The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-10-07
The ADVENTURE OF CASIMIR.
CTrnnsIntcd from the French of Oh.
de C%oynart by Rowenn N. NcNy.l

de Coynart by Rowena NJ. Newt
Victorine was sixty years old; Cecile was
hfty-sIx. and Sidonie. Notwithstanding her
black hair, which was false. could admit,
without doubt. her forty-nine summers. All
three, daughters of Monsieur Lecarney, had
remained single and lived together in a
pleasant house at X
Ii really seems that al provincial own
are Libraries in which one finds the same
works OF customs and habits. And Vic
torine. Cecile and Sidonie were typical ex-
amples Of old maids who had embraced
provincial customs. They had their mo-
ments of unhappiness and disillusions- Vic
torine. at the age of twenty-eight, had been
betrothed to a young merchant who had
lately settled in town, but one week before
the marriage was to take place he went
into bankruptcy, and Victorine, disheart-
ened by this first attempt, definitely re-
nounced all intentions to matIimony. AS it
was. the only motive for thinking Of such
a thing had been the desire TO do as does
the world in general. And neither had Ce-
cile the slightest desire for matrimonial
bliss. She was a narrow-minded person
who was easily seduced by mysticism, be-
cause it allowed her to believe without ar
gument. At least il was in that way that
she faced religion and narrowed it down
to the limits of her conception; and had it
not been for fear of wounding her father
she would have entered a convent. AS for
SidOnie, Little One," as she was called
by her older sisters. she possessed a very
romantic and at the same time a very prud-
ish nature. She had secretly read Paul
and Virginia and shortly afterwards fell
deeply in love with a dentist. That gentle
man. always nicely dressed. lived well and
talked of having plenty with such remark
able assurance and had the manners of a
prestidigitateur to such a degree that one
was led TO believe him quite well-to-do. He
was received in the Lecarney household,
and a marriage was foreseen. Suddenly he
disappeared, and no one knew what had be-
come of him. The strong-minded declared
him to be a foreign agent, and Sidonie was
broken-hearted.
Then, to complete their list of woes,
Mons. Lecarney, who had been a widower
for nine years, died. The three sisters re-
manned. left entirely to themselves. Very
naturally, they felt the need of sustaining
each other mutually and drew nearer to-
gsther. as do the little chicks when the old
hen leaves them. Sainte Catherine, who
was their guardian saint. watched over
them, no doubt. for certainly their lives
were arranged in the best possible way.
Victorine gave lessons in reading and writ
ing. while Sidonie taught department and
the piano. and Cecile, with the assistance
of a maid servant. took charge of the
house.
Thus their lives passed peacefully and
they grew old together, separated from the
world and possessing full confidence in each
other. keeping up with the doings of the
country by means of a local weekly paper,
--Lf1I 49, zr1--r -1ol T. -l+L
their parrot. They were kind to the poor.
hardened for the future and very pious.
II by chance they saw the name of NJ.
Zola. they thought of the lower regions.
and in their eyes the Musee du Louvre was
a very wicked place.
Every morning one could see victorine
and Sidonie starting to mass at Z o'clock;
Cecile did not go until later, SO that there
was always some one to watch over the
servant But on Sunday they went zen
corps to high mass. and one could see
periodically their three silhouettes. one by
one, on the pavement, nm by the
shops and finally completely lost under the
gateway OF the old church. They always
walked by order of age. A captain of the
garrison, a great wag, had noticed them
and, having made inquiries about them,
dubbed them 1.-The three minus men, This
nickname stuck to them.
Suddenly. in 1S9-, Cecile discovered that
their servant was making too much off of
them, and they had already observed a
scarcity of meat. They held a consultation
and the servant was dismissed. Then fol-
lowed the search for one to replace her.
In the meantime Cecile did duty as cook.
Happily for her hands and happily for the
stomachs of her sisters, a few days later,
a neighbor proposed sending them a girl
whose mother had been for twenty years
IN the employ OF a notary who lived in the
neishborhood. That proved sufficient rec
omrnendation for the three sisters.
The two women came to see them, and
lie Misses Lecarnay explained what was
expected of a servant in their employ. The
natter was arranged, and Annette Garin.
for that was her name. was that same
evening installed in the small room up
stairs.
nineteen years lent to her face a charming
freshness of good will, and under the CO.
quettish little white cap, her big. roguish
upon. The Misses Lecarnay, who did not
know anything, thought she had the most
perfect air of candor. and. as She was
bright. intelligent and very willing, the sat
isfactlon or the trio was complete.
The streets of y are usually very quiet,
passing vehicles they amount to a few
bakers carts and two or three omnibuses
from the station However. the neigh
bornood of the three old maids was the
most favored for movement. as. the bar
racks being situated on that side. there
was a continual line of soldiers passing in
front of the house. Especially about 6
O'Clock in the evening. after supper, the
soldiers, quiet, well-meaning red breaches,
~ " Oohdo Va " VI SIN, their
arms hanging at their sides and, according
10 custom. their big feet beating time as
they walked; and on Sunday, their clean
thread gloves kept up a regular back and
1orth movement of white fists at their
sizes, ana with nothing at all to say. loaf
ers. nothing to do on this their day of
rest, they walked about the town, because
this was a holiday.
III the Misses Lecarnay felt any antipathy
Tor any one. the most lively was manifested
with regard to the soldiers. They had a
perfect horror of red trousers, and their
rather had in no wise endeavored TO lessen
their hatred. Why? Perhaps Madame Lee
carnay could have given the reason. How
ever as the case may be, the old gentle
man had succeeded in impressing on the
minds of his daughters that the army con-
sisted of a collection of good for nothing
fellows. who were capable of committing
any audacity.
Sidonie alone still preserved in her heart
a kindly feeling for those who, from day
TO day, might be called out TO die i'm de-
Tending their country. But she never
dared admit such a thing, and when there
was TO be an extra number of troops in the
town and they were asked to put up a
Few or the men. she was the first to make
a complaint at the mayoralty.
Apropos OF that subject, there was a lit
tie story told that during the lifetime OF
Mons Lecarnay. during the period of some
org maneuvers, a corporal with a small
company Of men came to claim lodgings
that had been assigned them there. The old
man began by closing the door i'm his face,
hit -