The state journal., 1884-07-26


His listener flung open her hands with
gesture Of wild despair and turned her
face to the wall, speechless. The man,
who was by trade tlieur or chief chiffon
| nier, seeing Plon's lead appear, turned
round and addressed himself to him.
Fort is traitor, he has denounced
others. They will be here presently
| searching for aims 1t is short work L
| can tell you"
"And my-my lOcataire is shot!'' muir
INJURED Plon, panic stricken: But the
man, whose mission was ended, turned
round without another word and wentout
/ into the lurid darkness.
The landlord made trembling effort
to stagger across the passage, and to pluck
at Marie gown. When bespoke, his voice
quavered with fright.
Come, come, Nine. Didier, go up stairs,
and-and-cry there like good woman.
Here it isn't safe Besides, if they know
who you are, l might be compromised.
Poor Jeanl Heavens
For a volley of rife shot poured down
the street, a rush Of feet followed and
Plon fled precipitately to his den, double
bOlted his door and rolled his mattress
round him for protection. Marie Didier
slowly turned her head, and, as if recog
nizing the wisdom Of his advice, felt her
Nav along the wall and groped up the
dark staircase. No one had lit the small
oil lamp on the premier, but light from
burning houses flashed in at the windows;
child had been killed by the fragment of
shell, and the mother was loudly wall
inc; some were peering out of their door
ways; they stared at Marie, who crept up
like a ghost. In this rookery the young
couple had kept themselves apart and
had no friends. But it was instinctiveiy
known that something had happened TO
Jean, and only one woman was bold
enough to question the wife. She an
swercd steadily in strange strained
voice:
They are searching the house We
shall have them soon"
1t was however an hour before party
OF soldiers made rough visitation. They
dragged Plon out ofhis mattress and made
him climb the stairs, painting and protest
ing. When they reached the top garret
Marie as sitting inthe darkness, with her
arms or the poor table. She didnOt move
as they entered.
Bring in the lantern shouted the
sergeant "Now good woman, who have
you got hiding here p
Sheturned white face upon him. speech
less. PlOn who was recovering his pom
pOsity, pressed forward and laid a hand on
the soldiers arm.
"Don't worry her sergeant, he said,
cher husband has just been shot.
"Serve him right, said the man
brutally. "Arc there more of the brood
about?''
"Nota soul They lived here alone, these
two
"Wen, well see. d"
'<No cupboards here" said q soldier,
whose face was bleeding from a bayonet
scratch.
There's trap door though, said the
sergeant, holding the lantern up to the
ceiling. lie glanced sharply at Marie,
but she remained immOvasle "Humph, y
he grumbled, 'if he is shot he is out otthe
way Now, friend Porpoise, the other
rooms ifyou please.
They searched these thoroughly, with
no better success. But when they had
satisfied themselves and were out again, the
sergeant, whose suspicious seemed to have
been aroused, flung open the door OF the
Didiers' garret and turned the lantern full
upon Marie once more She had not moved
hand or foot.
"What is that blood % said the ser
geant, pointing to trail Ofrcd drops on the
floor.
For answer she silently rolled back her
sleeve, and, ,unbandaging erarm, showed q
deep cut, from which the blood still
OOZed.
ssGood. She has no one, said the man,
Withdrawing the light.
This as all the world knows, was in
1871. -Four years afterwards, at the time
nv story begins, Marie Didier still ocCu
pied that attic She lived by taking in
needlewOrk, and it was sometimes Won
der to the few who knew her. working so
hard as she did, she should remain so poor.
The furniture of the attic | have described,
the sole addition she had made to it was
the chintz which curtains off the alcoVe
with the bed. She was always ready to
do kindness, but made no acquaintances,
and the only persons who climbed to her
attic were PlOn, who made occasional
Wcighty visitatiOns, and often dscOursed
upon his prowcss at the time ofthe Com
munc, and an idiot girl called Perine, whom
Marie one day found crying in the street.
She had no father or mother, and the old
ragpicker she lived with beat her. Once
or twice Marie gave her food, and the
poor creature attached herself to her like
u dog, followed her up stairs and lay
across her door. After while Madame
Didier admitted her into her room at
times, and let her share her poor meals
and sleep on heal of sackings outside
the door Pcrinc, in such prosperity, was
as happy as a queen. 1t Is true that Plon
at first objected, but Marie could pursuade
him into anything, and he only grum-
bled.
On one Winter day Marie was STOPPING
over the stove stirring something in an
earthenware pipkin; Perine, seated on a
wooden stool leaned forward and watched
her operations with excessive interest
Perhaps for want of an intelligent COM
panion. Nine. Didier was in the habit of
soliloquizing aloud and at this moment
she was saying cheerfully:
"NOt much, to be suIe, but something /
should have liked a carrot or two, but in
these hard times that would have been eX-
travagant And, after all, there is some
credit in making good soup out of nothing
at all. If one could run here and there in
the market-'A pound of your best veal,
monsieur "A bunch OF those tlne tur-
nips,and a stick ofcelery, madame'-well,
truth obliges me to admit that it is pos
siblc this soup would have a finer flavor,
but there would not be the satisfaction of
seeing it grow out of few onions, acrust
of bread and pinch OF salt. And that is
the satisfaction which | am favored with
tolerably often. We'll, Perine, my child.
1t interests youths pation-does it
not? Do you think you will ever learn to
make soup p
The girl nodded many times.
"Perine eat it, she said.
The girl nodded, and stumbling along
toward the place indicated cOntrived on
her way to knock down and break into
atoms white dish.
ooh, the unfortunate childr' cried
Marie, darting forward. Another! and
it was my last! How many more things