The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-06-27
MIGNON'S FAREWELL
A Romance OF the Fire in the
Opera Comique, at Paris.
Lester from a young girl residing In the country
to her intended.l
Paris, Nav %.

You reproach me, my friend, for not
writing to you more frequently. This
rep-oach gives me pleasure, because it is
an indication that | am constantly in
your thoughts. But you add that as
for myself, | scarcely yer think of you,
when the fevero of Partisan life gives
me time. To punish you for your unjust
suspicious, sir, / shall make no reply to
that remark; besides, mamma has told
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, therel Is not this my
right? We have SO much to do. At Q a.
m. we are still on our feet. and at 8
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 Marchc, and as far as the Saint
Antoine quarter; for we must not only
adorn your bride, we have also to think
of furnishing the house where you are to
take your wife. Poor horsesl How glad
they must be to enter the stable in the
evening.
! win not compare myself to the horses,
or you might be led to suppose that !
would be glad to go 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
a succession Of new ideas, and he is con-
tinually urging us and hurrying us for
ward. We have hardly reached a place
before he wants to take us somewhere
else; he calls us tortoises, and declares
that we win never be able to see every
thing. All, my friend, Partisan life is
not a sinecure. ~
Mamma is well pleased, and wants
papa to take her everywhere he used to
go when be was a young a So we
breakfast in one restaurant and dine in
another. 81 know all the good places,
you see." These words are continually
in papa's mouth. Very well. let me tell
you, between ourselves, papa did not
lead a dull life when he was a young
man, and he must have spent his parents
money very freely. Yet the other day,
when poor Henry asked him for a 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 a
lot of good things that are not mentioned
in mammals Perfect Cook Book" Last
evening we dined in a restaurant where
papa asked if a waiter named Eugene
was still there; and on receiving an af-
firmative reply, expressed a desireto 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 mo- 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
: 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 a low tone.
I 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.
Papa and ann are very happy, but
lam going to confess the truth to you; as
fer myself, / am tired of it. don't tell
them SO, because I do not wish to mar
their pleasure. Perhaps Paris is very
amusing, but ! am tired of it; SO you
ma be happy. 1t seems to me that /
am lost here; and I ask myself contin-
ually how any one can endure this noisy,
distracted and agitated life. It 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 no 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
iirt with ugly men, in the hope of cap
turing husbands; 1t is the play itself.
They are going to perform "Mignon."
Knowest thou the land?
Does not this touching romance Of
poor Mignon recall to you a sweet
memory Do you sometimes think of it
again, of that summer evening when l
learned to know your heart, when / let
you guess mine? Do you recollect? /
was seated 1t the piano, in our parlor at
Plessis, and / hummed the song of Mig
non. You were playing whist. / sang
and / felt, ever without looking at you,
that you were not attending to the game.
and that your eyes were turned towards
me. sang. and ! was almost afraid to