Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-06-05
MY AUNT MINON.

| IN. o. Times-Democrat Translation from Baissao
She had been one Of our grandfather.
| girl-friends. Why used we all to call her
Aunt Minonr Perhaps my elders knew;
but myself. who was only eight years when
l saw her for the last time, do not even yet
know why. And in my memory the mys-
terry OF that queer appellation Is always con.
nected with the far-on and somewhat vague
image Of the little woman with soft, sad eyes,
and waxen face framed in long white curls-
the little woman who passed with slow steps
through that immense and Lonesome house in
which and my big brother passed our eight
days vacation
years ago, when l last visited the place, J
could find nothing of the house; time had
swallowed everything up.
| can still see Aunt Minon standing at the
top of the great stone steps. She has seen
US coming-Henry and land she stands at
the steps to welcome her little guests. We
both kiss joyously those pale cheeks Of herr
Eight days of naugats de badames OF yam
preserves, of candied bibasses, of sugar
plums taken for our benefit out Of the great
tin chest. And to counter balance all these
sweets, the green fruits deC y there, the long
blond bilimbis. and the golden caramboles of
the great garden. Nor could We ever forget
the little red fish Of the fountain, the danes
cere, which we caught with thread lines
and bent pins, and ate without salt
and pepper, cooking them on n char
coal fire at the edge Of the founta
and the nests of the yellow flies that we
broke open with stones with the idea that We
were going to have clandestine chatignisl
And when the sun began TO sink, what fins
time We had hunting for tee tees in the sand,
for periwinkles among the rocks, or fof
violet moss, all gorged with iodine, under the
roots OF the great manglisrs Then we had
our supper on the little round table IN the
middle Of the vast dining where the
red light of the high double-lamp brought
out-from remote shadowy corners-the fig
ures of the loosened tapestry, which would
swell out softly, softly, and then fall bach
against the wall with hard dry sound thai
would wake me up with a start, because
had fallen asleep over my plate, Then Aunt
Minon would carry me half way TO the
great bed with its high spiral columns; she
would kiss me good night and draw the
piisguitc-bar.
When | returned to Nauritius, shs va,
dead. Her old friend, the notary B.
gave me little seal which she had be.
questhcd me, and which now lies there on
my writing desk. She had remembered the
absent one
That is. indeed. a very old story You are
asking ME 10 tell YOU said the notary;
and believe that nobody else now knows
it except myself since your grandmother
died
1t was in lS0s Your Aunt Minon, a,
you call her, was then IL years old She was
wonderfully pretty; those poor eyes Of hers
vrft .sI
and drowned in tears. had in those days the
nriliiancy Of two great black diamonds But
her great charm was her smile Ny dear
sir, see young girls smiling every day; and
1t Is always attractive 10 see two pink lips
opening over two rows u p-arl,, but-but 1t
i never like Der smile women can not smile
ike that nowadays,
1T was not TO be wondered at tina. being
so pretty. she should also have been some
thing OF q coqrette. Poor soul! she paid
dearly for it! There were i've or six Of Us
courtiny her, more or less oT.nly-all Of Us
crafty in love. But she was quite keen
enough 70 see that there was one among u.
who loved her more than any. His name
was George do not suppose you care to
know the family name Whether George
had ever told her that he loved her do co,
e
panslve lad. although not gloomy il Was net
the fashion in our time TO be too serious.
Neither was be melancholy: it was long be-
fore the time OF Chateaubriani and Lamar
tine; bat he was q little reserved. . little
dreamy, partly. perhaps, because be was q
little near-sightei
One night there WAS a great ball az the
government house Some time before al
English frigste, cruising of the coast.
boldly approached our batteries within can
non shot, ami teg An TO harass them Geo.
Decaen had resolved 70 make the cruiser nav
dearly FOR her aadAcity, and had ordered Ia 1
CSncnnlere to give chase 70 the Laurel tn. I
moment she APPEARED again in our waters.
son after the English vessel WAS siSnalei o. .
the north coast. the engagement would occar 4
ne1t day, AMI the Ctficers Of Ia Canornisre
begged tie general 10 iet them give fare ,
well ball AZ tie government house as they
hsi no tune 20 sefsratsly visit their friends .
IN the four ends o. the isIant
she was, a. aiways the queen q the ball:
AMI poor Georce. with his so,,e~ha, awk. /
wari tImiiity, was far from icing the king.
The real hero Of the occasion Was . vouae
ensign q the Canonniere. uhose cro-< o. /
honor had teen sat - him N colonial /
water, as reward !o- some recen- heroic
feat q arms Il WAS hard 20 saw which
'hooe rnost brig h;ly a, the bal-:he oeiceri, 1
sparkling c-oss, ~ the Dung girl, splendid
syes All attention seemed - hs conferred On
those two ouly.
"A Creole prover5 SAYS Ii Is ooly the
mountains that never u,es.'-,hs hapt.n-,.