Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-10

Special Correspondence of THE Evxxrue Stan.
BosToN, Aug. z.
scandal almost too horrible to print has
leaked out in this quiet vacation time from Q
fashionable and ultrs-exclusive French board
ing school for young ladies in the Back bay
district. The educational establishment in
question is maintained by vestal Of intense
respectability, though of uncertain age and
temper, whom her pupils know as MADE
moiselle" and describe as resembling in her
physical aspect a highly reputable and vir-
tuous old bellwether. 1t might be more ap-
propriate, however, to compare her to q
dragon as she appears in guardianship of her
hock on walks abroad through the city. Nor
when good-looking young man comes within
the perspective on such occasions Of formal
recreauon, does she appear otherwise than as
hen gathering her adopted brood about her
In solicitude lest the hawk shall swoop down
and carry off an incautious fedgling For it
Is said that she considers all men to be essen
many depraved, not even excepting her
prother-in-law, the fat music teacher, who is
the only male permitted-under strict super
vision by his wife-to reside in the institution.
, his gentleman is an enormous eater, and
owing to habit he has of talking necessarily
ABOUT his stomach-as if that portion Of his
anatomy was subject of intense in
him among themselves save as Monsieur
u Estomac, his spouse being accordingly
Madame L'Estomac."
GATHERING MUSHROOMS.
In the early fall of last year, when the mush-
rooms were abloom upon the lea in the sub
urban fields of West Roxbury, monsieur and
madame were accustomed to assume charge of
expeditions to that rural locality for the pur-
pose OF gathering the fungus delicacies
Eagerly did the young ladies devote them
selves to the task of searching and plucking,
anticipating that the crop thus obtained, when
canned by madames especial process, was des-
tined to serve as a dietetic luxury for all the
fair scholars during the approaching winter
BUT alas! Monsieur L'Estomac ate them all. He
had them twice day, prepared in all sorts of
ways, from November until spring, while the
girls looked on and were never allowed so
much as single champignen with beefsteak.
he was accustomed to remark quite frequently
while devouring them that they we're wonder
fully goot for the stummick." But he did not
offer them to anybody else.
SPYING UPON THE PUPILS.
Monsieur and madame are said in the school
to be employed not SO much for teaching as
for spying upon the pupils to see that the
latter do not establish communication of any
sort with Objectionable creatures of the mas
cullue persuasion. Nor is such a task in a Sc
iect academy for young ladies the easiest to
perform Its successful accomplishment i'm
plies, to begin with, an unremitting, though
unobtrusive. scrutiny of all correspondence. A
little steam judiciously applied to the flaps of
| envelopes is mild but very effective
agent for supplying such information
as is calculated to be of use to
those whose task it is to assume
responsibility for the welfare of indiscreet
youth. modicum of mucilage will quickly
| repair the incidental damage. Then, too. such
| media for exchanging intelligence as private
repositories for billets doux must be looked
out for and superintendent has necessarily
to be exercised even over the chances bestowed
by the constructively innocent charges upon
casual young men. There is nothing in a
female boarding school so harmless in appear
ance as not to excite suspicion Of that descrip-
ton OF naughtiness which implies the partici-
patton OF an abomination in pantaloons In
other words Irritation is an evil irrepressible
wherever the female of the human species is
concerned. Surely the Mohammedan theory
must be correct that woman is intrinsically
wicked and only to be saved through the char
liable Intervention Of the pious and godlike
man. 1t is by the beard that the prophet Jerks
the faithful servant into paradise, and, as
everybody Knows women have no such ap-
pendage. The inference is conclusive.
''MA'AMsELLE LIE pIABLE."
OF all the girls in mademoiselles school the
most difficult to properly control was one from
Philadelphia, who came to be better known
among her playmates as "Ma'amselle lie
D1able"-a designation the fat music teacher
conferred upon her in q moment of anger
than by her own name. She would insist upon
turning unladydke somersaults over the grand
piano, and, II she were reproved, would as
likely as not lie down upon the floor, bang her
head against the nearest piece of furniture,
howl loudly and bite any one who attempted to
interrupt the pastime. Such things as bologna
sausage in large hunks we're found concealed
among her linen, and new pupils looked upon
her with awe when they were told that once
she had actually run away.
APoRTLAND FAIRY.
In beautiful contrast with "Ma'amselle lie
Diable" was pretty young woman from Port
land, Me-, Of fifteen sunny summers, maybe,
with really truly blonde hair and the wide blue
eyes OF trusting unsophistication. At the tame
OF the narrative, which is nearly the close of
the recently ended spring session, this maiden
fair occupied the envisbls position of idol pro
tenn. You are doubtless aware that in every
female boarding school there is always one
girl who is regarded as an object of worship.
During the period Of her rule she is a little
queen, looked up to, petted and actually
adored by all her companions. They squabble
for the privilege of her society, copy her
dresses, wear ribbons like hers and even insist
upon the sacrificing their choicest candies to
her appetite. Nor does this charming state of
affairs come to an end until, In the course Of O
few weeks or months, q sudden and unaccount-
able freak takes the fckle crew and another
girl becomes at once the fashion, while the one
dethroned must needs transform herself into o
satellite Of the rising star.
THE QUEEN ON HER THRONE.
At the period spoken Of the blonde young
lady from Portland had arrived at the utmost
elevation Of popular favor-so much 90, in
deed, that it was necessary for her to hold q
sort Of reception every evening at bed time, so
that each one of her schoolmates could crafty
a desire to imprint kiss upon certain SPOT
| at the back of her neck, which was considered
to be astonishingy kissable. In fact, this inter-
esting ceremony grew to be so well established
| that it was impossible to get the girls to bed
until they had performed it. And no wonder:
for she was q sweet creature, this maid with
yellow tresses, and you never could have
imagined that she was capable of engaging
with the depraved "Ma'amselle lie Diable" in q
scheme Of aggravated naughtiness, the horror
Of which might well send virtuous SILVER
down the serrated backbones of 100000 unap-
propriated Massachusetts, spinisters.
Yet such was unhappily the case Alas, that
| it should be necessary for the conscientious
newspaper correspondent to record the awful
details!
These quiet girls, you knowl Butter would
not melt In their mouths, you might suppose.
From the young mems point Of view they seem
to be creatures altogether seraphic, whose very
corporal entities can hardly be material in
the gross physical sense Of the rude male. How
| quickly Would this pleasing illusjoD ha dis