The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1894-05-12
MADAME'S STORY.

"And what became of Marie.' asked.
"She married, did she not? Or did she,
now? remember there was some ex-
element"
Madame sighed. ut is a very long
story"
Tell me, madame" begged. give
the story in her own words. would
that l could give her accent. Her Eng
lish was almost perfect, though rather
studied and occasionally confused as to
lenses. But her singularly pure, clear
voice and faint foreign softening of
each syllable made her charming to lis
ten to.
well, as 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 do
not see her very often. She grow up so
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 flower herself, charming.
She come home, and the lads in the vii
lage are distracted, and l am too.
ut 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 the
village, she say, but some rich man will
come from the city and take her away,
and l, her mother, will have plenty of
beautiful dresses and maid to wait up
on me. Theh scold her and say that
l do not wait those things, and she
must marry lad that shall choose for
her. Then she dance away, throwing
the roses at me, and the ribbons futter-
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-
fame in the air. You remember her
when she came from the convent?
nod WAo 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 Marle? |, who had
followed her floating ribbons, had picked
up the roses she let fail, had been as
crazy about her as ever was village ladi
Remember her? Yes, rs one remembers
sprite, fairy, delicious dream.
sigh as one sighs 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 l 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 Mariel If once more
the woods could seem as green, the sky
as blue, girl as fair as Mariel
$50 she will not marry, and by and by
q 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, tho tears
come in my eyes. She is pale and thin
and so quiet. feel dreadful. ask her
what the matter is, and she say, Moth
ing at ALL But |, her mother, know |
better, and | watch and wait.
.'One day letter come for her, and it
is mans handwriting ON the envelope.
Marie take it and say nothing at all.
Then feel bad, very bad that my little /
girl have a lover, and that |, her mother,
know not of it. After long time she
tell Ine his name 1t is Jean Lefroy, 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. Lefroy come and say:
why you not write me, Marie!" and
she say to him that 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 wish 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 mel and
Maria will not answer. She just put
her hands to her ears and will not listen
70 him. think she must be crazy ana
speak hard to her, but sic just run ont
of the room. Then he go away and say
ne viii come back again that evening.
Then / speak to Marie. and she say there
is another man too. ard she do not know
which she like hetter-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 lIer it Is very wrong. that
sho cannot love either Of them, or she
would know. But she say she think she
vii marry one Of them, and ] tell her