The Olneyville tribune. (Providence, R.I.) 1893-189?, 1894-06-30
A Promise Under Stress.


Gus widows imaginable. and also
one Of the cleverest i have ever
met. From the very first day she
knew precisely how to avoid any ex-
aggeration that could be considered
bad taste in the expression OF her
sorrow, without falling into the other
extreme and making those who saw
her in her widows weeds think she
must wear red satin under her Grape.
Early in April she had quietly left
her Paris apartment, where no male
visitor had set foot since her hus-
bands death, and it was only by
accident that, week later, | dis
covered the address she had so care
fully concealed from everyone. 1t
was Sycamore Villa, Chantilly."
On the first Of May there might have
been seen TO arrive at little bit Of
n house, situated at II convenient
distance from Sycamore Villa, sew
eral trunks, an English cart and
pony, saddle horse, n bull-terrier.
two servants, and man bordering
on thirty. That man was myself.
| hasten TO add that, in this cir
cumstance, ! acted solely at my own
risk and peril without authorization,
any right whatever, and with no other
motive than my love-my profound
love-to prompt me TO hope that my
change Of domicile would not be dead
loss. All, well-nothing venture, Moth
ing win. And what did venture? The
Salon, the May fetes, the Grand
Prix, the mob in the Alice des PO-
teauX, few balls-what were they in
comparison with the charms OF
most attractive neighborhood? | have
known men ID cross the seas and
spend fortunes TO follow to the
ends OF the world adventuresses
whose whole body was not worth the
tip Of Nine. de Moncley's little
finger.
Clarisse's pretty anger when / pre-
sented myself at her house, on the
day Of my arrival, was my first de-
lightful recompense. In spite Of her
grand air, | saw that she was
touched, and | doubt II ever lover ex-
perienced SO much pleasure in being
shown the door by II pretty woman.
She took her time about it., toe, and
only pushed me into the street after
regulation philippe, TO which list
ened very humbly, replying only so
much as was necessary TO lengthen
words:
And now do me the favor TO re-
turn TO Paris. The train leaves in an
hour"
IAN hour" | objected, timidly.
That is hardly time to ship two
horses and II carriage and throw up Il
lease
What is this" she cried A
lease You have presumed to-go,
cir What audacity, A lease And, /
If you please, where is your house ?'
"A long distance from here" ! |
hastened to reply; lat the other end .
OF the forest. ! am sure it must have .
taken me fully three-quarters Of an
hour to come here"
To be precise, it had taken me .
about five minutes.
To think, she exclaimed, what /
poor woman, deprived Of her pro-
tector, is exposed to! You would |
not have dared to do this il my hus.
band were still alive. And to think
that he considered you his best friend
Poor Charles ~
He has never had any cause to
complain" | murmured. Let us
talk together Of him"
Never"
Then let us talk of ourselves,
that will be better still"
This suggestion shocked her so that
Il took me II long time to calm her
Finally, she did not wish to let me go
without having sworn never TO set
foot in her house again. 1t is need /
less to say that it took half an hour !
TO persuade me to make this promise .
which | broke the next morning /
and as often rs possible.
i pass over the months that fol- /
lowed, merely declaring that in this |
vale OF tears there is no more happy |
lot than that Of such an unhappy |
lover as | was. Cla-isse had the most |
adorable way of annihilating me with |
a look from her blue eyes-eyes that
were intended for quite another pur-
pose than annihilating-whenever
she saw that | was going to fall on
my knees before her. and must con-
fess she saw it at least ten times dur
ing every visit made her. still in de-
spite OF her express prohibition.
The day she left of Grape proiited
by the occasion-naturally enough,
it seems to me-to propose myself i'm
set terms as candidate to succeed
poor Charles. That evening, it was
June evening, and the acacias made
the most of the power which certain
vegetables possess of intoxicating one
with their perfume--that evening
her hand reached for the bell. Cla-
risse did not threaten this time, she
acted. ] saw that was on the point
OF being put out by her servants
who consisted of an old woman who
had been her nurse, and whom
could have howla1 over with N hraatb