The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-08-02
BOARDING SCHOOL.

II w
The effort made by mature mind to
Erecall again its earliest impressions ID d
Ivery curious thing. One esok6s them.
They rise mp under the form of very
small person, whom one succeeds In de-
taching from ones sell. but who never
theless continuessto make nne body with
what one has become The suppression
is singular; it Ii multi iforms The image
of the vision of the 'smyself'' as clear,
well defined. As soon ,as one says 10
oneself. When ! was 8 chila /. one
can see oneself % one was at certain
hours, but as soon as one wishes 20 re-
member an event or question 81 fact one
cannot escape from ones actual person
Iality. and il is Impossible 20 I'd that
fact or that event OF It's conn0ctions, of
all it's future consequences One would
like to describe childhood with childish
words One cannot do 1t.
Is it interesting for another mind
than ones own to rehearse what one did
at the age of years? 7 fear not, yet
nevertheless I will try. Since run
this risk, ! desire to run IL absolutely,
and to describe In the most natural way
possible what appears to me from ont
the past.
One day--it was not Sunday-my
grandmother put ON me pretty white
dress which she had embroidered her.
sell, and she said to me: ''This is your
birthday. You are years old on this
4th day Of October. =
Three yearsl'' These two words re-
peated themselves in my head. They
had ia them something grave and
gay at the same time. To grow
is the perpetual dream of childhood,
which entertains some very surprising
illusions upon this subject They said
increasingly around me, .She III tall for
her age. I looked at myself. Ith0ught
of the children who were smaller than
/, and I found myself tall. al pride
came over me. which was increased by
word uttered by my nurse, Arthemise.
For the first time she called me made
mOiselle. |"
On that day oil the persons who saw
me kissed me- Ireturned the kisses Of
my grandfather and Of my grandmother,
suspending myself by my arms oss sheir
necks, but / remember that many peo-
pie displeased me by kissing me too hard.
/ made an exception for my nurse,
Arthetnise, whom aaored, and for my
big friend, Charles, who had promised
to marry me, and who called me his lit
tie wife. thought. not without pride,
that now, when IwassS years old, he
would call me s'his big wife, 2 thing
which he did with much respect On Of
fering me % drum.
My grandfather and my grandmother
expected for breakfast my father and
nay mothor, who lived three lea9ues
from Chauny, at BleranCourt Every
time they came they were late, because
the route across the prairie Of Mani,
camp was SO bad, 90 bad that people
told the children the following Btogys IA
COW had fallen In one OF the ruts, and
the herdet, who was always searching
for her with his whip handle, could
never find her again.
was hungry, and at each moment i
ran TO the front door. held onto the
doorpcst and leaned outside IwaE a
little afraid. The front stairs seemed to
me so high with their four steps, but
then I thought / would be very useful
to the kitchen il could cry out &c the
first glimpse of them, There they arel,
I was extremely restless. even fell
once, to tho great fright of Arthemise,
who feared for my pretty dress. Finally
my parents arrived
They told a great story which do
not now remember. The carriage and
the horses were covered with mud My
papa and my mamma said that the road
was bad, thing which impressed me-
My mother wore sik dress, very much
looped up and very much hidden under
her shawlR can yetsee her untold her
iupe and shake it, I help her by beating
the silk, and repeat with admiration,
Mamma is prettyi'
Ny father takes me up and puts my
head upon his shoulder. He has tears In
his eyes. Ny mother takes me III her
turn, and she cries also
IL Is long time since we have seem
ron. ]" says my father, 20 very long
| time. =
''oh, yes, long timer' repeats my
mother.
I am looking for that long time, and
do not fnd it. Ny grandmother am
gwers:
.'oh no. not . very long time two
months :,
And ann more contented.
/ We are sitting down TO breakfast.
t1fy gra1dfati1er fells soanes thius sat
which everybody laughs, but lam think
ing already that the gayety will not
last. that my mother will begin again
to cry In q moanenk and that the dsys
/ when ing pareltz fsom BIafnicoare are
| present are always sad on account of
me. I well know why. have story,
and ! tell it when ] ann asked for it:
MY grandmother took me from my
mother when was 8 months old. She
stole me. Then I made 30 leagues iii
the stagecnadh Tkwas when was very
little, and that is = All Chauf1g has
madd me aall TIT story. All Chauny
Yskn~ ~ xx4z &c hx.<.sxxx4 ri - &ys