Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-09-21


something of her own lightness and flame
to him.
''she shakes him up,' says Nine. Bay
ard.
Since his foster-sister's arrival Leon
had grown brighter and more animated
every day. When they were old enough
to learn to read, Leon drove his motneT
| to despair. He could not get on, put
/ stuck over one of those alphabets Win
pictures where the letter Z is under an
! elephant. and the under zouaVe; Dut
as soon as NOrine, who had learned to
/ smell very quickly and could read syllables
already. came to his aid, the little fellow
began to make wonderful progress. 1t
was the same thing when they were both
sent to a children's school kept by an old
Miss Merlin, in the Rue de PHomme-
Arme. According to the misleading
PROSPECTUS sent out by Miss Merlin to the
sbOp-keepers Of the quarter. there was ga
gart en- attached to the establishment
that is TO say. four broOmsticks in sand
ed cOurt-and it was there that, on the
first dav in the play hour, the innocent
Leon broke out into cries Of terror at see
ing the mistress drive one Of her knitting
needles into the front of her dress when
she had TO interrupt her work for mo-
ment. One Of the big girls, who was sit
ting in the corner with the FOOLS cap on,
explained this phenomenon to Leon and
Norine; but, all the same, the boy could
never get rid of an impression of supersti-
tious terror when he was in the school
mistress presence. This terror would
have paraiyzed his childish faculties and
prevented him, in school, from following
Miss Merlin's wand when she pointed
to the map of Europe or the table of
weights and measures, II Norine had not
been there to reassure and encourage
him. From the beginning she was the
best in the school, and to the idle and
backward Leon she was a sort Of frater-
nal counselor and atfectiOnate teacher.
At about 4 O'Clock Nine. Bayard used to
watch the two children, whom the nurse
had brought home TO the shop, settle
themselves by her in her glass bureau,
and note how NOrine, opening a copy
book or a Iesson-book, would explain to
Leon some exercise he had not under
stood. or make him repeat the imperfectly
learned lesson.
The good God reward u.s." Nine. Bay
ard would say some times to her husband
at night, between the curtains. THAT
little NOrine is a treasure. So good and
so hard-working! l was listening to her
to-day, working with Leon. really think
without her he never would have learned
his multiplication table,"
''Trust me, MIMI replied BayaTd; 81
shall rot forget. We are getting on very
well; we VIII give her dot and marry
her, won't we. when she is old enOughD
She is old enOugh-age always comes
| so quickly! And there is now a beautiful
| slender, fair young girl, in the glass cage
| sitting beside Nine. BaYard, who begins
TO show silver threads in the bands of hel
4 black hair. NOrine writes in the big
/ brass-covered ledger now, while hel
| adopted mother works at some piece OF
| embroidery.
| sSeyen O'Clock. The gentlemen ought
/ to be in by now. They have to shut VI
| the shops where the gas Jets are flicker
| ing and twisting in the November wind
Here they are at last! Bayard has grown
| stout, and has a corporation, and Leon
/ who had passed his apOthecary's eXami
| nation last month, has grown into yer!
handsome young fellow.
Chow dye do, Mimi?-hOw dye do
| Norine? Let US make haste upstairs t
| dinner. have a great piece of news to tel
| YOU" said the druggist.
They went up to the dining-rOom, ant
while Nine. Bayard, seated in her Tyre
| shaped chair, ladled out the soup, old Bay
| ard tucked his napkin under his chin
looked knowingly at his wife, and said:
1T is all settled, Mimiu'
''The FOrgats cOnsent!"
"Yes: and Leon will marry Hortense il
! six months; and our daughter-ln-laW VII
| come and live here with us. Yes, NOrine
| you know nothing about it, for one dOesn'
/ talk of those things before young ladies
I but for the last year or more, Leon ha
/ been IN love with HOrtense FOrgat, ant
has done nothing but torment US to Civ
her to him. Parblue! it was not difficult
we had only to speak the word. Leon i
I a good enough match. The only difficult,
was that we wanted to keep our son wit
/ US. However, now everything is settled
| and your foster-brother will have the wifi
/ he wants. Are you gladP'
every glad" answered Norine.
0 deaf earsl Q blind eyes! They neve
/ heard Norine's voice when she answer
/ ed them-the dull, sad tone that is tn
echo of a broken heart! They never saw
| that NOrine turned white, and her head
| as though it had suddenly grown to-
heavy, rolled from side to side, as if sh
were going to faint. They guessed moth
| ing, they understood nothing-this lon!
/ time they have guessed and understood
| nothing. And yet they are all fond o
| her-NOrine, who is the charm and the
ornament of the house. They even think
/ good people, of marrying her some day Il
| their head shopman, widower, who haI
| saved money, and who is everything
| woman can wish to make her happy
| Leon loves her, too, with all his heart, bu
/ as a sweet and kind sister, and he neve
| guesses, this great and spoiled boy, tina
poor Norine is in love with him, and ready
| to die of the sorrow of it. No. not ever
| this evening, when they have uncOn
/ sciously inflicted one of the worst of tor
| lures on her, do they suspect the truth
And they will all sleep peacefully, dream
ing pleasantly Of the future, while No
! rine, shut in her rOOm-her room that il
separated from her adopted parents by
| so slight a partitiOn-will fall upon hel
bed, fainting with pain, and bury hel
head in the pillow to stifle her sObs.
The ball isover, the rooms are beginning
to empty; here and there the candles that
| have burned down have broken the
| bObeches, and the bits of glass lie scatter.
| ed on the polished floor.
The Bayards were determined to have
| the wedding at their own house. And with
| plenty of floWers-fOr they are in the
middle Of summer-they have decked the
| Rue Vielle du Temple, till it has quite a
festive air, and there they have triumph
antly installed their daughter-in-law.
1t is all over at last. The young bride
and bridegroom are in their wedding
chamber, where Nine. Bayard accom-
panied them a moment. As she comes
out she meets Norine in the small draw
ing-rOom, where she is helping the SER
wants to put out the lights. and kissed he
young girl tenderly, saying:
$50 to bed, my child; you must Ne
tired" And she adds with a smile: 1
will be your turn next"
And, at last, Norine is left alone in g
darkened room, only lighted by the b, j.
room candle, which she had put down on
the piano.
How strong the flowers smell; and how
her head aches.
1t has been a horrible day. She has SUI
fered agOnies from the moment when she
knelt before HOrtense, her rival, with her
mouth full Of pins, like any lady's maid,
arranging her white SATIN train, until
just now, when Leon, with his arm around
his young wIfe's waist, had drawn her
toward him, and, husband and wife, had
almost mingled their kisses on her fore
head.
Alb, the scent Of the flowers is uubeara-
bic, and she feels quite giddy.