St. Landry democrat., 1891-11-07
RENIE'S ROMANCE.

Renie Normand opened my studio door
the other afternoon and received the
hearty welcome he had right to expect
We clasped hands, and after exchanging
ordinations of greeting and surprise
peered earnestly into each others eyes.
For it was ten years or more since We
had last met; and we had changed il
those ten wears; so we looked curiously
into each Others faces. Ten years anC
more was stamped upon us since last We
met, but still we stood well on our feet
and our hands clasped firmly. But how
handsome Renie had grown! He always
was handsome, but this, his mature man.
ly beauty, was wonderful. His dark
once-laughing eyes now had subduel
sadness in their expression, his mouth
was firmer, and his curls, that had once
been so blue black, were strong y mixed
with gray.
"You can rest" said to Pauline, the
model, who was staring at us, wondering
at our silence after the first greetings.
had many questions to ask Renic, and
many to answer about those past years
and | put down my palette and we began
our cross-questioning. How odd it is to
greet friend you have not seen fo1
years! friend you have cared for, been
intimate with, and who suddenly dropped
out of your life long ago. You stand
face to face with him again, hold his
hand and hear the old familiar voice; and
there is the same freedom and familiarity
in manner now as before, and yet be-
tween you is an invisible space OF years,
tremendous void that can never be
filled.
We talked-hardly that, we asked
question for question, scarcely waiting
for the answer, for still we understood
each other with half word. We had
known something of each others lives
not much-from paragraphs in newspa-
pers, had exchanged New Years cards
not much more; and that was very little
considering how intimate we had once
been in the Latin Quarter and afterwards
in the long summer time at Fontaine-
bleau. And as we talked Pauline lay
curled up in the corner amongst the cush-
ions listening; no one minds model
listening.
$50 you have been professor all
these years at Bordeaux; bat you came
to Paris sometimes:
Eyes, once or twice IL year
And you never came to see me-
"What was the use of ringing your
bell in summer
That's true
Cor in winter; twice | tried to find
you when | came up at New Years aud
you had followed the sun south
II am afraid am rather unsettled
Il remember when YOU were settled
you were always talking of going some
where. But am coming TO Paris next
year expect to have professorship
here soon, and then shall dispute you
oftener. Btu tell tell q. who will be there
of the old set?'
The old set-not many" | replied
shaking my head"
"Whcre are the Grands.' Renic con-
tnued, "who used to live on the Avenue
de la Grand Armee?'
"Oh they? Thcy-went back to Eng
land years ago
~ am sorry; shall miss them. What
strange, delightful cvenings-nights |
should say-we used to have there, and
what strange crowd it was! Do you
know always enjoyed those long walks
home in the gray morning light, long,
long past midnight, when no sound was
heard on the streets but the distant mar
ket wagons, the Alsatian peasant sweep
ing, and the early twittering bird
''And do you remember" interrupted,
"the supper that night at Madame Saw
ages, the night of the snow-storm, when
the coachmen, not ours. send in word
they could not wait longer, and Madame
invited them to support
And what has become Of Madame
Madame" Renie hesitated trying to
remember her name, "who was Miss
kendle?'
"Shes dead"
"Dead!"
All the light suddenly went out Of
Renie's eyes that stared wildly at me.
Dead" he repeated, and then trying
to pull himself together, asked, "What
did she die OFF,
"Ennul, answered..
ats awfully hot here" exclaimed
Pauline, who, with a woman's tact and
wisdom, had thrown the window wide
open.
"Are you sure she is dead?" Renie
asked.
Sure! How could 1 declare I was
sure to a man who looked at me as Renie
did at that moment? No." l answered,
81 am not sure. / thought | heard
of her death several years ago, but
may be wrong. I'll write and find out. !"
"Ihank you, if you will. hoped to
see her again some day. She was a de-
lightful woman!''
"a delightful woman" | repeated.
How was it had, for a moment. forgot
ten he had been fond Of her? We had
talked Of Barbison, and the way he said
"Barbison,' with tender note in his
voice, should have made me remember,
but did not.
For it was at Barbison they first met.
Her family had heard the praises Of Bar
bison on the edge Of Fontainebleau
forest from the painters, and came down
for few days. They arrived after
dark, were shown to their lodgings
through farmyard ard were Mortified
with the entrance to their quarters. But
what could be done? 1t twas late, Paris was
many miles away, they must sleep some
where, and so they stayed that night; and