Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-08-21
SAINTE MARIE.

gG4IS ~ I41ki11i
Some years ago circumstances led me 10
the French capital. l had no intention of
living there, but, lingering on, gradually
formed ties and made it my home-if in
deed that can be called a home which was
only an apartment inhabited By . solitary
woman; but such as it was I grew fond Of
it. The quarter Of Paris l lived in was
pretty and quiet, without being dull. and
had local character peculiar to itself It
was much inhabited by rich tradcspeople
who lived in pretty villas. Everywhere
there were gardens, and when I opened my
window IN the summer evenings the air
brea;hed was balmy with the scent Of flow
ers and the blossoms of trees and shrubs.
There were even fields and fruit trees to
walk among, snd dewy grass, and in the
hush Of the lovely evenings, one might
hear the soft, rich voice OF the nightingale
mingle with the strange, silgery note OF the
equally invisible bull frog.
The church, replaced now, in Difference
to the larger requirements Of the parish,
by huge RomanesqUe edifice, was in my
time a small, antique structure, standing
in a kind Of small Place, in the center
of which stood a monument to the honor
Of Christ our Saviour and his servant, the
worthy - The church was crooked
being sunk at the foundations, and had an
odd, lop-sided look, the effect of having
but one aisle; the other, legend said, hav-
ing been swept away by the onslaught of
an English army many hundred years
since. Within, the little church was a
still, calm place, except for the rustic and
hustle OF oyerzealous, devout ladies, whom
I generally managed 10 avoid. There was
however. one lady with whom, without
any choice of mine, there became newt
ably acquainted, while executing in COM
mon with her certain small parochial
charge laid upon us by the good Cure. She
was tidgety, little, elderly Italian widow,
with struggling locks, and many Old-fash-
toned flrbelows and flounCes and compH-
ments. As to intelligence she seemed, so
far as regarded this world, to have few ideas
bevond the Italian cuisine whose receipts
she was always giving me- but her other
world horizon had, | soon discovered the
wide range which So frequently goes with
simple faith People are, l have often
found. interesting in the degree in which
one is interested in them, and SO it fell out
that before long this Madame Brute and l,
in spite eff many differences of tempera-
ment and character became fast friends.
She lived at Sainte Marie, large national
institution which provided home for poor
gentlefolks with claims to Government pro-
lection. The rule was that applicants for
admission must have reached the age of
sixty, but nevertheless the home was the
scene OF love affairs-afairs sometimes
wholly ludicrous, but sometimes not alto
Gether void of real sentiment. | liked
hearing Madame Brute's stories of the old
people, and | became very much at nome
in her comfOrtless but sunny room, which
looked out toward the Seine, over the
pleasure grounds, and in which every chair
and table, and the bed as well, were always
Uttered up with things strewn about-lace
shawls crooked b0nnets, chocolate, prayer
books, bright-colOred religious pictures,
and perhaps q saucepan, all ln-confuslon
together, and she perpetually complaining
Of want of time. "Ah, she would say,
ore has always so much to do when one
lives alone; q stitch here and another
there, and then one Is old and falls asleep"
Her favorite topic OF conversation was
certain Madame de Bellemaison, of whose
charms aud virtues and misfortunes she
was never tired of talking. Her windows
were Just opposite those of Madame Brute,
and while she talked about her | became
interested in watching the little white hand,
on which diamond ring sparkled, which
was often 70 be seen at Madame de Belle
mas8ns window II was a very pretty,
plump hand and held q fan which shell
tered the face from the light. The rest Of
the figure. which one could tell from the
attitude of the hand, was always recum-
bent being hidden from view by the win
dOw-sill. | learned that Madame de Belle
maison was paralyzed and was fond OF
visitors.
Absolutely, mademoiselle, you must
come some day with me and see her. She
was once a great beauty, and still IS clever
Is she is good and spirituelle. She knew
every one when she was young, and tells
the most charming anecdotes OF great
world now become historical"
And so, without much reluctance on my
part, it came about that | was one day in
PRODUCED to the lady who owned the white
hand. 4 prim bonnie showed US in, and
my friend herself announced me with So
norous Italian pronunciation of every
vowel as 'Mademoiselle Moore-a charm
ing" Here fortunately for my bushes,
our hostess with benign smile and bow,
and pretty gesture OF the hand, like
precious little Empress, made further in
PRODUCTION superhuous.
come here, she said, ''and Mademoiselle
IS very kind 10 come and see an old wo
man.
Her face was furrowed, but the features
and complexion were still exquisitely deli
cate, and with her snowy, fluffy hair she
was the very picture of an old French lady.
The maid had evidently been just read
ing the Figaro to her, and the little lady
still kept her hand on it as if it were not
done with; and, in fact, as we presently
learned, her mind was occupied still 10y
what had been read TO her.
At iirst as stranger and in fit OF awk-
ward English shyness, l hardly spoke,
though in my way was enjoying my visit:
Ny hostess appearance charmed me, aud
then discovered two portraits of her which
were interesting to compare with the orig
inal. Both had been taken in youth, and
were in old-fashioned dress. In one she
wore broad Gainsborough hat with long
plume, the waist of the short-sleeved white
gown almost under the armpits, the plump
shoulders uncovered mittS covering the
nands and arms halt way up to the elbow.
IN the ether picture she wore creamy
gauze dress trimmed with soft yellow lace
and red bows: her hair was powdered and
pulled high over cushions with crimson
rose at one side, and another rose was fast
ened IN front OF the dress.
Besides the portraits there was beautiful
olu furniture in the room, some orna-
mented with the brazen Tyres and little
hgufes Of the empire, some evidently much
older twas chiefly French, with the nota-
pie exception Of lovely ebony cabinet
ornsmented with tortoise shell and lapis
iaSzIll, which, when atterward she told me
me me history Of all her pretty things, l knew
had been part of the furniture of her own
boudoir
was listening, too delightedly all the
ume to the dear little lady's talk. And
Snat pleasure it was to listen 1t was so
nnisned' SO racy, SO epgrammatic, so per-
iset IN every respect, that habit been taken
uowh verbatim not one word would have
Seeh found misplaced. She seemed 10
nave known every ole bad ever heard of,
ana when presently, that l might not feel