Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1883-09-26

was nobodys child. She was simply a
little creature that kind Providence had
sent to me to take care Of At least |
thought SO then; now think it was the
devil himself who placed her In my
path.
swell. ] felt queer about her all the
time; but soon made up my mind what
to do. I rang the bel! of convent of
Gray Sisters, which was beside the Saint
Andre hospital, right back of the Place
d. Armes. I saw the mother superior
and told her all about my adventure.
eel can't possibly keep the child, |
said. As for the money, I'll settle all
that with you"
$50 we struck bargain, and I told
the little one. I don't think it quite
pleased her. But, anyhow, she was
locked up and felt relieved.
"Theu, / tell you, became steady
enough-no more sprees, no more fights.
[ thought of nothing but the little one.
/ worked like four men, and every Sun
day went to see her. They were not
at all pleased with her. She was al
ways making the sisters mad, and turn
ing the convent upside down. Then,
when we would be alone, she would
fling her arms around my neck and look
into my eyes SO that 1t seemed to me |
saw millions of stars. And she would
say to me between two kisses:
Take me away from here, want
to live with you. | do not like it here.
"It was hard to refuse her; for be-
longed to her body and soul, the little
wretch and she knew it. Still I re-
NAMED firm. ..-
"' When you can read, write and
count we'll, / said, you can leave here
not BEFORE
"'Where shall [ go then
""Just wherever you like
'And she would always answer:
Gel want to go with you, and to your
home; want to be your wife.
"She was there three years. At last
one morning thesuperioress sent for me.
She said they could not keep the little
one any longer. She was insolent to
everybody, passionate as a cat, and in
durable as an itch.
"And when / told the superioress
that was going to marry the girl, she
lifted her eyes to heaven and cried:
GO May God help you!-may God
watch over youp
"The little one did not know much
she would never study. But she had
| grown tail and beautiful. At that hour
she was lovely as an angel. And L
| great clumsy brute that I was-I was
crazy about her. -... g..
T" married her, and was happy-mad-
~ happy. Even now, in spite of all she
has done, when I think of that bliss, it
makes me tremble in every limb. l had
worked so hard, so constantly, that even
while paying her board, had been able
to lay something aside. All! dame! I
had no high living in those days; and I
ate more bread than did anything else.
But when she left the church she found
waiting for her complete housekeeping
set-a neat, clean, cheerful home. Ihad
done the best I could.
And when we went out on Sundays,
she leaning upon my arm-Lord! how
proud of her / vast How everybody
turned around to look at us But, then,
you have no idea how beautiful she was!
All! she was a wonder-a marvel of
Gods creation-I could not describe
Der .s ,.H +. u.
''My friends knew of her beauty,
while she was with the sisters. I could
not keep my adventure to myself told
everybody like the big fool [ was.
''She had kept her gypsy name. Her
skin was as golden as a nandarin's.
Some fools called her black. Then they
ended by nicknaming her La Tarpiaude
on account of her brown skin; and she
was the first to laugh when my friends
called her by that name.
q" How happy I was
a" But, I tell you, paid dearly for
OF 1t afterward. Need [ tell you that I
kept on working as hard as ever-yes,
working beyond my strengthen order
to pet her, to spoil her, to get her every
thing she wanted? There was always
one thing that fretted me in the widst of
my JOY. She was lazy as a dermouse
had no idea of putting her ten fingers
to the least good use-doing nothing all
day but reading trashy books, without
even taking the trouble to mend her
dresses. And greedy!-and liar! 1t
was no use trying not to see it-no use
having web over my eyes! Though I
was really drunk with love-blind drunk
though she could make me see stars at
midday. still GOULD not help seeing
how disorderly her life was. But used
to say to myself: 'She will change for
the better as she grows older" And I
used to think that if the good God should
send us child she would have to take
care of it and that would make hera bet
ter woman. Luckily for me, we never
had child! What would sucha child
have been? Oh misery.
g That happiness lasted two years
two years that passed as quickly as two
days. Now it is the hours that drag
along as slowly as if they were years.
" Already several times, when came
home, had not found her there; no
dinner ready, the house all dismal and
empty and cold. It was very trying. A
moment later she would come in, all out
of breath, and excuse herself by saying
she had been taking walk with some
of her girl friends. Still I didn't say
anything. You see whenever I found
fault with her, she would pout, and then
it was who was in the wrong and had
to beg her pardon.