Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-12-26
THE DRUMMER BOY.


breaking branches from the trees which fell
with sharp cracklings that seemed almost
like cries of pain 1t was about l O'Clock in
the morning. A carriage was rolling along
the road leading from the little village Of
Croix Daurade, some two or three miles from
Toulouse, to the Palifcat castle; the wind and
the rain prevented the horses from making
any Roadway; at a favorable moment a
powerful gust extinguished the lights in the
| lanterns.
"Stop, Jeanw cried a voice.
Jean, the coachman, obeyed; he got down
from his seat, held the bride Of the terrified
horses, talking to them Familiarity to prevent
them from running away.
"Do you not see any light, JeanT' asked
| the same voice.
"Yes," replied tho servant; linear by, at
Margaridetto's, but the house is very mean
and Marguerite is very poor"
What matters ita" said the man who was
! speaking in the carriage, 1--WE would be bet
| ter of anywhere than in the midst of this
tempest, with wind strong enough to blow
4 the horns of an OK"
| At the same moment the door Of the car
riage opened and a tall man stepped down
with burden in his arms. Tho man went
to the house pointed out by the coachman,
! from which light was seen streaming through
the rabbets of the badly joined door; he
| knocked, and In a few minutes young man,
or rather youth of ID or IA years, opened
| the door.
"You, marquis, here, at our housed" cried
! the astonished lad
YES" said the other, laying on wretched
straw chair his precious burden-a young
girl apparently Of the same age as the lad
who had opened the door The two young
people were Of the same age, but what diff
ference there was between theml The girl
was wrapped in a rich fur, beneath which
could be seen a gown of garnet satin; her
pretty blonde head, with its two great black
eyes, was hidden under large lace necker-
chief. The young man, wan, thin, enact
ated, had timid and unhappy look which
was painful to see. The dwelling into which
the marquis and his daughter had just made
their way was wretched, cold and bare; q
chest of drawers, an old cuckoo clock which
licked slowly in the middle Of the room,
and an old table constituted the entire
furnishing Of the hut, the floor of which
was the bare ground At the back,
in an alcove on mean bed, lay a
sick woman, the Margaridetto, as she was
called in the place. % capdlestick of three
branches lighted with its Pickering and
smoky :.srnes this miserable home. The mar
quis threw o surprised glance over this misery
which surrounded him; the young man, per-
ceiving this establishment, anticipated the
gentleman's thought:
'Ohl it is not st all fine here, but, you
know, mother is B widow, and it is now two
years since she W is taken i'll, and as for my
self, hardly earn enough tending Hocks to
keep her from starving"
The young girl began to shiver from the
cold. The lad threw into the fireplace O
fagot of twigs, which blazed up with cheer
full crackle, throwing into the room q great,
dancing light. This sudden flash awoke the
woman who was sleeping on the bed, and
whose wan, emaciated face looked Like that
of corpse. The young man ran close to
his mothers bed, and notified the sick
woman of the visit with which they were
honored. She seemed greatly astonished by
the news.
Eyes, my poor Marguerite. we were SUR
prised by the storm as we were returning
from the midnight mass. and we have como
to your house for shelter"
The poor woman had only the strength to
make a sign with her head, proud Of the
chance which, happily for her, brought her
noble master into her lowly dwelling. The
young girl continued warming herself be-
fore the fire on the hearth.
What do you call yourselff' asked the
nobleman of the young man.
Francois" replied the other.
"And you are shepherdf'
"Yes, nonseigneur; in your sheepfolds." q
'How much do you earnr'
THAT varies. Three sous a day in good
weather; sometimes less in bad"
sis that allf
eve live on that, my mother and I, or,
rather, we do not entirely pine away"
Poor thing said the young girl, involun-
tarily.
There was so much kindliness in this voice
that the young Francois was deeply moved
by it; he fixed his look on tho noble young
lady and felt himself seized by those tnstino-
tive and involuntary movements Of sympa-
thy that one experiences ct first sight fer
those that should be profoundly loved The
tempest was Gained, the storm was over; the
gale was Quoted and there was hardly more
than a fine and light rain falling. The
marquis called his coachman, who brought
the carriage nearly up to the doorstep; the
lanterns were relightsd, and the noblenan
said to his daughter:
Come, Jeanne, my darling, let Us go back
to the castle"
Jeanne wrapped herself up again in her fur
mantle and lace neckerchief, but before leav-
ing the Margaridetto's poor dwelling she laid
in Francois hand gold coin, the first that
had ever shone In that miserable house.
IL
On the morrow and several days follow
ing, Jeanne ds Sicard, daughter OF the Lord
OF Pslifcat, returned to vixi. TIE poor sick
woman, and thenceforward looked out to see
that nothing in the way Of remedies or care
should be wanting In the house ct the poor
widow. But Marguerite. exhausted by Ill
ness, suffering and p.ivattoos, could not hvs
long, and II q month after she died Ia ths
arms Of her son Francois had vowed to
Jeanne an eternal gratitude. Thanks to the
charity Of the young girl, bis mother, when
she died, Was no longer In the gloomy misery
which rad killed her. but was surrounded By
al tie comforts OF a family in easy circum-
stances On her side, Jeanne, touched by the
young shepherds gentle AID honest manner,
was unwilling 20 leave hfrn u7p-cvided for !
znd she persuaded her father TO secure for
him position As lay brother In the convent
Of the Jacobins at Toulouse; IL vss the best
opportunity young peasant could then have;
educated and trained IN the convent. be !
would remain = hay broeAer Or Be made q /
preacher, according 20 bis disposition and !
his intelligence
Ia the course Of the winter Of l7Sp, which /
followed TIA entrance of Francois into .be /