Evening journal., 1891-08-01
THE0DORES SACRIFICE.

| lHEUUUhEO DACKIFICE.
In certain pretty town OF France, SIT
uated between Nantes and Tours, on tn
river Loire, there stood at the time OF ou
story number OF very pretty dwellings
each with its little balcony, its vine wreath
ed arbor, and itsgarden full OF gay flowers
set about with high stone wall, in th
midst of which stood a prodigious gate
6olted and barred within as though hun
dred burglars We're expected every night.
II II had not been for this precaution i
would not have been esteemed proper fo
Mile. Rosine Michaud to walk 50 often be
tween the bright borders, or sit SO mnel
under the old pear trees In her fathers gar
den Young French ladies are guarded
very carefully by their parents, and seclu
sion is their portion during their maiden
hood. No one was more rigid in regard /,
this matter than M. Michaud. Not thai
NJ. Michaud intended TO doom his daugh
ter to celibacyi he had already chosen 4
husband for her in the person Of the son o.
an old friend, NJ. Thibault who wa.
| equally anxious for an alliance betweef
the families.
And strange 20 say the young peopl.
thus betrothed were very much In Low,
with each other. Ever since he. a littl,
/ boy playing with other boys in the roae
1 without his fathers gate, had seen Rosin,
! Michaud, in her tall white crimped en-
and baby shoes q pink kid, toddle bg
! clinging 70 the hand OF her nurse. he hac
had an admiration for her, and Rosine hac
felt fate only too kind to her in giving he,
an affianced husband like Theodore Thi
bault, when it might well have been som,
one whom she detested.
Everything was in fine train-the paper
made out the little house which M Thi
bault was 20 bestow upon the bridegroom
already furnished, piles of white muslil
IN the seamstresses' hands and the very
ring brought, when an awful thing oc
Cured.
NJ Michaud and M. Thibault sittint
down TO dominos one fine day fell into /
quarrel. At first merely polite one; thet
On angry one; then a furious one; M. Mi
chaud called M. Thibault cheat, and M
I Thibault called NJ Michaud liar. M
Michaud gathered the dominos In hh
hands and was about to hurl them at th,
head OF M Thibault. He thought bette,
OF it and caught up his hat, stuck il on his
head sideways, crammed his fists into his
pockets aud, without an "adieu, (" marched
out OF the house, calling to his son TO fol
low him.
The end of the affair was dissolution oi
the matrimonial engagement between Ro
sine and Theodore.
In vain Theodore demonstrated In vail
Rosine wept The old gentlemen were moi
20 be moved by the unhanpiness OF the
children. All the deeds that had been
drawn up were Cancelled The little hous,
which had been furnished for the bride
and bridegroom was let to an English gen
tleman sojourning in the place, and tht
lovers were forbidden to speak anothe,
word TO each other as long az they boil
lived.
Perhaps II was worse for Theodore than
for Rosine. She was permitted to weep as
much as she chose. 1t was only natura
that she should be found sitting disconso
lately under the pear trees, and she coula
eat no dinner, and refuse herself to callers
Her mother felt great sympathy for her
and her father felt grieved that he coulo
not make her happy
But Theodore, whose feelings were prob
ably stronger. and who felt the injustice q.
the old mems conduct more poignantly be
cause he was not SO used TO consider hi
parents word law, WAS forced 70 attend I,
business, 20 talk TO his fathers customers
70 appear IN every way as usual, and wa
not allowed moment Of private converse
ton with the old gentleman. Rosin,
grew sad, but Theodore grew angry Sh,
gave up all hope he began TO plan meet
ing. AT last, having hribed Roses mai,
70 keep his secret, he conided 70 the hand,
OF the girl letter 70 her mistress. in which
he begged her to steal from the house that
night, and wait under the pear trees besid,
the garden wall until he should come 4
her.
Rosine, who never disobeyed her parenta
IN her life, felt as guilty as though she wer
about 70 commit murder when she stole
out Of the little side door 10 keep the rem
devious, but nevertheless her heart beat
high with hope at the thought Of meetins
Theodore once more, and when at last sh,
saw through the darkness form ris,
above the wall, stand on it moment, anc
proceed 70 ascend by means OF a rope whicl
was fastened on the other side, she will
difficulty refrained from screaming aloud.
Theodore She whispered: "oh. Theo
dorel my Theodorel That it should b,
wrong for me to meet thee; that we, whit
were once betrothed lovers, should come &
thisr'
But the next moment he had caught hei
hands and kissed them, and she forgot al,
Dut JnaJ JDey were together
This WAS the first meeting, but it wa.
not the last. Night after night, when tn,
old people were asleep, and in his owl
chamber mile OF two away, NJ. Thibauh
snored peacefully, Theodore and Rosin,
sat side by side more Familiarity than they
ever had before, in the garden under thu
pear trees, while Nannette, the maid, kept
watch without the little side door,
MI this hnI hnav fr,frs. -. a.. 49,.
time, when one night Rosine took hei
usual place to wait for Theodore. She
heard the stealthy step as usual She saw
the 1.-the form mount the wall and stand
In full relief against the golden moon, Just
at that moment rising Then a faint cry
OF horror fell upon her ear and it vanished
from her sight. There was a duh thud upon
the earth without a groan, and silence.
theodore had slipped and fallen to the
ground. For some moments he remained
insensible; Rosine, nearly mad with ter
ror' stood ringing her hands within the
garden.
I Her maid, who had seen all. hurried down
the path Neither Of the girls knew what
was best to do. At last Nannette, a stout
young peasant girl, clambered up into the
largest pear tree, and managed to get her
chin on level with the wall. She could
not see anything below, but she heard a
movement
NJ Theodore" she whispered, speak il
you can My mistress is nearly frightened
. to death"