The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1879-06-26
STORY OF A POOR BOY.
BY JAMES REYNOLDS.

From the almshouse to the palace
From life of servitude and penury to
rank and WEALTH.
It is the story Of a boy. Is not his
name in the journals of the day9 -
Seventeen years ago woman of
elegant manners, and apparently pos
sessed of considerable wealth, accom-
panied by aservant and chiid-a hand
some, richly-dressed bey-stopped tenn
'porarily alta tavern in Tarrytown, West,
chester, County. 4
The lady continued in the hostelry no
longer than she could arrange for the
occupancy Of a retired cottage in the
vicinage. She lived quietly but luxu-
riously.a ffYa-
Those in the newcomers neighbor-
hood sent their cards but, as she did
not recognize them, no further attempt
was made to cultivate her acquaintance.
The gossips and the inquisitiye made in
direct efforts to ascertain who and what
she was. They signally failed. a
Her servant, who was the child's
nurse, was questioned whenever she
ventured beyond the Enclosure of the
cottage; but, unfortunately for the GU
rious, she could not speak English, and
they were profoundly ignorant of the
language in which the diplomacy of the
world is conducted.
1t was known that the mistress as we'll
as the maid was the most pronounced
Partisan type; reserved, butnot naughty !;
polite but cold as society could make
her.
As she lived well and promptly paid
her debts, she was popular with trades
men, who thought that, this being free
country, Madame Chausse was not COM
PEELED to open her house to everybody,
or to go on tea-drinking excursions
among people who, not understanding
her words, could only sit and stare at
her.
In time Madame Chausse was given
up by the society" of Tarrytown as a
"subject" who could not longer be dis
cussed, as has been intimated.
There were more serious matters loom
ing up. The nation was on the eve of
a terrible civil war.
About this time the maid was known
to have left Tarrytown, and it was as
certained that she had taken passage in
steamship for Havre; few weeks sub
seqGently Madame Chausse declined
housekeeping.
Before, however, surrendering the cot
tage to its owner she secured the services
of woman of intelligence and of the
respectable ranks of life as nurse for her
child. To this woman she offered pecu-
MARY advantages that were satisfactory.
Depositing with the new nurse a sum
sufficient to meet her salary and defray
besides even extraordinary expenses for
the year, she informed her that she had
been summoned to Philadelphia on bus
iness of personal Importance, and that,
if delayed there beyond the time she
supposed, she would cause to be trans.
mitted to her note, couched in Eng.
lish, advising her what to do with the
babe.
Finally, Madame Chausse departed as
she had come. She was as much 8
stranger to her neighbors on leaving as
when she had stepped into their midst
l., The Frenchwoman's departure caused
the tongues of the gossips to run will
renewed vigor. As the lady did not heal
their remarks or notice the solemn man
ner in which they wagged their heads
she was not greatly troubled at the con
Germ they evinced for her.
! At the end of three weeks from tn
departure of Madame Chausse, tn
! woman to whom the care of the chilt
had been intrusted received hurriedly
written letter. In it the madame state,
that the business in which she was in
terested would compel her to procee
further South.
Should she not meet the party G
whom she was in quest at Baltimore, sh
would proceed to Charleston, Sout
Carolina, and perhaps finally to Ne
Orleans. From Baltimore the nurse r,
ceived second missive. In it she ws
told that she would next be advised frol
/ Charleston. That was the last lette
mailed to Tarrytown by Madam
Chausse.
Three weeks subsequently to its recel
ton, Fort Sumter had been fired upoI
and the national flag furled and ordere
!. to be hauled down by Beauregard an
his body of Confederate troops. Frol
I-InaG nOur mdudmo OHduSSe disappeared
Many of those who knew her at Tarr,
town by reputation, and who recollecte
her conduct, declared her to have bee
a French creole from New Orleans, an
that she had been acting the part of
spy in behalf of the leaders of th
South, and that the babe was fol
AS she had received many letters frol
Philadelphia, New York, Charleston an
other places, Just before her departure
this fact gave color to the surmise.
y The nurse, however, was faithful
her trust. At the close of the year ft
which she had been engaged she BEGAN
embarrassed. She was about to be ma
ried. Madame Chausse was aware ths
she had engaged herself in marriag