San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-04-08
MADELAINE LER0UX.
By KATHARINE S. MAOQUOID.

y
and she opened the gate. "Please drive
the pig away; am afraid of it..
She scarcely looked at the stranger;
she only saw that he was a man, and she
felt sure that he would help her.
The stranger seemed young and strong,
but the pig took no heed of his raised
walking stick. Seeing this, he rained a
shower of blows on the back of the ugly
brute, which drew forth hideous series
OF grunts and squeaks, and to Made
LANES relief the creature trotted out
into the road, its enormous sides shaking
an accompaniment to its clalnor.
Two women servants and man ran
into the garden. There was buzz of
questions and Madelaine saw her aunt
come out into the porch.
"Come in, monsieur, come in then;
beg of you. Let me thank you thou
sand times for stopping mischief En-!
then, monsieur, it is the fault of my
careless gardener, Joseph, to whom, if
you will believe me, have more than
once pointed out the necessity of mend
ing that hole in the wall beside the
orchard. All! monsieur, you are indeed
a friend in need. 1t was we'll that you
came to the rescue, for that was the
savage SOW of the Marais, and it is a
wonder she did not fly at you. Were
you much frs htened, my precious Made
laine?'
By this time Mademoiselle Chaumelle
had come up with Madelaine and her
champion, and the stranger could not
help smiling at the contrast between the
aunt and the niece.
The round ball of a woman, with her
happy, smiling face, seemed shorter than
she really was, as she stood patting the
slim, tall girls shoulder. Just now
Madelaine's dark, gypsylike face was
bent down, and her slender figure
seemed to be crouching with shame at
the remembrance of her cowardice; for
she thought that really formidable ami
NAL would not have been so quickly
routed; she thought, too, that her aunt
was unnecessarily gushing in her graft
tude for such service.
Madelaine had only arrived late on the
previous evening, and then Monsieur lie
Cure had come in to supper; so there had
not been time for a comfortable talk
alone with Aunt Virginie.
Madelaine Leroux had father and an
excellent stepmother. Her own mother,
her Aunt Virginie's sister, had died when
the girl was still an infant; but though
her stepmother loved her very dearly,
Madame Leroux did not spoil Madelaine
as Mademoiselle Chaumelle did, and the
girl was always ready to go and stay at
Caudebec. She had come this time to
take her aunt's advice on very impor-
tant subject, and she was uneasy till their
talk had taken place.
SIS monsieur making stay in Caude-
stranger.
81 shall be here a few days." he an
swered; and then he glanced toward the
porch as if he wanted to be asked in
doors
Mademoiselle Chaumelle was looking
at him with very mournful expression
in her eyes.
Pardon me, monsieur" she said, and
Madelaine thought her aunt's voice
sounded broken, ''but you remind me SO
much of some one | knew years ago.
May venture to ask your name?"
Madelaine looked hard at the stran-
ger, and she thought she had never seen
that grave, almost stern, face before.
Dark gray-blue eyes looked out frank
ly under well marked eyebrows; the
nose and the forehead reminded the
girl of an ancient coin, and the
mouth, though partly hidden by
a brown mustaehe, was sharply cut and
full of character. Madelaine decided
that the stranger must be very severe,
and she felt sure he must think her aunt
foolish. The part of his face she liked
best was his broad, square forehead, and
the crisp waves of rich brown hair above
it. He looked, she fancied, surprised at
her aunts question, but he answered at
once:
MY name is Maurice Henri, made
moiselle. live at present in Paris, but
l shall probably settle in Rouen some
day."
Mademoiselle Chaumelle looked dis
appointed.
"My friends name was not Henri,
monsieur; but it is strange that one of
his Christian names was Maurice. Mon
sieur must permit me to say that the
likeness l see makes me feel as if he
were an old acquaintance. Will he be
81 aniahle as tO come in and breakfast
with us this morning."
Monsieur Henri bowed. He had break
tasted before he came out, but the
spinster's ready hospitality pleased him,
and, besides, he wanted to talk to her