The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-11-11

touched was he by this act, that he knelt
down, kissed her hands, while tears came to
his eyes, as if it were she who had made
him the one gift, the royal gift of her
heart
For two weeks the preparations occupied
all Beaumont, both the upper and the lower
town being in state of great excitement
therefrom. 1t was said that twenty work
ing girls were engaged day and night upon
the trousseau. The wedding dress alone
required three persons to make it, and
there was to be corbeille, or present from
the bridegroom, to the value of million of
francs; a futtering Of laces, of velvets, of
silks and satins, flood of precious stones
diamonds worthy queen. But that which
excited the people more than all else was the
great amount given In charity, the bride
having wished to distribute to the poor as
much as she had received herself. SO an
other million was showered down upon the
country in ram of gold. At length she
was able to crafty all her old longings of
benevolence, all the prodigalties of her
most exaggerated dreams, as with open
hands she let fail upon the wretched and
needy a stream OF riches, an overflow of
comforts In her little white, bare cham
Der. confined to her old arm chair, she
laughed With delight when the Able Cor
mile brought to her the list of the distribu-
tions he had made.
Give more! Give more!n she cried, as ii
seemed to her as if not enough were done.
She would, in reality, have liked to
have seen the Pere Mascart seated
forever at table before a princely ban
quet; the Chouteaux living in palatial lux.
ury; the Mere Gaoet cured Of her rheuma-
tism, and by the aid of money to have re-
newed her youth.
As for the Lemballeuse, the mother and
daughters, she absolutely wished to load
them with silk dresses and jewellery. The
hail Of golden pieces redoubled over ths
town as If in fairy tales, far beyond the
daily necessities, as if merely for the beauty
and Joy of seeing the triumphal golden
glory, thrown from full hands, falling into
the street and glittering in the great sun
light of charity.
At last, on the eve of the happy day,
everything was in readiness. Felic.en had
bought large house on the Rue Magloire,
at the back of the bishops palace, which
had been fitted up and furnished most lux.
uriously. There were great rooms hung
with admirable tapestries, filed with TIE
most beautiful articles Imaginable; a salon
in old, rare pieces of hand embroidery; q
boudoir in blue, soft as the early morning
sky; and a sleeping room, which was par
Liaily attractive; a perfect little corner OF
white silk and lace-nothing. in short, but
ing of purity. But Angeique had con
stantly refused to go to see all these wonder
full things, alth Jugn carriage was always
ready to convey her there. She listened
to the recital of that which had been done
with an e4chanted smile, but she gave
no orders, and did not appear to wish to oc.
cupy herself with any of the arrange
ments.
mo, no." she said, for all these things
~,
vast world of which she was as yet totally
Ignorant. Since those who loved her had
prepared for herso tenderly this happiness,
sue desired to partake Juereof, and to ter
therein like a princess coming from some
chimerical country, who approaches tue
re ii Kingdom where she is to reign forever.
In the same way she preferred to know
nothing except by hearsay Of the corballle,
which also was waiting for her-a superL
gift from her betrothed, the wedding outfit
OF fine linen, embroidered with her cipher as
warehouses, the full-dress cos tunes taste
fully trimmed, the old family jewels valua,
BILE as the richest treasures Of a cathedral
and the modern jewels in their marvellous
yet delicate mountlngs, precious s.ones OF
every kind, and diamonds of the puresl
water. 1t was sufficient to her that her
dream had come 10 pass, and that this great
good future awaited her in her new home,
radiant in the, reality of the new life that
was openlng before her. The only thin ;
she saw was her wedding dress, which was
brought to her on tue marriage morning.
That day, when she awoke, Angehque,
still alone, had in her great bed a moment
of intense exhaustion, and feared that she
would not be able to get up at ali. She at
tempted to do SO, but her knees bent under
her; and in contrast to the brave serenity
she had shown for weeks past, a fearful
anguish, the last, perhaps, took after pos
session of her. Ihen, as IN few minutes
Hubertine came into the room, looking I'M
usually happy, she was surprised to find
tnat she could really walk, for she certainly
did not do SO from her own strength, but
aid came to her from the invisible. aud
friendly hands sustained and carried her.
They dressed her, she no longer seemed to
weigh anything, but was so slight and frail
that her mother was aStonlshed, and laugh
ingly begged her not to move any more ii
she did not wish to fly quite away. Dur
ing all the time of preparing her toilette,
the little fresh house of the Huberts, 50
close to the side of the cathedral, trembled
under the great breath OF the giant, of that
which was already humning therein of the
preparations for the ceremony, the nervou.
activity of the clergy, and especially the
ringing of the bells, a continuous peal of
joy, with which the old stones were v1brat-
ing.
In the upper town for over an hour there
had been glorious ginning of bells, as on
the greatest molly days The sun had risen
in all It's beauty, aud on this limpid April
morning food of spring rays seemsd liv-
ing with tue sonorous peaiS which h I'D
called together all the Inhabitants of the
place. The whole of Beaumont was in a
state of rejoicing on accou It of the mar
riage of this little emUrolderer, to whom
their hearts were so deeply attached, and
they were touched by the fact of her royal
good fortune. This bright sunlight, which
penetrated all the streets, was like the
golden rain, the gifts of fairy tales, rolling
out from her delicate hands. Under this
joyful light, the multitude crowded ia
masses toward the cathedral, filling the side
aisles of the church, and coming out on TO
the Place du Cloitre. Fnere the great front
of the building rose up. like huge bouquet
of stone, in full blossom, of the most orna-
mental Gothic, above the severe Roman
esaue of the foundation. In the tower the
bells still rung, and the who.e facade seemed
to be like Qualification of these nuptials,
express. We of the fight Of this poor girl
through all the wonders OF the miracle, as
it darted Up and famed, with its open lace
work ornamentation, the lily-like efflor-
escence of its little colu AIMS, its baiu StraIes,
and its arches, the inches of saints sur
mounted with canopies, the gable ends hol-
lowed out in trefoil points, adorned with
crossettes aad flowers, immense rose win
dows opening out in the mystic radiation of
their inullionS
At 10 o'clock the organs pealed. Angel
ique and Felicien were there, walking wi h