The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1886-04-02


church; and there all that is mortal Of
him, save that which has returned to
the resolving elements from whence he
came, rests still.
Miss We're wrote the sad news to the
poor mother at her home in far away
Normandy.
Some months after there came a
letter from the village cure, which I
have ventured to put into English,
thus:
"My dear Madam-Thanks, and yet
again thanks for your esteemed favor.
Alas! it is my painful duty to inform
you that my sister, Nine. Piluquesne,
whose grief for theexpatriation of my
nephew and her only son was inces.
SAINT and inconsolable, is no more. It
was my melancholy privilege to ad-
minister to her the last rites of our
holy church on the very day on which
our little Paul left US for O better in
heritance.
"She was sleeping, and ] stayed to
watch and pray by her to the last.
That morning at the fifth hour she
awoke and started as If she had seen
something in the sunlight, which had
just peeped in TO give us good NOR
row."
"sMy boy! my boy!' she cried, Il
am coming! Stay but q little and We
will journey together to the promised
land
"And so she passed away.
"ffeel, l know that she had seen
and heard something which my eyes
and ears, of the earth earthly could
not see or hear.
~ think it is your great poet (surely
his masterpiece whosays:
Such harmony is in immortal souls;
But whilst this muddy vesture OF decay
Doth grossly close US in, we cannot hear It.
"Again, and yet q thousand times
again, thank you for all your love
and care for our little Paul.
Permit q poor priest who admires
the divine art of which mademoiselle
is SO distinguish an ornament, to pre-
sent the assurances of the profound
consideration with which he ventures
to subscribe himself, mademoiselle' y
grateful, humble servant.
"PAUL PnUQUEsNE, D. d.
"Mlle. Helene Vere."
After "PoorPil's" death all kinds
of wild rumors obtained currency in
the theatre. Larry swore that during
the performance of the "Maid of Pail.
seau" he saw Pill in Improperly room
arranging the birds wings. Mrs. Cas-.
sidy declared that OH Saturday night
when she was rather late in cleaning
the theatre, as Sunday morning
dawned she saw him; nay, more, she
heard him singing "Adeste Fideles;'
and the poor old soul tainted away
with terror.
Certain it is that even Manly, the
manager, who was skeptic, to Lar
rvs delight withdrew the magpie piece
from the repertory, and that Mrs
Cassidy for the future did her clean
ing the first thing on Saturday morn
ing. AS for actors-well. they are al
ways more or less superstitious, and
for many year after that no actor
could be induced to stay in the Derby
theatre after midnight.
Once, indeed, Jack Holmes, a sailor
just returned to his native place aftel
the war, and afflicted with q plethora
of prize money, took n party OF chunl,
to the gallery to see "'The Stranger
which impressed him SO powerfully
that he fell fast asleep.
| His friends, ovcrtaSen by Bacchus
forgot all about him. Equally obliv
ious of his presence, the servants o
the theatre put out the lights, locked
up and left him to his slumbers.
When honest Jack awoke in eth,
dead waste and middle of the night
he hadn't the faintest idea where he
| was.
As soon as he pulled himself togeth
er he growled: "Where are those lane
lubbers? They've all sheered off an6
left me at the masthead while they'v,
crawled down below through lubber'.
hole"
AT this moment he heard, OF
thought he heard, a soft voice speak
ing in All unknown tongue.
Looking down on the stage, he saw
in the moonlight which streamed
through circular opening at the
back OF the gallery, a fair young boy
in frayed and worn foreign nava
uniform. He had bright hair, great
blue eyes and an angel face, and q
drop of blood trickling from his pale
lips.
"Hold hard, young powder mon
key" cried Jack. "I'm coming dowr
on deck to have a jaw with YOU"
With that, with the agility of q ca,
he scrambled down the side of the gal
lery and boxes, and leaped upon the
stage.
AS he did so the figure faded into the
dir.
Wild with terror the sailor shrieketl
and shouted until he alarmed the
neighborhood.
When they took him out swoonins
folks said that he was drunk. Per.
haps he was; but then-perhaps he
wasn't.
At any rate, he swore to his dying
day that he was sober; and all the
kings horses and all the kings men
could never induce Jack Holmes to
cross the threshold of the theatre
again.
AS regularly as the players came to
Derby in the spring time, SO regularly
the poor French boys grave was be-
decked daily with fresh flowers.
The years passed by, the good old
manager died, the actors grew old and
were scattered half over the globe.
Soon after the "Ihree days in Paris, +"
he who writes these lines, then a
wretched child, who had lust lost one
nearer and dearer to him than all the
world, was casting some flowers on u
new-made sepnlchre, when he caught
sight of a venerable and beautiful wom-
an clad in the garb of q sister of the
SARGE CGur engaged in the same pious
Office at an adjacent grave. The lady
was attended by q tall, thin, white.
headed old man, who, from his pecul.
lar dress and demeanor, appeared to
he foreigner. The grave at the foot
of which they stood had been neglect
ed. the seXton said. for vears- 1t