St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-09


tigation made everywhere, but the
| schooner and her crew were never
known i'm the old Crescent City.
Ii ever there was little girl that had
everything her heart could wish for,
Delice was that girl. When she was a
year old she possessed thirteen rattIes,
SIX aligatOr's teeth set in silver, five
coral necklaces, half dozen little gold
shawl-pins, four swinging cradles, a
beautiful altar at the end of her little
room. with . Madonna looking down
upon her bed. Over the mantelpiece.
gloomy in its depth of shadow, was an
oil painting from one of Delice's new
fathers, representing the wave-wnipped
beach OF the Chandeliers, with wreck
going to pieces half mile off shore
and tub rising on the crest of a great
sea.
1t was not a little amusing to see how
jealous of feminine attentions to their
charge these PoissOns Rouges were.
They told their sisters and mothers that
the little one was well cared for and
needed none of their time. The old
nurse, they said, was experienced, and
they themselves knew thing or two
now about babies.
Thus the months had crept away, and
dolls and spelling books had taken the
place Of rattles. Delice could tell the
names of all her fathers, some twenty
two now, for some of them had dropped
of and were carried out upon that road
which the average dead Orleanian must
travel. When she was four years old
she could command at least five car
was no uncommon thing to see her
out driving with some six or eight
young gentlemen, suDerbly mounted.
riding in attendance. Les POissOns
ROuges were proud of their beauty, and
great, sturdy fellows, with mustaches
that were the observed on opera nights,
would hand the tiny fairy to the carriage
with the grace of cOurtier, and when
she smiled sweetly and said, "Merci,
Papa RaOul," or ''Yseult," they would
blush like big boys. Her expenses were
so tritiing in comparison with the funds
in the eXchequer of the paternal organ
izatiOn that it was resolved to invest
certain sum annually, and so OH
her fifth birthday, for they had
selected birthday for her, she was az
well cared for little girl as any in the
state; and as for beauty, why to ask
the question was to elevate to the zenith
the eyes of her twenty-five fathers and
to bring to their mouth twenty-five right
hands with finger tips punched to-
gether, which they would kiss as if the
calculate: CONNIE CAP" The truth is
that her big black eyes. delicately CHS
eled face, symmetrical limbs and digni-
fed bearing made her appear as of
royal rather than plebeian blood, and
she led her followers by silken cords,
young as she was.
Then came the day hereinbefOre NEIL
toned, the aSSemblage at the Cafe Bien-
venu, the silence and the anxiety. Four
Inx, hnfo -
feeling bad-her head ached and her
eyes were infiamed. -Four doctors were
at once sent for, and after a cOnsulta-
ton it was announced that Delice had
the scarlet fever. Her nurse and guard
ian occupied large private residence
near MiguePS, and so il was that the
cafe was made the headquarters of Les
POissOnS RougeS, that news might be
received every few minutes. At first
there were no serious symptoms, but on
the third night she grew worse. She
asked for TheOphile, Raoul, Jules,
Henri and the rest of her beloved papas
These big, brOnZed fellows would close
the gate gently, walk on tiptOe down
the garden walk between the camelliaS
and cross the veranda so quietly the cat
could not hear them.
In the little room an angel face looked
up from its nest of soft pillows and a
smile played about the crimson, feverish
lips. She held out her hand, spoke a
few simple words, and the silent figure
would withdraw and go across the
street to Miguel's, with lump in his
throat and his eyes much inflamed.
Then matters began to grow more
serious. No vehicles must pass that
way. There should be more quiet over
at MlguePS, and bulletins would be sent
to the cafe every hour. so that they
might know how Delice was progress
ing.
About 9 o'clock that afternoon the
young gentlemen were startled by the
Slamming of window shutters over at
Nile. Delice's. They rose from their
tables, leaving their Orgeat untaSted,
and started for the sidewalk. They
started over. Old Latiche was opening
all the windows up stairs. Why was
this? Then little negro girl came run
ming toward Miguers. Theophile
Latrere met her and before she could
speak commanded her silence. Mes
amiS," said he, ''the news need not be
told. We know what it is. There is no
need of silence. We are childless."
There were sObs in the cafe and many
wet eyes. The parrot, as if recognizing
that it was no more under restraint,
gave an experimental ''caramba," and
finding that it produced no sensation
repeated it.
Two by two they marched across to
the house, with hat in hand. Up the
gravelly walks the little procession
came and on into the large chamber.
They gathered about the bedside and,
almost unconsciously, they crossed
themselves as if in the presence of an
angel. The little bed became shrine,
and their wayen beauty with smile on
her white face, their Delice, a saint.
Perhaps mothers face had welcomed
the sweet child beyond the breakers,
and mothers hand had led her up a
strand whittier than the snowy beach of
the Chandeliers.
''She came from very far" whispered
Henri Xavier from the foot of the bed.
The CreOleS thus beautifully express the
idea that one has narrowly escaped
death in infancy.
$50 very, very far" responded Jules
Veron.
The sunlight wrought in rare design.
with jasmine leaves, a tapestry of
shadow ON the wall beside the bed. The
little clock on the mantel beat its tic
tao, tic-tac so loudly that each stroke
touched the heart. The wind from the
garden below came softly in, its lap
filled with the perfume of flowers, and
hooking bird on the chimney over the
way dropped some tender notes that
were so eXquiSitely sweet that the men
looked at one another as they stood
around the bed, as if voice from an
other world had spoken. Les Poissons
ROuges had now no mission left. The
bond that had held them together was
severed.
1--WE will always remember and love
her," said TheOphile, as he laid her
little hand back across her breast and
placed bud between the dead fingers.
And remember all orphaned chill
dren, too" said Raoul Duvergne.
Twenty-Five voices said, Amen"
Lies PoiSSOnS ROugeS" never came