The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-09-19
looked knowingly at his
wife, and said:
at is all settled, Mimi!"

"The Forgats CONSENT .g7-. d.
Eyes; and Leon will marry Hortense
in six months; and our daughter-in-law
will come and live with us. Yes, Nor
inc, you knew nothing about it for one
doesn't talk of those things before
young ladies'; but for the last year OF
more, Leon has been in love with Hor-
tense Forgat, and has done nothing but
torment us to give her to him. Par
bleu! it was not difficult-we had only
to speak the word. Leon is a good
enough match. The only difficulty was
that we wanted to keep our son With
us. However, now everything is set
tied, and your foster brother will have
the wife he wants. Are you glad"
Every glad!' answered Norine.
O deaf ears! O blind eyes! They
never heard Norine's voice when she
answered them-the dull, sad tone that
is the echo Of q broken hearth They
never saw hat Norine turned white,
and her head, as though it had sudden.
Nv grown too heavy, rolled from side to
side as if she were going to faint. They
guessed nothing, they understood moth
ing-this long time they had guessed
and understood nothing. And yet they
are all fond of h~er--Norine, who is the
charm and the ornament OF the house.
They even think, good people, of mar,
rying her some day to their head shop
man, a widower who has saved money,
and who is Everything Il woman could
wish to make her happy" Leon lover
her too, with all his heart, but rs e
sweet and kind sister, and he never
guesses, this great spoiled boy, that
poor Norine is in love with him, and
ready to die of the sorrow of it. No,
not even this evening, when they have
unconsciously inflicted n of the worst
of fortunes on her, DIS they suspect the
truth. And they will all sleep peace
fully, dreaming pleasantly of the fu-
her room that is separated from her
adopted parents by SO slight a parti-
tion-will fall upon her bed, fainting
with pain, and bury her head in the pill
low to stifie her sobs.
The ball is over, the rooms are begin
ming to empty, here and there the can
dies that have burned down in their
sockets have broken the bobeches, and
the bits of glass lie scattered on the pol
ished floor.
The Bayards were determined to have
the wedding at their own house. And
with plenty of Aowers-for they are in
the middle of summer-they have decked
the Rue Vieille du Temple, till it has
quite a festive air, and there they have
trlumhpantly installed their daughter
in-law.
1t is all over at last. The young bride
and bridegroom are in their wedding
chamber, where Madame Bayard ac-
companied them a moment. AS she
out she meets Norine in the small
drawing-room, where she is helping the
servants to put out the lights. and kissed
the young girl tenderly, saying:
go to bed, my child; you must be
tired" And she adds with a smile:
1T will be your turn next"
And, at last, Norine is left alonein g
darkened room, only lighted by the bed.
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
suffered 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 round his young wife's waist,
had drawn her toward him, and, hus-
band and wife, had almost mingled their
kisses on her forehead"
All, the scent of the flowers is unbear-
able, and she feels quite gildv.
She falls down into an armchair,
Worn ont with the dull pain in her head
and, with her head thrown back, and
her forehead pressed between her two
hands, watches that door-the door of
the where the young bride and
bridegroom are shut in together. She
is almost delirious! Oh, how the scent
of those flowers hurt herl And what
thousands of memories come crowding
on her! She sees herself again a little
girl in an inn at Argenteuil, and the Pa
risians arriving so well-dressed and ca
ressing her; and the pretty little boy,
with a white feather in his hat kisses
her. The other pictures follow each
other rapidly through her mind. The
school III the Rue de 'Homme-Arme,
and Miss Merlin, with her knitting
needle sticking in her chest, pointing
with the end of her wand to the table
OF weights and measures; the darkcned
drug-shop on Sunday, when the shut
tiers were shut and she and Leon played
de.and-seek behind the sacks and
barrels.
Oh, God! Is she gone mad? Now
she can not help humming the air Of
that waltz she was dancing with Leon
just now. She is suflocated!-oh. those
fiowers!-She must goat least she
must open the window. But she can
not get up, she has no strength left.
Is this death? Her forehead seems
bound by two fingers of iron. Oh,
those roses! those grange lossoms!E
those orange-blossoms above all!
At last, with great effort, she rises,
straight and pale-so palein her white
dress. But suddenly she falls-frst
upon her knees, and then striking her
head and shoulder upon the floor.
Poor, poor Norine! She lies out
stretched at the door of the bridal cham.
ber-dead.
But was it a broken heart, you ask?
Not So" says n cynic. People
do not die Of broken hearts,
True Then it must have been the
heavy perfume of the tlowers.-Adapt-
cd for the Argonaut from the French
by Mile. Boucher.
AL. H..
Lightning Strokes,