Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-07-04
ROSE MARIE.

said my friend, Mrs. Ross, 81 can sho Y
you such work as isn't TO be seen out of
Limoges, and the embroiderie5 there are
works of high art. Never saw anything
in this country TO compete with them IN
til / happened by the merest chance, TO
stumble upon Rose Marie"
Crosse Marie" [ repeated. "What a
pretty name! The owner of it ought TO
be as fresh, sweet and lovely as the eg-
l-ntine, a kind of wild simplicity, you
know"
Mrs. Ross laughed.
"Fresh, no." She said. "She is only
p, but she has had too much trouble to
retain much freshness; sweet and lovely
are hardly applicable to one Of the wom-
en- of Aries, who look more like stately
Junos than peasants. Yes, she is simple
enough, and beautiful, too, if you will,
bnt she will never remind you Of eglau-
tine-poor Rose Marie! It isn't often
that her sad lips curved into smile.
will not tell yon her story until you have
seen her; it will make you more sympa-
thetIc. Come and we will go to her
house."
We drove to Revere street, a narrow
thoroughfare, and stopped before small
house set back in the yard. The borders
were gay with verbenas, minks and pan
sizes, those old fashioned virtues of pa
thence and hardihoOd giving their best
color and perfume to the most uncongen-
ial surrounding. Mrs. Ross knocked at
the white ourtained door.
''Entrez," said a deep voice from with
in.
The room we entered was sparseIy fur
nished, but everything in it was shining
with cleanliness. tall, emaciated old
woman sat in an old armchair by the
window, with q piece of work in her
hands. The nodded to Mrs. Ross, and
looked inquiripgly at me with her hollow
black eyes.
''She is paralyzed," Mrs. Ross said to
me in English. "All her lower limbs are
numb. All, Madame Breaux" in French
"this is my friend, Mrs. l., who has
come TO see Ross Marie about some
work.
''Take seats, mesdames," with courte-
Gus gesture. Crosse Marie will be in dI-
rectly. She has gone out On some bust
ness. She left Henri to take care of me-"
pointing with a smile to- a beautiful little
boy of years old, who was peeping at us
from the back of her chair.
Il would like my friend to see that
robe Rose Marie lie embrOidering for Nine.
Durcos," said Mrs. Ross.
at is there IN a napkin on the bed"
the ol woman replied; ''if you will take
the trouble to get it, madame. An, il is
so hard TO be half alive, no. able to move
from my seetl'
Mrs. Ross unfolded the shining folds
and held them beforo me.
A pale maize coiored silk, with tendrills
of the blue and white convolulus embroid
cred exqUisitely on it. The grouping of
a., =
was perfect.
Nine. Breaux smiled at my admirs-
ton.
"Ah, she works well, does Rose Marie!
Madame, she was a famous brodeuse and
lace maker, even in Aries, where the
work is SO fine. Ever since she was 10
years old she ranked among the best.
But her eyes are getting weak, alb so
weak" with heavy sigh. "And,
then, if the worst comesr' She clasped
her hands with convuisive movement
and her great mournful eyes filled with
tears.
"The poor girl has cried her eyes out"
Mrs. Ross SAID to me in low voice; "at
least, believe her tears have as much to
do with her failing vision as the the
work. While you are waiting for her /
will tell you her story. The old woman
there does not understand one word of
English.
"She married, INN ediateiy after the
last war between France and Germany,
against her mothers wish. The old wom-
an was rabid French partisan and Rose
Marie's lover was a sergeant in the Prus-
sian army. Thew had KNOWN each other
from childhood and were betrothed before
the war broke out; but the mother, who
has furious temper, tried TO separate
them.
After their marriage she made it SO
I'm pleasant for the Prussian that he de-
termined to come to America. He said
he would settle somewhere West and tb en-
send his wife and child, but On no as
count was the mother to come. Rose
must choose between them; but if she
elected to remain in France, then little
Henri must come to him.
/ think Satan got into the old woman,
for she acknowledged that she destroyed
the husbands letters to her dau yhter, and
told her nothing about it, As she did not
read herself, she knew nothing of the
contents, nor where Karl was.
"a year ago she had a stroke of paral-
ysis, and, thinking she was going TO die,
confessed the wrong she had doLe to the
unhappy wife, wFo believed her husband
had deserted her. What to do she did
not know. In that great wide America
where was she to find Karl, where write
TO him.
AT last she determined to come over,
bringing her mo her with her. She vas
an only child, aud she would not desert
the helpless creature who had brought
her so much woe. She first came to "
Orleans, as Karl had sailed for that port,
but could hear nothing of him."
The story of the poor wife's sad ex
perience was suddenly interrupted at this
point by the sound of footstep upon the
walk leading to the house. and my friend
quickly changed the subject by say
ing
"Sne is coming, now"
"Mamma! mammal cried the little boy
ioyously, rushing to the door and open
ing it. "Ah, but you have stayed so
longm
She bent and took him UP in her arms,
and as she SMILED lovingly at him |
thought | had never seen more beauti-
full creature. 1t WAS grand, calm beau
ty, which made her look older that she
really was.
ave are here before you, Rose Marie"
said Mrs. Ross. eve came to see you on
business
"Ah, pardon, madame, bat did not see
you,' she said, advancing slowly toward
Us. 81 do not know what has come to my
eyes," pressing her hands TO the lids. "a
mist Is before them and 1 see not clear
ly."
Her mother gazed a. her as she spoke