Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-02-27

Ard shrink with sudden dread,
That although she loved me so
She may not be happy dead
--D--s--~-- 80
i CECILE.
FROM the French of g. de Cherville, by Fran
u Il els Shaw. ~ III K t
Every afternoon toward 3 o'clock a
carriage bearing crest drew up at the
gate OF the Tuileries opposite the Rue
DIES Pyramides. When the footman had
opened the door the first to descend was
. woman, who carefully assisted down
the steps ayoung man of timid and hest
tating gait. Then drawing the arm Of
her companion within her own, she en-.
tered the garden with a babe in her
arms. " r
The young man, who was not yet
quite 80, was IS remarkable for elegance
of form as for regularity of features.
But there was one defect in the other
wise perfect ensemble; the fame which
should have vivifed it was extiuguished.
The unhappy man was blind. &.
The two in exterior formed striking,
almost brutal contrast. Nature, iber-
al to prodigalltty toward the one. had
been strangely avarioious to the other.
The poor woman was small, sickly, ug-
~; her irregular features had besides
that suffering expression which not
even youth can mitigate, and which de-
fies all arts Of the toilet d."
How then could it have happened,
this III assorted union? How had Co.
cile Berthaut, humble governess, as
void Of fortune IS of attractions, become
the wife 81 Count Robert de Chatillion?
She had just finished an engagement
as goyerness in Moldavian family at
.Jassy, and was returning to France by
way of Vienna, when serious accident
to the steamboat on which she had set
ont, had compelled the captain to
leave his passengers at Ribitzno, thirty
leagues from Belgrade. Upon arri-
val at. the only and very mediocre inn Of
the village, the young girl saw that her
accent excited no little emotion. The
landlord, finding that she was French
woman, informed her that there had
been for several days in his house a
young Frenchman seriously i'll, his
situation rendered still more deplorable
from his inability to speak word Of
German or Hungarian. H..
Poorly lowered as was Cecile Ber-
thaut in external gifts, she was rich in
Ginning qualities Of the heart. All
generous and elevated sentiments found
home in her breast. Without mo-
ment's delay she sought her country
man. 8:ss d, .... ,,.s| u. @ 5.sa =,
8 His condition was even more grave
than the inn-keeper had said. From an
exploring voyage to the mouth of the
Danube ne had brought the germs Of
naiignant fever which had forced him
to stop at Rinitzno. The disease had
developed with frightful radidity.. Two
days after taking his bed the young Of
fcer had fallen into q comatose state
of evil argury. When Cecile entered
his sick room he was in q tdeliriurn, and
could answer her questions only by in
coherent words. Profoundly moved by
tins deplorable isolation, fascinated,
perhaps, by that charm Of feature that
.trinmphed over the ravages Of disease,
the young girl decided at once to fulfil
the mission Providence had ordained,
bT Leading her to this unfortunate, she
resolved to care for him, and if al fatal
issue was inevitable, to soothe his last
moments. y. s. .5is,
The sick mans name was stamped
upon his yalise, q peck etbook contained!
his passport. This she sent immedi-
ataly to the French ambassador at vi
emma, advising him Of the desperate
condition Of M. de Chatillon and i'm
ploring him to inform the relatives.
This duty fulfilled, she gave her days
and nights 10 the work Of charity she
had undertaken. zt.. \,
= The task, ardnons at best, became
more 20. from her lack of confd encei in
tho Hungarian physician of Ribitzno.
His repeated blood lettings allayed the
fever, but at the same time aggravated
the ceephahc symptoms; the delirium
continued and the eyes become the seat
Of an alarming inAamm nation.
For ten days Cecile had watched ct
the sick mans pillow. So much at-