Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-01-25
CHAPTER z.

ueSOluIe Olu people WepI LII tueh oesei WV
home.
CHAPTER x.
There was grave in the churchyard at
Vile dAvray, and on the headstone was the
name Of Henriette Laroque, with the date OF
her death engraved upon it; but she who
slept beneath was not the unhappy young
wife Of that still more unfortunate man.
Henriette, after that Lost day at the court,
had fallen into such state Of mental apathy
as would have caused her friends the liveliest
apprehension had the poor creature had any
one capable Of appreciating her dangerous
condition; but those who surrounded her
thought this only the natural reaction after
such acute suffering as she had undergone.
And so at last the poor overwrought brain
gave way and she lost her reason completely.
Her instinct, which now governed her move
ments, made ner feel that this was an un-
pleasant place; that it was connected some
how with something that gave her pain, and
she wandered off into the woods, bareheaded,
In her simple black dress, which she had now
adopted entirely, and with thin house slippers
on her tiny feet.
The silence and calm Of the cool green for
est soothed her and she wandered down to the
waters edge. While there little boat came
floating along, tenantless, and q little eddy
brought it within her reach. With child
ish, unmeaning laugh she seized it and drew
it gently to her and then sprang in, and the
movement gave impetus to the boat, which
f1oated out and into the swift current. Tho
gentle movement Of the boat calmed the
overwrought nerves and Henriette fell asleep
and never awoke until daylight on the fol-
lowing morning.
She was far away from her home then and
in the heart of mountainous region, where
herds and focks were browsing and farming
in the valleys was the principal industry. At
bend in the river some floating brushwood
turned the little boat to the bank and Henri
ette stepped ashore, with one bare foot and
one foot shod with satin slipper.
Her blind instinct led her toward habita-
ton and she limped along until she reached a
farm, and she went on silently, like a black
shadow, and up q tagged walk to all open
doorway, through the door and into large,
neat farm kitchen, where she stood smiling
with childish innocence upon the astonished
inmates.
The owners of this farm were an old couple
named Dubois, and they were childless, and
had been very unfortunate in theft crops for
three or four years. They were simple,
ignorant and superstitious, but possessed Of
good hearts They had not heard Henriette
come in, nor had they seen her until some
how they turned and there she was. She
smiled and appeared SO gentle, and yet so
strange that they regarded her with awe,
and she sat down with them at the table I'D
ate like famished creature, but they saw
that her soft, white hands had never done
any work. They asked her questions as to
whence she came, who she was, but the only
answer she would give was:
~ know nothing about it."
At night the good old couple placed her in
their own clean bed and they slept upon q
pallet. They said to each other:
"We must keep her. She may be Mas
cote and bring us good luck again."
And so poor demented Henriette found
shelter and home with this simple, worthy
couple. and she staid there contentedly, help
ing the old woman in many ways.
Always smiling, always gentle and a1niable,
and whether it was that she was Mascotte
or no, the next eight seasons harvests were
so full and abundant and everything pros.
pered so we'll with these two old people, that
one might say that their kindness to help
less stranger had brought. Gods blessing
with it.
But these poor creatures lived so far away
from Paris, and knew so little of what passed
in the world outside of their narrow valley,
that they could never have imagined the
truth, and as Henriette had dropped into
their world without warning Or knowledge
they accepted her advent and never dreamed
of p'aking inquiries. They called her Marie,
not knowing any other name, and she was
treated far better than they used themselves.
What work she did was done voluntarily.
She fed the chickens and lambs and gathered
fruit, and did much sewing, her beautiful
work seeming like fairy stitches to the old
people. But her out door life and the pure
air. and excellent food rendered her physical
health much more robust than it had ever
been, and her chest, which had shown ten
dency of weakness, filled out with renewed
vigor, and her beauty took q richer type,
even though clouded by the impenetrable
mists of insanity. Her insanity took q mild
type and she seemed to have gone back
mentally to the state of q child of or Z, so
innocent and so ignorant did she appear. She
spoke very rarely, and then only in mono
syllables, and to every question that was
asked of her on any subject she replied:
II 10 not know" and then she might after
ward say what was desired of her, but it was
indelibly fixed in that poor wrecked in
telligence that she must always discaim any
knowledge.
There is no doubt that this was one Of the
happiest periods of Henriette's existence, for,
knowing nothing, she suffering nothing.
Peace and kindness were her portion and
bodily health full and precious boon. In
no asylum the world affords could this poor,
stricken wife and mother have had better
conditions for her ultimate cure than here.
There was nothing to arouse her dormant
faculties, to make her remember that she was
or ever had been a mother.
In this peaceful if humble place Henriette
Laroque lived eight long years. Barely "a
years old when this crushing blow fell upon
her, she was now 50, but time was gentle with
her, and the absence of wearing thought,
coupled with her healthy life, left her far
fresher and younger i'll appearance than she
had been before she became demented.
1t was in 1872 that the tragic events We
have narrated took place, and we take up the
thread again in 1880, and follow Roger La.
rogue and his little girl, who eight years be.
fore in a stormy night left France for
America.
One day, quite Unexpectedly, tall man,
with wide shoulders, With nair and head
white as snow, though he was not old enough
to have had such mark of nge, alightad
from the train at q station i'll the charming
little valley town of Chevreuse. With him
was beautiful young girl, whose age would
be judged to be somewhere near 90, but who
was in reality not yet II. They were
both strangers. and as such attracted consid-
ernble attention from the loungers about the
station, who were equally struck by tho
beauty and distinction of the young girl and
the peculiar appearance of the man. Not
only were his hair and beard white, but his
face was horribly disfgured by what seemed
scars from a burn.
They walked toward villa which was for
sale, and examined it with view to its pur-
chase, and in few days they were installed
there as the owners.
As is usual in small villages, the people Of
this charming valley soon found out all about