The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-03-06
CECILE.
From the French of G. de Cherville, by Fran
ciB Shaw,

-" - Al
carriage bearing acrest drew up at the
gate of the Tuileries opposite the Rue
DIES Pyrnmides. When the footman had
opened the door the first to descend was
q woman, who carefully assisted down
the steps young man of timid and hest
Eating gait. Then drawing the arm of
her companion within her own, she n
tered the garden with o babe in her
arms.
The young man, who was not yet
quite 30. wns as 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 vivified it was extiuguislled.
The unhappy man was blind.
The two in exterior. formed striking,
almost brutal contrast. Nature, liber-
al to productivity toward the one, had
been strangely avaricious to the other.
The poor oma was small, sickly, ,ug.
y; her irregular features had besides
that suffering expression which not
wen youth can mitigate, and which de-
fes all arts of the toilet.
How then could it have happened,
this ill assorted union? How had Ce-
cile Berthaut, a humble goyerness, as
void Of fortune as of attractions, become
the wife Of Count Robert de Chatillion?
She had just finished an engagement
"A g~overness in a Moldavian family at
Jassy, and was returning to France by
way of Vienna, when a serious accident
TO the steamboat on which she had set
out, had compelled the captain to
leave his passengers at Ribitzno, thirty
leagues from Belgrade. Upon arri-
val Mt the only and very mediocre inn of
the village, the young girlsaw that her
accent excited no little emotion. The
landlord, finding that she was a 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 a word of
German CT Hungarian.
Poorly lowered as was Cecile Ber-
thaut in external gifts, she was rich in
shining qualities Of the heart. All
generous and elevated sentiments found
o home in her breast. Without a mo-
ment's delay she sought her country
man.
His condition was even more grave
than the inn-keeper had said. From an
exploring voyage to the mouth of the
Danube he had brought the germs OF
malignant 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
ficer had fallen into o comatose state
of evil angury. When Cecile entered
his sick-room he was in a delirium, and
could answer her questions only by in
coherentwords. Profoundly moved by
this deplorable isolation, fascinated,
perhaps, by that charm Of feature that
triumphed over the ravages Of disease,
the young girl decided at once.to fulfil
the mission Providence had ordained,
by leadingshe e to this unfortunate. she
resolved to care for him, and if a fatal
issue was inevitable, to sootlle his last
moments. s@Q
The sick mans name was stamped
upon his yaIse, aspocketbook contained
his passport. This she sent immedi-
ately to the French ambassador at vi
emma, advising him of the desperate
condition of M. dc Chatillon and i'm
ploring him to inform the relatives.
This duty fulfilled, she gaveher days
and nights to the work OF charity she
had undertaken.
The task, arduous at best, became
more so. from her lack of confidence in
the Hungarian physician of Ribitzno.
His repeated blood. lettings allayed the
fever, but at the same time aggravated
the cephalic symptoms; the delirium
continued and the eyes become the seat
of an alarming inflammation.
For ten days Cecile had watched at
the sick mans pillow. So much at
tached had she become to her work
that it was not without q pressure at
the heart that she saw q carriage stop
at the inn and an old lady with white
hair step from it. After o few words
with the landlord the adymounted the
stairssThe young girl felt sure that
this was NJ. de Chatillon's mother; that
her mission was ended.
Breathless the wco fastened to
the bed. At sight of the CHASTITY ema-
ciated face Of her son she sank sobbing
upon her knees. The sick man, who
had fallen into the torpid state Of the be-
ginning Of the crisis, scarcely turned his
head. Cecile approached the old lady,
explained her presence, and sought to
console her. Deeply moved by the de-
yotion Of a stranger to her child, Nine.
de Chattillon thanked Cccile with the
c~loquence Of q mother menaced in the
very flesh OF her flesh.
In spite Of this burst of gratitude Ce-
Gle saw that her position neal this
young man was becoming difficult, and
said to Nine. de Chatillion that as her
Eon MS now assured of q mothers I'M
equaled care there was now no him
drance in the way of her journey, and
she would leave on the morrow.
Tie old lady protested; she implored
the young girl not to leave her. She