Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-01-11

 child.
 Then Roger took her in his arms and went out into the tempest of snow and icy wind, and in twenty minutes more they were speed ing away toward tho frontier, while the two desolate old people wept in their deserted home.
 CHAPTER K
 There was a grave in the churchyard at Vile d'Avray, 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.
 IIrnriette, after that last 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 a little boat came floating along, tenantless, and 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. The 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 a mountainous region, where herds and flocks were browsing and farming in the valleys was the principal industry. At bend in the river some floating brushwood turned tho little boat to the bank and Henri cite stepped ashore, with one bare foot and one foot shod with satin slipper.
 Her blind instinct led her toward habita- tion and she limped along until she reached a farm, and she went on silently, like black shadow, and up Jagged walk to an 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 ill their crops for three or four years. They were simple, ignorant and superstitious, but possessed of good hearts, They had not heard Henriette come in, HOT 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 eld 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:
 "I know nothing about it."
 At night the good old couple placed her in their own clean bed and they slept upon a pallet. They said to each other:
 "We must keep her. She may be Mas cotte and bring us good luck again."
 And so poor demeneed 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 amiable, and whether it was that she was a 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
 
 with it.
 But these poor creatures lived so far away from Paris, and knew so itt1e 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 palzing 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 a 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 a child of or 7, SC l innocent and so ignorant did she appear. She 1 spoke very rarely, and then only in mono l syllables, and to every question that was 1 asked of her on any subject she replied: 1 q do not know," and then she might after. ward say what was desired of her, but it was indeibly fixed in that poor wrecked in telligence that she must always disclaim 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 a full and precious boon. Tn 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 1 faculties. to make her remember that she was l or ever had been a mother.
 In this peaceful if humble place Henriette Laroque lived eight long years Barely 24 l years old when this crushing blow fell upon } her, she was now 32, but time was gentle with her, and the absence of wearing thought, coupled with her healthy life, left her fal fresher and younger in appearance than she had been before she became demented.
 ,It was in 1872 that the tragic, events we 1 have naifased took p1aae.s, and dwe ttalEs up tnd