The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-03-13
CECILE.

6% Y oAS iuaS uot De nappy QeaQ.
CECILE.
From the French Of G. de Cheryille, by Fran.
els Shaw.
Every afternoon toward 8 o'clock a
carriage bearing a crest drew up at the
gate Of the Tuileries opposite the Rue
des Pyramides. When the footman had
opened the door the first to descend was
i woman. who carefully assisted down
the steps ayoung man Of timid and hesi-
Eating gait. Then drawing the arm OF
her companion within her own, she en-
tered the garden with . babe in her
arms.
The young man, who was not yet
quite 30. was as remarkable for elegance
of form q for regularity Of features.
But there was one defect in the other
wise perfect ensemble; the flame which
should have viyiied it was extiuguished.
The unhappy man was blind.
The two in exterior formed astrfking.
almost brutal contrast. Nature, liber-
al to probability toward the one, had
been strangely avaricious 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-
ffes all arts of the toilet.
How then could it have happened,
this i'll assorted union2 How had Co.
scile Berthaut. a humble governess, as
void OF fortune rs Of attractions, become
sths wife 81 Count Robert dc Chatillion?
She had just finished an engagement
.as governess in q Moldavian family at
Jassy, and vas returning to France by
way of Vienna. when q serious accident
to the steamboat on which she had set
out, had compelled the captain to
leave his passengers ut Ribitzno, thirty
leagues from Belgrade. Upon arri-
val ut 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 a French
woman, informed her that there had
been for several days in his house q
young Frenchman seriously i'll, his
situntion rendered still more deplorable
from his inability to speak q word Of
German or Hungarian.
Poorly lowered as was Cecile Der
thaut in external gifts, she was rich in
shining qualities Of the heart. AL
generous and elevated sentiments found
: home in her breast. Without a mo-
mant's delay she sought her country
man.
His condition was v more grave
than the ~inn-keeper had said. From an
exploring voyage to the mouth Of the
Danube he had brought the germs oil
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
fieer had fallen into q comatose state
of evil augury. When Cecile entered
his sick-room he was in a delirium, and
could answer her questions only by in
coherent words. Profoundly moved by
this d~eplorable isolation, fascinated,
perhaps. b. that charm of feature that
triumphed oven the ravages of disease.
the young girl decided at once to fulfil
the mission Providence had ordained
by leading her to this unfortunate, shs
resolved to care for him, and if q fatal
issue was inevitable, to soothe his last
moments.
The sick mans name was stamped
upon his yalise, a pocketbook contained
his passport. This she sent immedi.
ately 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 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.
Els 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 al
the sick mans pillow. So much at
tached had. she become to her work
that it was not without q pressure al
the heart that she saw q carriage STOP
at the inn and an old lady with white
hair step from it. After q few words
with the landlord the lady mounted the
stairs. The young girl felt sure that
this was M. de Chatillon's mother; thai
her mission was ended.
Breathless the newcomer fastened tt
the bed. AT sight Of the ghastly ema.
ciated face of her son she sank sobbine
upon her knees. The sick man, who
had fallen into the torpid state Of the be.
ginning Of the crisis, scarcely turned his
bead. Iecile approached the old lady,
explained her presence. and sought t
console her. Deeply moved by the de,
yotioil Of a stranger to her child, Nine
de Chattillon thanked Cccile with til,
%elognence Of a mother menaced in TIL,
very flesh Of her flesh.
III spite Of this burst of gratitude Ce
Gle saw that her position near thi
young man was becoming difficult, ant
said to Nine. de Chatillion that as he
son wa now assured Of a mothers un
calialed care there WAS now no hin
dfance in the way Of her journey, ans
soc would leave on the morrow.
The old lady protested she imploret
tue young girl not to leave her. Sh'