The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-06-04
"UNE DAME SEULE.v

We were nearing the Christmas holi,
days and had planned all sorts of festivi
| ties: gifts and games for the children, 8
| Christmas tree, dancing and all that, when
my brother received letter which sum.
moned him to England. He would be
absent from Paris several days-would re-
turn Christmas morning, or at the earliest
| the night before. His two boys, one
| eight, the other ten, had been left al
| lessor who charged himself with their
instruction. My brother had arranged
to go for the children TO bring them to
Paris for the holidays, when this unfore.
| seen demand upon him made the carry
ing out of the plan impossible. We talked
the matter over at the breakfast table
thinking of this and that way of getting
| the boys home. 1t was out of the question
their mothers going for them-she could
| not be spared from the little ones at home
1t was an emergency. and found courage
| to suit the occasion. I am convinced
| heroines are made-not born.
sI will go to Stuttgard aud fetch home
the boys" said.
My brother looked up, astonished.
"You 60 to Stuttgard alone!"
eyes, will go to Stuttgard."
"Mais, mais," began his wife.
'sDon't say a word. l want to go. ]
know the road; it is all plain and simple;
| it will be pleasant excursion. l will
| leave here in the morning, spend the night
with the professor and his good wife, and
the next morning, with nephew under
each arm, will take the train for Paris.
Oh! shall enjoy it ever SO much"
My brother and his wife were persistent
in their efforts to dissuade, but oyerrul-
ed every objection and, as a result, I found
myself one fine morning in train going
eastward.
I has one companion at the beginning
lady with her maid and aSpanish poodle.
From Paris to Strasbourg not word pass
ed the lips of mistress or maid; silesatiana
was the order. The lady was stoutish in
figure and a good deal encountered with
wraps; she was fresh in color with pale,
hay-colored hair partly concealed by the
white Shetland scarf with which her
maid had replaced the bonnet that was
carefully bestowed in the rack above.
The maid was tall, thin, with wide-open
eyes, in every way the opposite from the
lady. Her black, scanty vestments cling
her a contrast indeed to the rather corpu-
lent mistress in large, scarlet, circular
cloak, who sat with closed eyes and with
her hands folded over her red-covered
guide-book. / could have made this dis
cription more brief by saying simply that
my vis-a.vis was a symphony in red.
Though I did not speak during all this
journey, I felt I had company-that was
not alone.
At o'clock we reached the station at
Stuttgard. and confess felt a little the
worse for wear, as my breakfast had been
but cup of coffee at Strasbourg / had
made the slenderest sort of repast. My
hope buoyed me up. Ishould soon be at
home with the brave professor and his
kind-hearted wife, and in the warmth of
their welcome and in the Joy of seeing
our dear boys should forget how dreary
it has been during the last four or five
hours of the way, with the dark and some
other disagreeables that I have not set
down. I found cab at the station. I
mentioned the street and number. There
seemed to be some needless delay in start
ting, especially as the driver saw fit to
leave his horse and vehicle while he ran
offte speak with comrade. The house
I sought remembered to have been not
far from the station, but the way by which
it was reached on this occasion seemed
interminable. peered out, from time to
time, in search of some familiar object or
landmark to help me to guess where l
was.
To shorten the story, as would have
the journey-the carriage stopped. | got
cabman; stepped toward the door. saw
that it was unfamiliar; looked aSound and
found that it was in a region altogether
new to me.
It was --strass, it was No. 10, but not
80 A."
1 held my breath for moment, then
recovered, and re-entered the cab; 10 A
was a new house at the other end of the
street, and we soon reached it. recog-
nized it by tree before the door-leafiess
now-but with the same twisted trunk.
was surprised when the cabman demand
ed another fare, but paid it and bade him
good night as civilly as could as mount
ed the steps to the house remembered.
The house as had seen it in the autumn
had thought almost shabby in its
characterless newness-but now 1t was
the House Beautiful. 1 rang gently, once,
and again. The third time pulled vlg-
orouslv, for the cabman had mounted to
his seat, and begun to regard him as a
friend, though knew he might prove a
costly one. The door opened and the
haus meister put fourth his head. what
did want, he asked.
sProf. Fersten."
The head protruded little further,
then hand reached out, and little lamp
IN it was waved two or three times before
my face.
ssDo you want to see Prof. Fersten?
He's some to Paris"
gasped.
"His wife-Mme Fersten."
"Gone to Augsburg-will be back next
week
The cabman had gathered up his reins.
was making preparatory chirping to his
horses. I shouted to him to stop. I
learned that the professor had gone, with
nv two nephews, to Paris, and his wife to
visit her friends. There was no onein the
apartment. Whether this intelligence was
convened to me in few words or many,
I do not know. turned away.
MADAME surely knows it is the custom
to reward the hdus Daeister vixen he is CALI
ed upon at late hour"
Madame did know, and she put half
franc into the outstretched hand. re-
turned to the carriage.
on must take me to some hotel"
(which, madame?"
did not think to ask the hGus naeister to
recommend me one, and do not believe
he could have in his then stupid condi-
ton. Isuddenly remembered my brother
had spent night in Stuttgard once-the
hotel was near the station. / did not
know the name, but the cabman did. We
found It--or substitute. paid athrice
the fare" as did the grateful stranger to
the boatman IN Uhland's verses.
An unkemps mana stable boy in ap-