The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-02-01
Jeanne Thilda Tells Of the Power Of Love
During a Thunderstorm.
A Singular Infatuation Conceived for Tall
Woman Of Stone-A Little Trick Which
Resulted in Marriage.
Written for THE SUNDAY CALL

Only barbarian like myself could have
tailed to notice that my little cousin was
very pretty, with her seventeen summers
her haZeLhued eyes and her chestnut locks
that she wore short and curly, in boysh
fashion; but all this was of small account
TO me. had recently been quite i'll and
thought of nothing but taking rest and
fresh air. The nervous fever that had
brought me to deaths door still caused me
to feel joys and vexations without motive.
L was seized upon by mad desire for the
Ideal, the blue SKY ana melancholy poetry
! and the hoyden who summoned me to her
with shouts of triumph, because she had
captured butterfly or found some transpar-
en-, DiuiSh little eggs In sparrOw'S nest
| SET my teeth on edge, making me ardently
long for solitude more complete.
THE GROVE AND THE STATUE.
The garden pleased me with its cnlors of
| lllacS, lindenS and wild mint; it was
trayersed by brook leaping over white
pebbles; little grove terminated the prop
erty, Enclosed by hedges, about which tWinfd
Wild glyeinaS. 1 had conceived special
affection tor this grove, where the tops of
the p0plars sighed, bent down toward each
other at the slightest breath of wind. l
nOurlShed there my still morbid reverips
the species of cerebral trouble that had not
Quilted me-. and a strange int0XicatiOn a
need of loving that always torments bud
ding souls.
had noticed upon the ground. amid the
grass at the extremity of the grove, statue
furnished by rain and froSts. 1t had rolled
there, torn from It's pedestal by the temp
estS,. and as the spot was unfrequented, no
one had thought of raising this tall woman
OF stone.
Was she really beautiful, or did my
dreani-haunted Imagination cast itself with
enthusiasm upon new chimera? | could
NOT tell huf She annnaral M -,
eyes with her little head, her wavy locks
falling over her forehead and twisting
themselves into heavy chignon at the back
OF her slender neck; her bosom, covered
WIN drapery, seemed o! an exquisite shape
the artist must have modelled its outline
with passionate feTvOr; a floating skirt en-
tlrely concealed her lower extreniteS, but
her beautiful bare feet pr0.ruded from be-
meath the heavy stuff, and 10y singular
whim on the sculptor's part, She wore on
one Of her great toes brass ring that the
weather had rusted.
STRANGE INFATUATIoN.
1t so happened that l eventually spent
every day beside the Woman OF stone |
pitied her for being thus abandoned, and it
seemed TO me that | gave her a little happi-
ness by coming to lOokat and chat with her
Soon fhlS mOnomana became yeritable
madness; and, a. my uncle and cousin paid
but small attention TO me, | utilized nv lib
ertY by remaining with my beloved statue
to whom l made the strangest speeches
imaginable, talking to her in passionate
prose, declaiming to her in the verses had
composed IN her honor. The real world had
vanlShed-I lived in a dream, finding no
solace for the painful anguish that was
undermining my youth, save in the frantic
Kisses with which covered my cold swee.-
heart.
l had succeeded in raising her up and
placing her back against the wreck OF an
old wall. To protect her from the rain |
had surrounded her with a kind of bower
OF leaves that | delighted to deck with flow
ers; and when, with the first sunbeams,
pantingly reached the extremity of the little
grove, she appeared to me like a goddess,
with her locks that the breeze seemed to
lift, her smiling mouth and her bare feet,
While the ring, to which had restored all
Its luSter, shoDe with supernatural fdme
ran toward the statue, and | saw, as
drew near, her smile become more appar-
ent, her eyes turn toward me with mute
reproacE Tor coming so late, for having so
long left her alone. | fell at her feet. kiss
ing the hem Of her tunc, breathing The odor
of he flowers that during the night had
faded upon her marvellous bosom.
THE INDUSTRIOUS PASSION.
But my madness increased with the first
shadows of twilight; the dying day cast a
shade over the features l adored and
Swallowed TO my excited Imagination
GalHtea animated at last | suppicated her
to speak to me, to understand me, to renew
that miracle of love that transformed block
of marble INTO woman | covered her with
kisses and tears. striving to make the fire of
nv soul pass into her; and when the chill of
the stone dried my burning lips, when re-
stored to myself | realized that held in
my arms only an inanimate mass, | fell on
the sod, and, my face in my hands, shaken
by sobS, called for death as The sole remedy
for the monstiOus passion that was guawing
my brain.
One evening-the heat had been Sitting
more nervous even than usual, | went To-
ward the little grove; all day | had re-
manned shut up in my chamber, a prey to
that inexplicable uueaSiness caused by the
approach OF a storm. The air was heavy.
the leaden sky had grown absolutely livid !:
the darkness was increasing, while peals of
thunder rolled in the distance like immense
chariots driven by an invisible hand.
came near the statue the vague form of
which l could distinguish through the
foliage that surrounded her. Stricken with
strange fear, L dare advance no further
She seemed to me more beautiful and more
formidable than usual, beneath the lace-like
verduTe, with the thunderbolts that made
the tall populars culver above her head
AN EXTRAORDINARY HALLUCINATIoN.
The rain came down violently, wildly.
beating the leaves with terrible swash and
tile darkness grew so intense that | could
see nothing whatever l entered the bower
OF ver:iure, glued myself against the statue
and suddenly | had an extraordinary hallu
cinatlon. For the first time. on contact with
me, | felt the woman of stone paIpitate. her
body, in which warm blood flowed. conimu
nicatrd TO mine adevouriDg flame: her bosom
panted-it was life
The storm broke forth in all its fury. the
black sky was Illuminated with red zgzaps
and the peals OF thunder were so violent
that they shook the ground beneath my feet
oh, that l could die now" cried die
in the midst OF this mad dream in which |
feel thee palpitate and liveP
With indescribable agitation [ threw NV
arms about the statue and violently pressed
my lips to hers. at that moment the light
ming shot along the ground not far from me
and the Statue, throwing both her arms
around my neck, murmured in my ear: I
am afraid. Olivier! | am very much afraid %
My hair stood on end upon my head. /
uttered cry OF unspeakable horror and fell
unconscious at the feet of the woman of
stone, who called for help with all her
might.
am still mad, but this time it is with iov
Yesterday Berthe and were married in the
little village church the cure was radiant
my uncle gave him the statue to put in the
center OF the nave; she was clad in white
satin, n beautiful crown of gold was placed
upon her wavy locks aud serpent of vel
low and green wood crawled beneath her
foot, upon which still sparkled the brass
ring.
On quitting the altar we went and knelt
before the woman of stone. Did we not owe
her our happiness?
Berthe was the first TO arise. She said to
me. in whisper, with her pretty smile that
displayed her bewitching dimples:
Have you really altogether forgiven me ?"
There was nothing else to do,' | an
swered, with laugh; ''but suppose, my be-
loved, that the shock had been too great Tor
meP'
''BahW said she, drawing over her yisage
the long folds of her lace veil, Il knew well
enough that the worst that could come 70 us
would be a cold in the head !"
JEANNE-THILDA.