The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1881-04-07

made up our packages, and, bidding
farewell to Mrs. Nesmith and her
american boarders, drove to the Victo-
ria station to take the night train for
Dover.
Foreign travel was so new an expert
ence to me, having thus far been linz
tied to the journey between Liverpool
and London, that was in whirl of
excitement inwardly, though outwardly
very such amused by the multitudinous
tribulations which fell to Nine. Blanch-
ards lot before herself, her valise,
basket, umbrella, protege and husband
were safely locked into q first-class car
riage.
In the short winter days which fol-
lowed we found plenty of occupation.
The climate, indeed, was not so great
an improvement upon London: it rained
almost necessarily, aud in our narrow
street it was dark by the middle of the
afternoon. But Mime. Blanchard had q
talent for improving every shining hour,
and when it was too bad for the Bots or
the Pare Monceaux, or-which perhaps
l liked best of all the Buttes Chau-
mont, there were the Louvre and the
Luxembourg and the shops. And Nine.
Blanchard would make rendezvous
with Paul at one of the best restaurants
for an early dinner, and would take as
afterward to the theater or the opera,
where she would comfortably sleep
through the performance which en-
raptured us, like two children that we
were. Or, more frequently, we would
90 home to dine and play whist; that
amusement being Nine. Blanchard's
never-failing resource.
There was an old lady who lived on
the fifth floor of the adjoining house
an ancient friend of NJ. Blanchard's
mother or grandmother, or perhaps of
some more remote ancestress-whOu used
to make a fourth at our whist-table.
Mile. Genevieve Picard lived all alone
with q white cat and black snuff box,
both of which possessions were carried
out with her on all occasions. The
snuff-box was quite harmless, except as
Mile. Picard would occasionally insist
upon sharing its contents with a neigh
Dor; and I wish might say as much
of the cat. Mimi was ian original" as
her mistress truly averred. She had an
uncomfortable habit of lying upon the
hearth-rug, fixing us by turns, like the
Ancient Mariner, with her glittering
eyes, and suddenly springing, with tail
erect and claws extended, at the face
of the person who might be rash
enough to encounter her gaze. Toward
Nine. Blanchard's wig she entertained
an invincible hostility, and spent whole
evenings in plotting its destruction,
creeping stealthily about and watching
her opportunity to spring upon it and
bear it away in triumph.
Mile. Picard shared Mime. Blan-
chard's faith in M. Paurs wonderful
capacity for heroism, and was almost
equally with her upon the watch for
some surprising manifestation of this
latent talent. To please his wife, M.
Blanchard had resumed the study of
the law, which had been interrupted by
the war and his consequent absence
from the country. He Was to 60 up for
examination in the spring, and was ex-
pected to distinguish himself ON that
occasion. 1t was in vain that he in
S1oCCu guog 1lO hAC" uOGIlAS "udVCtC1
of law, and was far more likely to fail
than to win honor; the confidence of
his admirers was but fortified by his
humility. Poor Julie! how sorry
shall be for her!'' the young man
said to me one evening when his
wife had left the room for a
parting word with Nile. Picard at
the door. ''She will be terribly disap-
pointed when l fail to pass. wish
from my heart that 1 could do some
thing heroic by way of atonement,--I
do. indeed ~
RESCUE her from the claws of Mimi,
for instancey' suggested.
"Or her wig. more probably. wish
I had heroism enough to exterminate
that beast, but I never could face Mile.
Picard's wrath
A shrek broke upon the stiffness.
We rushed into the antechamber, and
beheld, as by a lightning flash. Mime.
Blanchard's agonized countenance and
white, unprotected scalp, and Mimi
flying up the long staircase, the wig
in her mouth, its disorganized curls
trailing upon the steps as she sped
along.
Without word NJ. Paul sprang after
her. four steps at time. He had over
taken her, had penned her into a cor
ner, his hands were closing upon her,
when she bounded over the balusters,
and, alighting at our feet, fled through
the open door of my room and out upon
the balcony; for, with the recklessness
characteristic of Americans, had left
my window open.
In a moment NJ. Paul had dropped
from the floor above. at imminent risk
of continuing on to the basement, had
rushed through my room and out upon
the balcony, followed by us all, Mile.
Picard, even in this supreme moment,
not forgetting to snatch up a shawl and
throw it over her friends hairless head,
with murmured warning against cur
rents of air.
Mimi waited but to see her foe upon
her before she gave another spring and
landed upon the balcony of the next
window. M. Paul sprang after her,
of his wife's heart-rending
screams. Another leap. another, and
another, in which she was closely fol-
lowed by her pursuer, brought Mimi to
the last balcony: for there were none
on the adjoining house. The embra-
sure of the next window, however, was
broad and deep. Into it Mimi sprang,
and turned to glare defiance at her
foo acrOss tho ChaSm tho 1y;nr e%;l,