Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1889-07-13
MIGNON.
Letter from young girl residing In the country
to her intendedl

You repreach me, my friend, for not
writing to you more frequently. This
reproach gives me pleasure, because it is
an Indication that am constantly in
your thoughts But you add that as
for myself, Iscarcely ever think Of you,
even when the fever of Parisian life gives
me time. To punish you for your unjust
suspicious, sir, shall make no reply to
/! that remark besides, mamma has told
me that a young girl should conceal her
! feelings.
Yes, during the five days that we have
been in Paris l have not taken the time
| to think of you, there! Is not this my
right? We have somuch to do. Ate
m. we are still on our feet, and at s
o'clock in the morning we are up again.
Not an instant of repose; not a single
| minute which can be devoted to thoughts
| of you, sir. We are hardly dressed be-
| fore we must step into the carriage and
| be driven swiftly-to the Louvre, my
| friend? No. to the Printemps; then to
| the Bon Marche, and as far as the Saint
| Antoine quarter; for we must not only
| adorn your bride, we have also to think
Va AuAAiAoiiiiiSS VIC AiouoC WiiCIc YOU AIe "
take your wife. Poor horses! How glad
| they must be to enter the stable in the
evening.
Twill not compare myself to the horses,
or you might be led to suppose that 1
would be glad to so home. Paris is very
amusing; papa and mamma have re-
newed their youth. They say it is due
to the atmosphere of Paris. From one
end of the day to the other papa has
succession of new ideas, and he is con-
tinually urging US and hurrying us for
ward. We have hardly reached place
| before he wants to take us somewhere
| else; he calls us tortoises, and declares
| that we will never be able to see every
I thing. All, my friend. Partisan life is
not a sinecure.
| Mamma is well pleased, and wants
| papa to take her everywhere he used to
| 60 when he was young man. So we
breakfast in one restaurant and dine in
| another. II know all the good places,
! you see" These words are continually
in papa's mouth. Very wen, let me tell
! you, between ourselves, papa did not
lead dull life when he was a young
man, and he must havespent his parents
money very freely. Yet the other day,
when poor Henry asked him for larger
| allowance, he answered that in his time
| young people were satisfied with cheap
restaurants, and that his son ought to
follow his example And, behold. papa
tells us today that when he was young,
| his good places were Vefour's, the Paris
cafe, the English cafe, Ledoyen's, and
! many other restaurants where we eat
| lot of good things that are not mentioned
In mammals s'Perfect Cook Book" Last
evening we dined in a restaurant where
| papa asked if waiter named Eugene
was still there; and on receiving an af-
firmative reply, expressed desire to see
the man, saying that Eugene used to
wait upon him in old times when he fire.
quented the place. Eugene came, but
| he was not papa's old waiter. 1t ap-
peared that this one was Mr.. Dumas
Eugene. He seemed to answer just as
well, and papa was delighted.
Speaking of Mr.. Dumas reminds me
to tell you that / would have like very
well to see ''Francillon," but they told
me that it is not a proper play for young
girls. As we passed the Palais Royal,
papa and mamma looked at the bill, and;
they talked to each other in low tone.
/ could not hear what they said, but it
must have been amusing, for they
laughed; and mamma said to me: when
| you are married your husband will take
you there" So there are some things
which one can't hear or see before being
| married? --IEA=t. a%
Papa and mamma are very happy, but
lam going 10 confess the truth to you; as
for myself, am tired of it. Idon't tell
them SO, because do not wish to mar
their pleasure Perhaps Paris is very
amusing, but ] am tired of it; so you
may be happy 1t seems to me that /
am lost here; and ! ask myself contin-
| ually how any one can endure this noisy,
distracted and agitated life. 1t seems
impossible that happiness can be found
| here, since one does not have the time to
be happy. .
Yet expect to experience some real
| pleasure this evening, the only pleasure
| shall have experienced since being sep
arated from you. They are going to take
me to the Opera Comique. 1t appears
that this theatre is one for young girls,
and especially for young girls seeking
| husbands. That is not my case; you
know something about the matter, sir,
you who have the precious honor Of be-
ing the elect of my heart. So the reason
for my pleasure; is not that am going
there to meet some one; on the contrary,
would rather feel regret because you
will not be there; neither is it the curl
osity. to see pretty girls display them
selves to handsome men, or homely girls
fiirt with ugly men, in the hope of cap
turing husbands; it is the play itself,
They are going to perform s.afignon."
Knowest thou the land?
Does not this touching romance OF
| poor Mignon recall to you sweet
memory? Do you sometimes think of it
again, of that summer evening when /
learned to know your heart, when let
you guess mine? Do you recollect? I
was seated at the piano, in our parlor at
Plessis, and hummed the song of Mig
non. You were playing whist. sang
and felt, even without looking at you,
that you were not attending tothe game,
and that your eyes were turned towards
me. sang, and was almost afraid to
sing. Stealthily raised my eyes to you,
and saw that you were very pale, and
| that your eyes seemed blinded with
tears. In my turn became pale, in my
turn was unspeakably affected, and I
ended the song with Sob.
Knowest thou the land7
Oh, when you came to me with out
stretched hands seemed almost to faint.