The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-29
MONSIEUR DUVAL'S LOUIS QUATORZR
: By Miss Jeanne Drake of Charleston,
S. c.
From the Catholic World.

II. a
pretty sight early one morning, when they
paused in front of a small shop to ask coax
ingly, ANY nice berries dis mornin, my
missusp 1t was a slender girl, dark-haired
and dark-eyed, the creamy tint of her
clear skin SET off by a gown of dull blue
stuff and black velvet ribbon around her
throat. She stood on tip-toe 20 reach a
lump of sugar to her canary overhead, and,
with red lips puckered, whispered clearly
and melodiously several bars of an oper-
eta. to which the bird listened with his
head on one side and the depreciating air of
a professional critic. Then she looked up
and down the narrow. winding colonial
Main street. where the sun was just gliding
the slanting roofs of shingle opposite. An
unusually energetic native, hose in hand
was watering the ground in front of his
place. The odor of moist soil came to her
with breath of violets from fruiterer's
stand near by. sab, the delicious air ~ she
said with half sigh of contentment; 81
am glad we came heren
In the meantime an elderly and obtrusivly
bow-legged darby had taken down the
shutters from the one window, and there
was disclosed a wonderful assortment of
curls, wigs aud toys for the head, with an
array of pins and pOking- sticks of steel such
as Autolycus never dreamed of. The crash
of a falling shutter brought the girls
thoughts back to practical matters, and.
with smiling response to the negroes
s'Mornin', missus," she tied on a white apron
with charming air of business, and pres
sently disappeared, seeming to take with
her half the delicious freshness and frag-
rance of the southern springtime.
If Hudson Longwood, clerk in a whole
sale hardware store, had not slept too late
this same morning, he would not have
needed to depart from the hereditary, lels-
urely step which usually took him, with
due punctuality, into the uncertain light of
his employers countenance. Nor would he
in his unwonted haste, have nearly upset a
lady into the gutter, and, just escaping this,
have carromed into the arms of man who
stood half-in and half-out of doorway on
Main street.
81 beg your pardon" said he with that
fulness of courtesy which in an age of haste
has come to be thought provincial
The man, not answering, reeled from the
shock and fell slowly backward. Longwood
hastily caught him, and was then conscious
of a velvet coat sleeve aud curious hard
ness and heaviness, and, looking into his
victims face, encountered only the unre-
sentful stare of a pair of glass eyes gazing
fixedly out of a waxen face The young
fellows ears crimsoned warmly with the
instant confusion of a man without humor
at such mistake. But no fieering. pibinp
youth of his acquaintance CHANGED to
be passing, and inside the shop was
no one more formidable than a
dark-haired girl, who stepped quietly from
behind the counter and, without a trace of
the smile which he dreaded, helped him to
steady the assaulted effigy on its mysterious
foundation.
There is no HARM" she assuerd him, in
very pretty English, with just the faintest
foreign accent. sit is only papa's Louis
Quatorze. He has often the compliment of
being mistaken for person."
Ordinarily the youths very practical
mind would have revolted at this statement,
in view of the dummy's preposterous sim
per, amazing curled and powdered wig.
embroidered coat, and gilt snuff box, held
stiffiy forth in one waxen hand. But how
could he doubt any fact SO soothing to
awkwardness, and so sensibly cooling to
overheated ears? Besides, he had but
moment for hurried excuses. Such other
incoherences as: Pretty girl" "What
shop is thats-must be hair-dresser's:n
"W no the deuce is 'papaP and why does he
call his dummy Louis Quatorzep may
have afterward winged their slow way
through his mind, but were soon put to
fight by busy day with Steele & Co.
1t was only when strolhng honeward in
dusk, scissors and knives, shoveis aud tongs,
weights, chains, and similar objects of art
well off his mind, that the mornings Incl
dent recurre1 to him. "a Duval Artist
he read from the hair-dresser's sign.
what does artist mean-a barberi
Why, that's Hatton's place, that's been va
cant so long," with that intimate knowl-
edge of others affairs, and altrulStic inter
est in them, less common in large cities or
where the thinkers mind is devoted to gen.
eralities, glittering or otherwise. 81 heard
he had a stranger, a little Frenchman, for a
tenant. Iguess he'll get the rent of the off
months out of him. All here's my friend,
the dummy"
But Louis Quatorze's CLASSY stare steadily
ignored any previous scuffiing acquaintance
with him, and likewise tae present atten-
tions of various dusky little shoe-bIacks.
"Das Mass Linkum wen he git ole,n said
one, IAN he hair dun tu'n wife"
you fool, boy" was the retort conrte-
GUS of another; .'das "a jukel IT'S only
juk kin hab all dat COLE on de coat"
If they had confined themselves to ad-
miring comments all would have been well,
but shortly one of them laid a sacrilegious
hand on the ribbon of no particular order
worn by Monsieur Duval's anointed; and
out came small man with white hair and
mustache, and fierce black eyes, who swore
thrice, emphatically, in his own language
Over his shoulder looked another pair of
eyes, little anxious but half-laughing.
dispersed the shoe-blacks by pointing out an
approaching policeman, and went in.
"a thousand thanks, sir" said Monsieur
Duval, effusively. 81 find them fatiguing,
the street-boys here, the small negroes.
They lay hands on my admirable figure, my
Louis Quatorze."
SIT might be well, !" said Longwood, prac-
tically, ITO take the dummy in. Then your
customers could admire it as well, and it
would not bother you with acrowd of boys.
It's rather uncommon here-so very fine,
you know"
HE is fine," assented NJ Duval; she is of
inestlmable value. He has been with me
for years. All the way from France he has
come. If you think he will be safer in
doors I shall keep him here" clearing out
an available corner for him. Monsieur is
most kind Can l do anything for him"
''Some-some hair-pins, | believe"
vaguely.
Josephine, my daughter some hair-pins
for monsieur"
Longwood now, with what he thought to
be deep-artfulness, appeared for the first
time to perceive the young girl. On her
part she met his glance with sudden recog-
milton, and the CLEAN of amusement she
had carefully avoided showing in the morn
ing. Spreading before him various little
packages, taken from glass case, she said,
smiling:
Your interest in Louis, monsieur, is