
fact that the young girl and her nephew were
not under the same roof, though seeing enough
of each other to arrive at a tolerably close
degree of intimacy.
TO BE CONTINUED.
SMALL FEET.-For the sake of having
small feet, many an otherwise sensible woman