Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-10-31
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RONALD AND nIsEffR.
From the French Of Al5er Delpa-

Ronald was seventeen Misetfe was fif
teen. They were two poor little waits m
LIES ocean. The father Of Ronald, Lord
Hawkesley, came to settle at Ustaritz III
the Basque country. in the year OF the
war. He did not live long. Bereft OF his
second wife, Ronald's mother, wasted by
consumption, he died at the end Of six
months. leaving his son to the care Of the
priest of Ustaritz. the Able Argainarats.
The elder son, Robert, was student at
Oxford. The family troubled themselves
but very little about the younger. They
contented themselves with sending suffi-
cient sum for his maintenance, and that
was all.
A few Parisians may still remember the
mother Of Misette. that pretty Raymonde
who acted at the Varieties, where she
took the part of the third slave in La Belle
Helene Her role was not q long one, a
single one. But how she gave that cue
Her fortune was made at once. She was
offered an engagement at st. Petersburg
that dream of all actresses. But to take
her little girl to Russia would be very in
convenient Raymonde did not hesitate.
She remembered that she had sister.
widow Of quarter-master Of gendarmery
at Ustaritz. She sent the child like a
package, BY express. Excellent mother
The widow Urigaray was, however, a
good woman, on the best of terms with
the priest, with whom she played Bezique
every evening. TIE Able Argainarats
undertook Miaette's education, as he had
undertaken Ronald's. And thus it hap
pened that the son Of peer of England,
and the daughter of a strolling actress,
were brought up togt Their.
The two children very soon loved each
other. Both were blonde as ripe wheat !;
but Ronald had the taway hair Of Titan :
heroes, while Misette, with her tresses OF
pale gold. made one think Of AIRY Sehef-
fer's Marguerite. He was tall. slender.
graceful. His ewes, intensely black and
sparkling, illuminated his pale, thought
full face. AT ten years old the child was
already dreamer. Ronald lost himself
in dreams, in wonderful visions. The
Able Argainarats did not combat his
pupils inclinations. He was SO shy, the
worthy Cure ! Seeing the boy gentle and
industrious, he cOntented himself with
watching his studies rather than guiding
them. In this way Ronald had very soon
read and re read the books which made up
he Abbe's little library.
And what books they were! Shakes
peare. Ossian. Victor Hugo. Goethe; all
those whose gerius carried them above
the clouds. Little by little Ronald made
for himself real world out of this ideal
one. He lived with Ophelia, with BESIDE
mona, with Cordelia. with Esmeralda, or
Marguerite. But his taste led him toward
the heroines to whom the genius of the
English poet had given birth. And thanks
to this constant communion of thought,
he was convinced that he belonged him
self to the family of Shakesperian crea-
tons. Upon this preference he grated
another. He loved those possessed, like
Hamlet, by an eternal dream; he envied
Romeo, who at his first step encountered
Juliet. And n human nature wishes,
alas, to materialize its ideals. he very soon
made of Misette the companion of his
readings and the incarnation of his Wis
ions.
All, but she was rather born for action.
the little Misette She had the sweetest
blue eyes, enlivened however, by charm
ing expression of mutinous gayety. Her
laugh. ringing like a silver bell. showed
her little teeth. white. fine and pearly.
Always rosy. always gay, she often sent
the book flying. saying to Ronald: "Come
and play !"
And Ronald went, as Misette wished it.
Then after playing awhile she said: "Now
tell me story"
They went and sat on the bank of the
river, in the hollow OF a rock. and Ronald
told of the loves of the fair Desdemona,
s,r Lr, atro,.va al Of ba ,,laipt;va
Marina; or else the story of Jane Grey,
that rose, torn from the stem in the height
of her bloom.
snow it is my turn" cried Misette.
Then in her sweet, little ripping voice
she began a song heard at the fairs, or in
the smugglers' boats;
Up to the town of bordeaux
Three stately ships came sailingi
Thus both of these children bore the
mark Of their origin. They grew up by
degrees, never leaving one another neces-
sary to each other like two birds shut up
in the same cage. In the winter time they
passed their evenings in the vicarage par
Tor. Close by were seated the priest and
Nine. Urigaray with their eternal bezique.
The Able. tall, thin and somewhat bowed
by age, was very shy, and scarcely spoke,
but to announce his points. and to say in
y timid voice: You are cheating, Nine.
Vrigarayr
For Nine. Urigarary did cheat. She
was tall woman. rotund in figure, florid
in complexion, always melting into ten
derness, and weeping rs she melted. She
had the faculty ofpitying everybody. even
happy people.
In summer time Ronald and Misette
walked in the woods or by the streams.
At the angle of the Nive. on the road to
Cambo, the two children had favorite
nook. II was on the top ola rock covered
with dense trees which formed m impen-
etrable thicket. To reach it, one was
obliged TO part the interlaced branches.
Once there the spectacle was magnificent.
A little path. messy and tiowery. led to a
knoll whence one could see, far below.
the river whirling through an abyss. The
first time they went there Misette wished
to lean like her friend over the foaming
Nive. but she turned pale and drew back
quickly. She chung to Ronald's shoulder.
saying:
II am afraid; we will not come here any
more, will we?" They did return, how
ever. and soon, almost every day, 1t was
there, indeed, that they saw clearly into
their own hearts one summer evening
For sometime an inquietude had slipped
between their kisses, which had been
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