The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-06-19

which made all who knew her love and
! admire her.
| The young man stood spellbound before
the two pictures. Deep emotion showed
J itself in his eyes.
During the last war;" said the old
servant, II stood near your father when
| he was struck by a piece of a bursting
shell. He suffered the pains of martyr
! dom, and vet the result of the battle oc-
! cupled his thoughts more than his wound.
/ a fugitive passed near us, and ne at once
/ became anxious to know how the battle
was going. When he learned that our
men,. overpowered by numbers, were
| yielding, an angry light came into his
eyes. Hecompelled me Ito help him mount
| his horse and, barely able to keep his
seat, he rode into the midst of the fray.
! His regiment, seeing their leader covered
with blood and presenting the image OF
death, took courage and routed the
enemy. But the colonel was not able to
witness the end of the battle; he fell
fainting into my arms, and for month
| lay on his bed between life and death.
Monsieur, you, being the son of such
/ father, will not kill yourself.
After a moments silence Pierre con-
! tinued:
81 have seen YOUR mother lying on the
bed which she did not leave till she went
to the graveyard. A disease for which
she knew there was no remedy, was con-
Stunning her. Her face was calm, although
her suffering was terrible. \ complaint
never escaped her lips. She forgot her.
leave behind her. A man who has had
such a mother will not try to take his
life"
The old servant seemed to be trans
figured. His face, always calm and i'm
pressive, had assumed a soulful look viii CHI
made a deep impression on the young
man, who was no less moved.
But it was not time for sentiment or
emotion. The baron was ruined, and it
was necessary for him to adopt some
means of extricating himself from the diff
ficulties which surrounded him. He did
not fear to express before Pierre his I'M
certainty as to the best course for him TO
pursue.
"Monsieur," said the old servant, "there
is many wealthy tradesman who would
be happy to have his daughter known as
the Baroness de Brantel."
Sell my name for money? How dare
you make such a SUGGESTION
well, there is still Mile. Jeanne de
Rosel. There was time when she would
not have hesitated to marry you, and you
know that one of your mothers regrets
was that she died without seeing her your
wife"
II sighted her when l was rich, and
now that / am poor / would hardly ask
her to repair nv wasted fortune. Never
would l make her such an insulting pro-
posal But l must decide upon some
course at once. / have friend who owns
large estate in Algiers. l am sure that
he would willingly make me superintend-
ent OF it. shall offer him my services
and as soon as his answer comes we will
depart"
"Verv well. But first it will be neces-
sary for you to go to Brantel. A pur-
chaser for the chateau has been found,
and it will soon be sold"
''Ah, we'll, the sale can be made without
me-"
Impossible. There are legal formali-
ties which will require your presence.
Besides, there are family souvenirs, of no
value to any one but yourself, which you
would not care to have pass into the pos
session OF strangers
The baron allowed himself to be per-
suaded, and three DAYS afterward, accom-
panied by Pierre, he arrived at the estate
of his ancestors.
1t was beautifulsummer evening when
he reached the home from which he had
been a voluntary exile. He had not Wis
tied it since he had left it after his mothers
death. and he expected to find everywhere
traces of neglect and desolation, to see the
garden walks choked with weeds, the fur
niture covered with dust and stained with
mold, the ceilings hung with cobwebs.
On the contrary, everything was In
order, as if the proprietor of the manor
had not been absent for day. The gar
den had been well looked after and with
in the chateau one would have sought in
vain for sign of carelessness or unclean-
illness.
The baron expressed his establishment
to Pierre.
Probably" replied the latter, "the cha
teau has been put in order so that It may
sell better"
During the night he passed at the manor,
which on the morrow would cease TO be
his, the young baron did not close his
ewes. He listened to the songs of the
birds of the night, TO the murmuring Of
the wind among the trees, to the creaking
of the weathercock-to all the sounds
which lulled his infancy.
On rising he went for walk in the gar
den. He wanted to bid adieu to all the
places endeared to him by memory. There
ne uSeQ 10 SIT, DOCK III lduu mere WAS d
favorite walk of his mother, whose sweet
voice he fancied that he still could hear;
in this arbor he had had long converse
tons with jeanne and itseemed as though
he eouldse her graceful figure and smiling
face prettily framed by the foliage
For a long time he was lost in these
reveries, and the sun was high when he
took his way back to the house. Sud-
denly he stopped, thinking that he must
be dreaming. Through the open window
of the chamber which his mother used to
occupy came the sound of piano: the
air was one of which, in other days, he
had never tired. A prey 10 violent emo
ton, his heart palpitating, he seated him
self on a bench and listened. In a few
moments the sound of the piano ceased,
but he remained in the same place,
plunged in sorrowful reflection. Presently
a light sound attracted his attention; he
lifted his eyes and saw young girl, who
looked at him with a smile.
"Jeannel Jeannel You here?" he said,
in troubled voice. cit was you | heard
PLAYING"
To-day Brantel passes into the posses
sion of strangers" she replied. 1--WE have
have both had the same thought. l, like
you, have come to bid adieu to this place,
which has so many memories for me-"
"You have had reason to despise me,
Jeanne, during these years of folly which
I eXDatiafe today