The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1893-11-22
MADAME'S STORY.
A FRENCH CANADIAN SKETCH.

or did she, now? l remember there
was some excitement"
Madame sighed. "It is very long
story"
"Tell me Madame" / begged I
give the story in her own words. |
would that / could give her accent.
Her English was almost perfect, though
rather studied and occasionally con-
fused as to lenses. But her singularly
pure, clear voice and faint foreign
softening of each syllable made her
charming to listen to.
"Well, as L think Istold you long
ago, Marie went away from me for one
long year. When she was very little,
j sent her to q convent in Toronto,
and L do not see her very often. She
grow so pretty, 80 spirituelle, the pale
pink face and big eyes, black eyes, and
long lashes,-oh, she is beautiful
She sway like rose in the morning,
quite slender, and her small feet do
not hurt the flowers. She is a flower
herself, charming. She come home,
and the lads in the village are dis
tracted and am too. 1t is very hard
to watch Maria. She is 80 quick and
80 beautiful. She laugh in my face
and say: DO not fear my mother, |
alway stay with you. AS for the men,
i hate 'em ALL Then she dance away
with the pale-pink ribbons flying from
the pink robe, and the lads follow her
everywhere. Sho read love-stories,
novel, she call them, and they put
strange things in her head.
''She will not marry the lads in the
village, she say, but some rich man
will come from the city and take her
away and I, her mother, will have
plenty of beautiful dresses and a maid
to wait upon me. Then l scold her
and say do not want those things,
and she must marry lad that shall
choose for her. Then she dance away,
throwing the roses at me, and the
ribbons futtering everywhere, always
ribbons and flowers with my Marie,
and when she pass, the curling hair
all tumbling around her, there is
always sweet perfume in the air.
You remember her when she came
from the convent?"
I 4 nod. Who wouldn't remember
that wild-rose of girl, with the dain-
ticst foot poet ever raved over, with
a slender, 1.-THE, ever-dancing, little
figure with her pretty gowns following
every movement, with her glorious
merry black eyes and the sea-shell
pink on her cheeks. Remember
Marie? 1, who had followed her
floating ribbons, had picked up the
roses she let fall, had been as crazy
about her as ever was village lad
Remember her Yes, as one remem-
bers .sprite, fairy, delicious
dream. / sigh as one sighs for de-
parting youth. Those mad happy
days have nothing to do with me now.
A moment ago-a day ago I was
bored, cynical, blase, and now 7 would
give my life to be dancing once more
through the woods after Marie-after
flowers and streamers and floating
gown catching on the wild-rose bushes
after Marie. If once more the woods
could seem as green, the sky as blue,
a girl rs fair as Mariel
$50 she will not marry, and by-and
by girl from the convent write Marie
TO visit with her at her home, and
am tired and let Marie go. She
stay one whole year, and weary for
her and she come back. When see
her, the tears come in my eyes. She
is pale and thin and 30 quiet. I feel
dreadful. ! ask her what the matter
is, and she say Nothing at all. But
1, her mother, know better, and
watch and wait. One day letter
como for her, and it is mans hand
writing on the envelope. Marie take
1t and say nothing at all Then feel
bad, very bad, that my little girl have
alover and that /, her mother, know
not OF it. After long time she tell
me his name. 1t is Jean Lefroy, and
she knew him at the house of her
friend, and he tell her he love her.
and / ask her il she love him-although
think it not right that do not
choose for her--and she say she do