St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-05-25
Written for the Globe.

81 started west, to-
q ward the land
where they told
him poverty and bad luck were un-
known.
Pompour, having a sunny face and a
clever tongue, had not gone many miles
on his journey when he made friend.
She was woman, young one, and the
keeper of a toll gate.
Then Pompour explained to her in
broken English that he could not pay,
and that he was seeking his fortune.
She silently admired his curly black
hair. his blacker eyes, and the red in
his cheeks.
She gave him a cup of water and a
stool to sit on, and they talked long.
Pompour spoke in wonder of the new
country, his journey, and when he did
not speak kept his eyes on the white of
her throat or the rosy lips above.
The sun was setting when they parted,
and what was said does not matter.
Only Pompour held out his hand in fare
laugh.
Mind you come back, Pompour.' -
she cried. He laid his hand on his
heart in reply, made a superb bow and
was gone.
A year passed, and the maid at the
toll-gate saw shadow fall across her
door one day. 1t was Pompour's.
There he stood. just as he had left
her: only he was dressed better, had
grown stout. and his cheeks were no
longer red, but brown.
Il have come" he said, holding out
his hands. She turned red, then pale,
and put her hand to her side.
"HOw you startled me-"
He threw his hat into nOrnnr Of bo
room. and, going to her side. took a
large wallet out of his pocket. This he
opened, and took from large roll OF
money and some papers.
He laid them in her hands. The
money was genuine: the papers the
title to forty acres of land lying, so they
stated, in the county of GoOdhue, state
of Minnesota. Their curious phraseol.
ogy puzzled her, but it was enough that
his name was there. She looked up al
him, his face drew near to hers, and
their lips met.
In that way, with the blessings from
Dame Fortune. PompOur won his wife.
and took her to a frontier home. They
journeyed four days before reaching
their destination.
The bride-Felia, POmpour called her
looked about curiously as she stepped
from the rough wagon to the door of her
new home. The farm itself was clear
of trees. but all around it lay a forest,
and as dusk was coming on, the whip
poor-wills were sounding their MOURN
full cries. A long-drawn cry, as if some
one were in distress, made her start and
tremble.
1.-THE wolves" explained Pompour.
"They are coWardly fellows. Come
with me-"
He took her hand and led her by a
narrow path to the edge of the plateau
on which the farm lay. Parting the
bushes that hindered their passage he
helped her through, and then drew
back. She looked down, and there
kissing the foot of the majestic, endless
chain of hills, with softly tapping waves.
:: lay Lake Pepin.
Lake Pepin-queen of all Northwest
ern waters-famous in legend and song.
beautiful offspring of royal stream.
Felia clasped her hands and bowed
her head before the towering hills, the
great basin below fringed with forest
green, over which the evening mists
were settling. The moon laid band of
silver across the waters, the glare of a
steamers light cut through the shadows:
star peeped over cloud at its own
reflection, while a boatman rowing
home sang cheerily over his oar.
There is nothing so beautiful as
this whispered Pompour, sin all of
France. All this year / lay here every
evening, hearing the birds, listening to
the waters, thinking of you Felia. 1t
gave me courage. Who" in a burst of
rhapsody. could not love here?"
Thus their married life began and
fortune continued to smile on them. I'm
time child was born-a girl-and Pom
pour still loved the mother so that he
would have her called Felia too. So she