The Opelousas courier., 1891-11-21
THE CLEARWATER.

ner OF the hunting season, at the house
Of the Marquis Bertrans. Eleven hunt
ers, eight ladies and the country doctor
were seated at the brilliantly lighted ia
Bile, which was covered with fruit and
flowers.
They had just been talking of love,
and a warm discussion had arisen, the
old question as to whether ont could
love truly only once or more than once.
Many cases were brought up of people
who had had but one serious Dve, and of
others who had repeatedly loved f~eryent-
ly. Most of the men contended that
passion, like disease, could attack the
same person many times, and so severely
as t5 kill him, if any insurmountable OBJ
stacle arose.
Although this position was unassaila.
BILE, the ladies, whose opinion was based
more upon poetry than on observation,
maintained that love, true love, could
come only once to mortals, that it was
like a stroke of lightning, and that the
heart once touched by it was thenceforth
so empty, ravaged and scared, that no
other strong feeling, no dream even,
could spring up in it.
The Marquis, who had loved often,
opposed this idea very strongly.
II know, said he, stthat a man can
love many times with all his heart and
soul. You fell me about people who
have killed themselves for love, as proofs
Ct the impossibility of a second passion.
But tell you that If they had not been 50
stupid as to kill themselves, and thus lose
all chance OF change, they would have
been cured, and would have done the
same thing over and over again until
they died a natural death. Lovers and
drunkards are much alike-whoever has
drunk, will drink again, and whoever
mas loved, will love again. 1t is merely
a matter of temperament"
An appeal was made to the doctor, an
old Partisan who had retired to the
country, and all begged for his opinion.
But he had none.
TT is just as the Marquis says he
said. cit is a matter of temperament.
For my part / know of one passion which
lasted for ffty-five years, withouta days
intermission, and which was ended only
by DEATH
The Marchioness .clapped her hands,
exclaiming, "How beautiful! And what
a dream to be loyed like that! What
joy to live for ffty-fve years surrounded
by such 6 deep. strong affection. How
happy he must have been, and how bliss
full his life, who was SO beloved"
The doctor smiled and said, ssYou
are quite right, madame, in thinking
that the beloved one was a man. He is
M. ~Chouquet, the village druggist. AS
for the woman, you know her, too. She
was the old chair member who used to
come to the chateau every year. But I
will tell you the story
The enthusiasm of the women had
cooled, and their disappointed faces
said plainly, "Pooh!' as if such love
could come to zone but elegant distin.
guished beings, who alone were worthy
OF the interest of refined and properly
conducted people.
Three months ago. continued the
doctor, IL was called to the deathbed
OF this old Accompanied by
her two big black dogs, her friends and
guardians, she had come to the town the |
night before in The wagon which served
her for a house, drawn by the old mare
you have seen. fhe cure was with her
when ! arrived. She named US as execu-
tors of her will, and in order that we
might understand her last wishes, she
told us the story of her life, the saddest,
strangest story | ever heard.
ssHcr parents were both chair mend
ers, and she had never lived in a house
built on solid earth. As a little thing
she wandered about ragged and dirty.
The family always stopped by the road
side, ut the entrance of the villages, and
embarrassed the horse, who browsed
about, while the dog slept with his nose
On his paws. There the little girl played
in the grass, and the father and mother,
in tie shade of the wayside oaks, patched
up I'LL the old chair seats of the neigh
borhood.
They talked but little in that wan.
home. After a short discussion
as to which had better 60 the rounds
Of the house, with the same old
cry of Chairs to mend! they would
sit down and weave their straw in silence.
When the child wandered too far away
the wagon, or tried to make
friends with some village youngster, she
recalled by her fathers angry voice.
Come back here, you good-for-noth-
Such were the only e~ndearments
she knew.
when she grew older she was sent to
the WORKOUT chairs. In this Wav
he made some acquaintance among the
children, but it was now the parents of
Ter new friends who called roughly to
heir children, Como back here, you
.ood-for,nothingl Don't let me see you
With bare-footed childrenl' And
item the small boys threw stones at her.
ssSome ladies had given her q few
which she kept with great cure.
day-she was then eleven years old
she WIS going about in this neigh
'orllood, she met little Chouquet behind
he cemetery. He was crying bitterly
'ecause another boy had stolen two
entlnes from him. The tears Of the
title fellow, n Of the. children whom
! her simple neglected mind she had
ways thought happy and contented
loved her deeply. She went up to
and when she learned the cause DC
Is arief, poured all her savings-seven
'us-into bis hands, he taking them as
matter Of course and speedily drying !,
IS tears. Then, wild with delight, she
as einboldencd to kissinm. As he was