The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-08-11
ANNETTE.

only one window to it and bit of a
counter piled high with punches of gay
yarn and boxes of cheap tinsels. There
was bird in a cage in madame's win
dow. He always sang furiously in the
early morning, and pot of mignonette
in blossom adorned the sill.
Just across the road lived the sausage
vender, u little old man, who wore a
wig and dressed in snuff color
He was carly at his post every morn
ing frying sausages, but being cruelty
afflicted with asthma he could only
speak in a loud, hoarse voice, so his
daughter, Annette a very dream of
health and beauty, would stand beside
him in her neat staff gown and call in
voice as lusty as chanticleer:
Hot sausages! Hot sausagesP
Now, diagonally across on the next
street was tall brick building used as a
storehouse Its lower rooms were piled
with dusty white bags full of grain,
over which tho satin coated mice frol-
licked and grew fat the livelong day, but
up in tho peak of the building was
large garrot, rented to q poverty stricken
artist.
Here were pictures strewn all about
tho room, while in the middle of the
room stood stout easel supporting
bare canvas. Every morning the artist
crept down from his lofty quarters to
buy hot sausagos of NJ. Daubeau and to
cast sly glances Of intense regard at An
pette, who. fer her part, kept on at her
calling as if there were no young men
i'll the world,
But when he turned to go back to his
garret then would Annette smile and
toss hcr head with its white cap, in a
coquettish nod to the little madame
across the road, saying as much, "See,
I have an admirer!" And madame
would smile back, for she dearly loved
romance. Sometimes she would beckon
to Annette, and when the girl ran light
ly across the street the old woman
would say:
"When shall the wedding be?"
"Ugh!' Annette would answer.
"Could / eat paint? l thrive now and
am comfortable Monsieur must make
his fortune ere Annette weds him.
''And he shall do it" returned the
little madame. II will myself speak to
monsieur. "
That very day when the artist passed
her shop with canvas well wrapped in
paper under his arm the little French
woman called to him. Come in," she
said. 'Show me the picture
Reluctantly he undid it and disclosed
a pensive faced Madonna.
''Fi done, monsicurl' exclaimed ma
lnt,,n atpnt bn hos ei,l l,, IL
not wonder you may not sell her. We
have enough like her. Monsieur must
paint Notwithstanding gay and
cheerful--iresh, you know"
Il am too poor TO hire model" said
the artist gloomily.
'Ah, truly" replied madame, "but
suppose could find u model. Would
monsieur paint"
Perhaps.
She led the way through the tiny
shop to timer living room. There,
in one corner, looking very big and
clumsy, stood an oaken chest, with the
lilies of France carved upon it, The
old woman unfastenod key from her
chatelaine and knult before the chest
She paused. "..-=
Monsieur must know" she said
gravely, 'long way back in France my
people were not poor, but rich That
was before the revolution, monsieur, be-
fore their names Were knitted into the
cruel madmucs stocking They fell.
We have always been poor enough since.
Co coffre contains my great-grandmeer's
bail gown. Monsieur shall see. -
She unlocked the chest, and lifting
covering 0f tissue paper shook out a
rich white satin gown heavily embroid-
cred with pale blue forgetmenots. The
stomacher was thickly sewed with seed
pearls, and wide ruflles of rare old lace
edged the neck.
The artist gave cry Of admiration:
"a costume of the time of Louis XVI
How exquisite!"
Here are her slippers, p" continued
madame holding up pair of white
satin slippers adorned with tarnished
gold buckles, and these are the gloves
she Wore. To think l have them yet,
monsieur, and my great grandmere dust
these 100 ycarsl We might have sold
her toilet over and over again when
we were hungry and cold, but we al
ways preferred to suffer for my grand
mere $ sake. Listen, monsieur Petite
Annette, across the street, you love her.
have seen 50. She has heart as sweet
as a nut and as bonny face as ever the
sunshine kissed. If l put these robes
upon her, she will look like une grande
dame fit for monsieur's brush She will
be fresh like the rose and as beautiful.
She shall be monsieur's model, and |
will make his fortune -
That night, then, the sausage vender
took i'll his stand Annette, floe at last,
slipped across the road, and the old
madame robed the girl in the grand toi-
let and fastened her soft, fluffy curls in
n l.nnt LinL u1a Lnr Leal with n nnaint