Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-03-03

" hae! ner poor little L0ulOu is gong to
become member of the Academy! No.
sae cannot believe her own eyes.
well, the fact is, that at the time they
became acquainted he was quite learned
and worked quite nicely. He was stu
dent then. When she asked W hat he ex-
pected to become, he said g Gid not know
THAT ne had too many different things
IN bis head ever to produce any good. His
Ia'her wanted to make a notary out of
MIN. So it all came out at last-all the
talent he had kept hidden in that little
head OF his. And as the paper glides
down upon the floor at her feet, Madame
F'irmin begins to resurrect her youth
carried back in thought to the sweet mi
rage Of the dead years of love.
She sees it all once more The way they
became acquainted at the jewelers. ball
where he had been brought by one of his
friends to have a dance with the dress ma
kers' girls. He had asked her out to dance
more than ten times during the evening,
and asked her all sorts of questions be-
tween the figures of the quadrilles. And.
just ID chatting, without thinking of any
harm. she had given herself away-told
aim her name, her address, her trade, and
the hour at which she went to work in the
morning. So that next day, about 8
O'Clock, trembling with timidity and
blushing like girl, he had come right up
to her at the turn of the Rue Hauteville.
From that day for six months there never
passed morning that he had not come to
meet her.
And that April Sunday when he took
her to La Muette! ...,...,. How every little
detail comes back to her againl Against
the uniform aud dark background of her
life one bright gush of light defines itself,
in which every silhouette is sharply and
strongly outlined. One would say that it
was all really living and moving-so dis
tinctly does she behold it over there-aWay
off, clear, distinct, as if she were looking
at it through an opera-glass. There they
were, walking together, she leaning upon
his arm-wandering along the fnely-sand-
cd avenues Swallowed by acacias; and ev-
erybody was turning round to stare at her
she looked so fresh and rosy under her
little blue hat
When they came to the Notifications
they climbed up there by very clumsy
flight of stone steps. Then they sat down
ON the other side Of the slope on the warm
grass, and remained there until evening
without saying a single word to each 9th.
| or A + THAR Foot ~ IF
birch trees, whose erests trembled with the
least breath of air. And slowly the sun
sank down in great redness. Then she
lifted her head from his breast, and they
| looked into one another's eyes; and Just
above the edge of his lip, she noticed that
he had little mole under his blonde mus
tache.
Then, as they got up and stood upon the
hillock, their figures sharply relieved
against the bright sky he kissed her last
time, and from the sidewalk below (she
can still hear his voice in her ears) a little
urchin screamed out to them: Love!
love!-nothing but love!''
When one u,lllks of that! =. How did it
all end?Ah! how does she know A mis-
understandings vexation-a foolish quar-
rel-less than nothing. Each one obsti-
nately refrained from making the first ad-
vance. The day when she would have
gone to see him, he had left with his pa
rents for Anjou. So it was that their love,
which they thought would last forever,
had become united. Love is queer thing
just like Roman question (you know
that little puzzle they sell everYwhere].-
When you see these two rings, one inside
the other, you would think they were riv-
eted forever. Innocent folk waste their
time trying to separate them. And touch
ed by mere chance, suddenly, if by en-
chantment, without effort, without break
ing, there they are, detached.
And after? Afterward she got married.
What else could she do? Firmin, the cab
inet-maker, was always hanging to her
skirts, and her aunt was always worrying
her. What stupid you areP' she would
say. "A nice widower like that, without
any children, already fixed for housekeep-
ing. 4. .arnaoires all full of his first wife's
clothes" So she yielded at last. And a
nice fix she put herself in then, Ell?
Nobody will ever know how much she
suffered at first, after that sudden tumble
How many novel delicacles of fancy-how
many innocent cOquetries-h many nice
little habits, pretty little ways, did she not |
feel awaken within her! All her graceful |
womanly instincts, budding and ready to
burst into blossom, were crushed by the |
brutal caresses of grimy hgnd, whose de-
formed fingers stank of labor and sweat
Without knowing it she had become ac-
customed to the refnements Of the better |
classic sweet odors, to silky garments.
to white hands. She felt all the disgust |
of petted cat, exquisitey careful of her
white fur, and suddenly compelled to dwell |
amid gutter-6lth. She could not bear the
mechanic any longerl He made her afro
ciously nervous. There was not a word,
not gesture that Flrmin made which did
not seem IN her eyes gawky and coarse
Whenever she compared him to Loulou.
she could remember certain little facts
LouIou's pretty beard had a smell of am
Der. And the way he held his glass. the
way he bowed. the way he used to call her
Ma biche! Of course, that was triAing;
but happiness is made up of trihes. The
other man, whenever he kissed her, his
breath came into her face with Whit of
tobacco and Dad wine that made her sick
And Just to think that she had once [
hoped to become lady
The soft leap of an animal aroused her.
It IS Princesse who has been sleeping in a!
corner, and astonished at the silence of
her mistress, now comes like a spoiled pet
to remind her that it is time for dinner
Madame Firmin takes her up tenderly,