The herald., 1894-02-16

remember very we'll that one day q
Niger came into my store and said,
Have you got any cheap cigars?'
gave him one and said, This is cents
He bit it and then threw it into my
face, crying, Have you nothing better
for me than that?' Yes, | have some
thing better for you, l said, and hit
him over the mouth and nose with a
poker, and he rushed bowling and
bleeding into the street. In half an
hour corporal and two soldiers came
in and arrested me. | laughed and said:
You must allow me time tn put on my
bonnet and lock up my store. Then l
will go with you with pleasure. When
we got to the provost, he said, why,
Mrs. 'Guste, am surprised to see you.
What possible complaint can there be
against your When he. had heard my
story as we'll as the nigger's, he told me
to go back to my store and said very
severely to the niger; Is this the use
you make of your libertyP Go home
and behave like white man if you can.
-Four years more went by, and | was
sure my husband was dead. was well
off, had a large market where en-
ployed six men and was fast growing
rich. ! had many offers to change my
name, but always gave the same an
swer to all, Thank you, sir, for the
compliment, but / prefer to support
only myself and do not care for the lux
ury of a husband
Zone day Mr.. Paxton, whose wife
l knew, came in and said, Come up to
our house.. Il have no time said.
What is the matter? Is your wife
sick?' He said, No, she is not sick,
but there is man there who wants to
see you l said, We'll, then, let him
come and see me- Mr.. Paxton begged
so hard and got so curious that put
on my bonnet-my old bonnet, for
would not dress up for any man who
would not take the trouble to come and
see me-and went home with him to
his house. l grew cold and felt faint,
for there, talking to Mrs. Paxton, was
Auguste-my misunderstanding just
the same as when he left me eight years
before. My heart beat like hammer,
but I just said: Well, so you are alive
and have turned up at last, have your
Where have you been for eight yearsa
Have you had good time and been
travelling all over the world?' oh, Jo-
sephine, he said and began to cry.
Poor fellow, he had been wounded
and taken prisoner and very ill. When
the war was oyer and he was we'll again,
he began to hunt for me. Not finding
me in Columbus, he went to every place
where he had ever been before, which
meant good many journeys for a man
who had always travelled all the time.
No doubt he enjoyed himself very much.
He had been in Vicksburg the year be-
fore. Now he was ON his way down the
river from st. Louis to New Orleans.
The boat was delayed for a few hours
at Vicksburg, and Augusta was taking
a walk when he met Mr.. Paxton and
began talking to him. He asked If there
were many French people in Vicksburg.
"A good many said Mr.. Paxton. Then
Auguste asked about the women, and
when he heard there was Mrs. 'Guste
who had a market, and whose name
was such a hard one that everybody
called her Mrs. 'Guste for short, he said
he wanted to see her, and asked how to
go to her store. When he started, he
said his knees felt very queer, and he
wondered if he could walk there, and if
it was really his Mrs. 'Guste, and if /
would be glad to see him.
He reached, as he thought, the store
to which Mr.. Paxton had directed him,
and there he found mana dreadful
looking man, he said-weighing sugar.
Is this your store?' asked Auguste.
Yes, sir, answered the man. What
can I do for your Auguste did not say
another word to the man, but rushed
out into the street, crying: Mon Dieu!
Josephine is married to another. will
travel and never return Then he hur-
ried back to the boat and met Mr.. Pax
ton, who said, Did you know Mrs.
Cluster Auguste answered, How can
she be Mrs. 'Guste when she is IN married
to another who Is not Custer Auguste
had gone into wrong store-one not a
quarter the size of mine. But he was too
exhausted to go again to find me and said
Mr.. Paxton must bring me to his house.
Well, 'Guste, said l, you may
stay in my house, and if you are not go
ing to try to make me travel am really
very glad to see you, but if you are go
ing to travel you may travel alone as you
have for eight years. While you remain
in Vicksburg will support you and will
send you your coffee to your bed in the
morning. get up at and will not
have my business meddled with. And
will never travel. New York Post