The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1883-04-26
A STRANGE STORY.

A STRANGE STORY.
It was in the days of the French
Revolution when the reign of the God
dess of Liberty had closed all the
churches and stopped every outward
religious form, and when the reign of
terror was at its height in the land.
The little town of Verreville, in the
south Of France, lay all wrapped in a
glory of evening sunshine that wrought
rare magic among the dingy houses and
in the drowsy streets and alleys. Now
it played golden jokes Within fountain
that danced in q broken basin in the
little square; now itclothed with a new,
wondrous picturesque charm the gable
of yonder decaying mansion; now it
glided into q small gloomy back-court,
and turned it into q fairy's grotto by
changing every pane of glassin the tiny
windows round it into a living gem.
Up the principal street of the town
came numbering q cart bearing a sad
burden. It was q coffin, over which
was spread q coarse, shabby black
mantle by way of pail. At each side of
the heavy cart-horse which drew the
vehicle walked q dark-robed fgure-a
man and q woman. Slowly the little
funeral party advanced over the rough
pavement, that made the wheels of the
cart jolt noisily and with no reverent
sound of woe. Slowly on they came
through the river of sunlight; and as
they went two or three women, loiter-
ing with their pitchers near the fount-
ain, watched them with eyes which had
q touch of sorrow in them and made
their comments, as they gazed, in low
tones.
"Ah, poor young ladyi" said the
Oldest of the group. "She's the last of
them-the very last. I recollect the
coming home Of her mother, Madame
Ia Comtesse, as q bride, and all the train
of lackeys in gold lace, and the pranc-
ing of the six gray horses and the
cheering of the crowd as she threw
silver pieces among them like rain in
autumn. And now to think that this
should be the funeral of her daughter!
I have seen strange changes in the land
siAce I was your age, Babette, my
clsld."
Babette tossed her head and the red
handkerchief upon it q little disdain-
fully, as if her modern lights showed
her things which were more worthy of
note than anything which the old
woman's memory could call up out of
the past.
"What good were they in the land,
these ~aristocratsp" she cried. "They
were of no more use than the statues in
the garden of the old chateau, where we
poor folks can wander now with our
babies or our sweethearts at u will"
"But the young Countess was of diff
ferent pattern from those who went be-
fore her," here put in a third woman.
when my husband lay sick with the
fever and everybody fled from our cot
tage on account of the infection, she
came to visit us, and stood by his bed
often and felt his pulse better than the
doctor, and sent him strengthening food
and medicine. She was no more like
her grandmother, who used, when I was
q child, to go rolling along in her coach,
all once piece of silk and pride, than one
of the glittering buttons on the livery
coats of the Counts footmen vas like q
bright bit of money that we can spend
to buy chocolate and sugar and all sorts
of good things that will rejoice our hus-
bands and children's hearts"
"WeI, anyhow, if she had not died
now she would soon,' said Babette, de-
cidedly. "Her husband is in the prison
at Toulon and she was quickly enough
70 have followed him there, I know on
good authority, and what a prison ends
in for ar~istocracts in these days we all
know better than we used to know our
paternosters in the times when it was
the fashion to say them"
"Her death seems to have been a sud-
den and rather strange one," said the
old woman who had first spoken.
YES" replied the other elder wom-
an; sit was but tWo days since I saw
her crossing the footpath through the
field opposite our cottage"
"They say she fell down in a fit as
she was standing before her dressing
table arranging her hair, and never
spoke afterward," said the other dame,
pouring out her information rapidly, as
though she feared Babette might be be.
forehand with her.
"That is often the way these aristo-
Gratis go out of the world, if they are
left to die a natural DEATH" exclaimed
Babette, dipping her hand into the
fountain and tossing some drops o.
water about CONTEMPORARY, as if they
were drops of aristocratic blood. 'eThey
eat and drink and sleep so much that
their brains and bodies get dull and
and heavy, and they just fall down and
die for very WEAKNESS of life"
81 wonder what is to become of all
the rich plate and jewels that belong to
the fami1yP'' said Rose, the eldest of the
women.
80, M. le Mayor will soon find out
that" cried Babette. HE will be in
the chateau, depend upon it, by to-mor
row morning or before, and he'll look
into everything, and make good use Of
it, too. He's a man that knows what
he's about, and that has no false fine
feeling about the aristocrats. Very
likely he'll distribute some of the plum.
der of the chateau among uspoorfolk.'
"Fiine looks grave and sad enough
as she walks by her dead mistress
body" remarked the other elder
woman.
mo wonder, poor GIRL" answered
Rose; ''they were brought up together
and loved each other more like sister,
than like mistress and servant"
"But for all her sad looks I would
wager my silver earrings against you
cats necklace, Rose, that she is think
ing more of her lover, Maurice, than O
the dead. It's q beautiful arrange
ment for her, in faith, to have him 70,
her companion in business like this
All! she's a sly one, for all her demur'
ways, and her smooth face, that seem
to have no more in it than an empt,
milk-pailr' Babette made a little ex
pressive wink, which might imply NOR,
or less according to the fancy of he
companions, as she spoke these las
words.
'They will marry very soon now,
should think" said old Rose, taking VI
her pitcher, which had been long brim
ming W patiently at her side.
20. 1 won't say that it will ever com
to a marriage, after ALL" exclaimed
Babette, with such q toss this time tina