Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1893-12-26
MADAME'S STORY.


MADAME'S STORY.
"And what became of Marie?' asked.
"She married, did she not? Or did she,
now? l remember there was some ex-
element"
Madame sighed. ut is q very long
story"
Tell me, madame" I begged. l give
the story in her own words. Iwould
that could give her accent. Her Eng
fish was almost perfect, though rather
studied and occasionally confused as to
lenses. But her singularly pure, clear
voice and q faint foreign softening Of
each syllable made her charming to lis
ten to.
"Well, as l think told you long ago,
Marie went away from me for one long
year. When she was very little, send
her to convent in Toronto, and I do
not see her very often. She grow up SC
pretty, so spirituelle, the pale pink face
and big eyes, black eyes and long, long
lashes-oh, she is beautiful! She sway
like rose in the morning, quite slender,
and her small feet do not hurt the flow
ers. She is a flower herself, charming.
She come home, and the lads in the vii
lage are distracted, and am too.
1T is very hard to watch Marie. She
is SO quick and so beautiful. She laugh
in my face and say: DO not fear, my
mother. always stay with you. AS for
the men, hate em all Then she dance
away with the pale pink ribbons flying
from the pink robe, and the lads follow
her everywhere. She read love stories
novel, she call them, and they put strange
things in her head.
''She will not marry the lads in thu
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 maid to wait up
on me. Then l scold her and say that
l 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 autter-
ing everywhere, always ribbons and
flowers with my Marie, and when she
pass, the curling hair all tumbling
around her, there is always sweet per-
fume in the air. You remember her
when she came from the convent"
mod. Who wouldn't remember that
wild rose of girl, with the daintiest
foot poet ever raved over, with slen-
der, 1.-THE, ever dancing, little figure,
with her pretty gowns following every
movement, with her glorious merry
black eyes and the seashell pink on her
cheeks. Remember Marie? I, 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 remembers
a sprite, fairy, a delicious dream. l
sigh as one signs for departing 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 would give my life to be dancing
once more through the woods after
Marie-after flowers and streamers and
q floating gown catching on the wild
rose bushes-after Marie! If once more
the woods could seem as green, the sky
as blue, girl as fair as Marie!
$50 she will not marry, and by and by
a girl from the convent write Marie to
visit with her at her home, and I am
tired, and let Marie co. 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 80 quiet. feel dreadful. ask her
what the matter is, and she say, Moth
ing at ALL But l, her mother, know
better, and l watch and wait.
Zone day letter come for her, and 1t
is mans handwriting on the envelope.
Marie take it and say nothing at all.
Then feel bad, very bad that my little
girl have lover, and that /, her mother,
know not of it. After long time she
tell me his name. 1t is Jean LEROY, and
she knew him at the house Of her friend,
and be tell her he love her, and ask her
| if she love him-although think it not
right that do not choose for her-and
she say she do not know. But one day
Mons--Mr. LEROY come and say:
"'Why you not write me, MarieT' and
she say to him that I am her mother, and
he bow very low to me and say:
"'Madame, love your daughter, and
| write and ask her when may come
and tell her mother that Iwish to marry
her, and she do not answer me at all, at
ALL and he stride very fierce about the
room, and Marie put her head on my
shoulder and say that she love me, her
mother, only. And he ask very quick:
"'Why you say You love meT and
Maria will not answer. She just put
her hands to her ears and will not listen
to him. think she must be crazy and
speak hard to her, but she just run out
Of the room. Then he 60 away and say
he will come back again that evening.
Then speak to Marie, and she say there
is another man, too, and she do not know
which she like better--that when one Of
them is there that she like the other
one better--and it is making her pale
and thin. Then ! am very severe with
her and tell her it is very wrong; that
she cannot love either Of them, or she
would know. But she say she think she
Will marry one Of them, and toll her
that Mr.. Lefray Is coming tonight and