Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-02-18
best cow, and so it wss, and she was

would youi If one did not lose things
sometimes, perhaps one might be hap
pier than lie bon Dieu intended-who
knows.' Wilfred laughs softly To
himself at this bit Of philosophy, and
madame haStens into the inn yard TO
speak to Pauline, the maid, who is
Gathering about the pavement in her
wooden shoes, quite forgctful, appar-
emily, that il will soon be time To serve
the dinner. The look of vexation re-
turns TO Wilfred's face when he is
alone.
Il would rather lose almost any.
thing else" he says TO himself. Just
then there is a knock at the glass door
Of his room, which opens upon the
gallery encircling the auberge ON the
inner or courtyard side. A tall, good
looking fisher girl stands there, bare
footed and bare legged, holding in her
hand the missing cyeglaSS hook.
lis il this which monsieur has lostg'
she says, somewhat timidly. Wilfred
eagerly responds that it is.
Il found ii on the PLACE but now"
says the girl, las | was coming back
To the cliff with my net. Alphonse
Cauchon. ii was he who said to me
that the American monsieur at the
Auberge Chretien had lost il, and
monsieur will see that / have brought
it at once TO him."
1T is very good of you TO take so
much trouble said Wilrred, gently,
and he Is about To offer lcr a coin for
the service she has rendered him,
when the girl shakes her head decid.
eddy.
Blu, no, monsieur, it is not neces.
sary 10 pay Elise Rigault for doing a
simple day that costs her no trouble
or pains.
True. true" asscnts Wilfred, but
Elise will not mind, | hope, taking
some little things from me that will
help TO keep the American in mind af-
ter he has left Arromanches." And,
saying this. he hands her a small, vel
vel framed picture of the Sistine Ma
donna which stands on liable by him,
and on which his eyes happen to fall
at that moment.
Elise takes it hesitatingly.
surely" she says, monsieur can
not mean for me to have this" And
she looks from the picture to Wilfred,
and from Wilfred back TO the picture,
in bewilderment.
Yes, that is just what | do mean."
answers the other with decision,
Eltsa ln.lS .h,,t ,h, r..,,. NTH Ste
many little devices for comfort and
luxury-for Wilfred has something of
the sybarite in his composition-and
then at the good looking owner of
them all, and seems for moment lost
in thought.
Monsieur is very kind" she says at
length, "and lie may be sure that
Elise will not forget him." And then
she bids the American good evening,
and goes down the steep gallery stair
ease 10 the inn yard, and disappears
IN the twilight holding the velvet
frame fast in her hard hand.
Wilfred is too glad 10 regain Elean-
or's gift TO think very much about the
manner Of its restoration, but the next
morning. rs he sits under his tent, he
sees the fisher girls crossing the sands
not far away from him. Among them
Is Elise. Bon jour, monsieur" they
call out as they pass. Elise is the last
one, and size turns her head for an.
other lood at him. He waves his hand
kindly, and she smiles and hurries ON
to her companions.
The days 20 on ,uietly at AFRO
manches. One day is just like an
other, but the young man does not
mind that. The walk down TO the
PLACE after breakfast; the reading and
writing under the red and white tent;
the chats with the occupant Of the
other tents; the walks toward BaY1x
or elsewhere in the afternoon; The
evenings spent among the fishermen
and their boats-these things are what
ill up his harmless, if not severely
profitable days. Every day the line
of bare legged fisher girls crosses fhe
sllvery sands, and every day he waves
mis- hand lightly TO Elise aud thinks of
her not again till the next time he sees
her.
Elise's memory is longer. Indeed,
he is never far out Of her mind. When
she is alone she repeats softly to her
self the words he said 10 her, and Won
ders vaguely if all Americans are like
him. so the days go by with her;
each with a little pain, the cause of
which she does not quite know; each
with a little sweetness in il when she
sees him under his tent on the PLACE,
or catches a glimpse Of him in the vii.
lage.
But August comes at length to its
end, and Wilfred makes up his mind
TO leave Arromanches. Every one is
sorry TO hear hat he is going, and
fully half Of the village gather about
the diligence in front of the Auberge
Chretien on the morning of his de-
parture. All the Chretien household
are there in full force, Of course, and
with them many of the fishermen and
fisher girls, and a greater number of
small children than one would have
believed existed in the entire hamlet.
1t is an exceedingly pleasant thing to
be young and a general favorite, and
Wilfred enjoys very much this spon-
taneous evidence Of his popularity.
The farewells take up a good deal of
time-so much, indeed, that the dill
gence is at least twenty minutes late
when il starts for Bayeux.
II shall come again next year.