Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-08-03
ANNETTE.

Nine Xavier kept shop at the end
Of the street, such tiny shop, with
only one window to it and bit of
counter piled high with punches of gay
yarn and boxes Of cheap tinsels. There
was bird in 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, little old man, who wore
wig and dressed in snuff color.
He was early at his post every morn
ing frying sausages, but being cruelty
afflicted with asthma he could only
speak in loud, hoarse voice, so his
health and beauty, would stand beside
him in her neat stuff gown and call in
voice as lusty as a chanticleer:
eliot sausages! Hot sausages!''
Now, diagonally across on the next
street was a tall brick building used as
storehouse. Its lower rooms were piled
with dusty white bags full Of grain,
over which the satin coated mice frol-
licked and grew fat the livelong day, but
up in the peak of the building was
large garnet, rented to a poverty stricken
artist.
Here were pictures strewn all about
the room, while in the middle of the
room stood stout easel supporting a
bare canvas. Every morning the artist
crept down from his lofty quarters to
buy hot sausages Of M. Daubeau and to
cast sly glances of intense regard at An
nette, who, for her part, kept on at her
calling as if there were no young men
in the world.
But when he turned to go back to his
garnet then would Annette smile and
toss her head, with its white cap, in a
coquettish nod to the little madame
across the road, saying as much, ''See,
I have an admirerP' And madame
would smile back, for she dearly loved a
romance Sometimes she would beckon
to Annette, and when the girl ran light
~ across the street the old woman
would say:
'sWhen shall the wedding be?''
"Ugh!" Annette would answer.
"Could eat paint? I thrive now and
am comfortable. Monsieur must make
his fortune ere Annette WEEDS him.
''And he shall do it, returned the
little madame ~ 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 ill.," she
said "Show me the picture. -
Reluctantly he undid it and disclosed
a pensive faced Madonna.
Ell done, monsieurl'' exclaimed ma
dame. ''But she has sickly look. I do
not wonder you may not sell her. We
have enough like her Monsieur must
paint Notwithstanding gay and
cheerful-fresh, you know"
IT am too poor to hire model, :" said
the artist gloomily.
"Ah, truly, % replied madame, "but
suppose could find 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 unfastened key from her
chatelaine and knelt 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 madame's stocking. They fell.
We have always been poor enough since.
&c coffre contains my great grandmeer's
ball gown. Monsieur shall see. !"
She unlocked the chest, and lifting
covering of tissue paper shook out
rich white satin gown heavily embroid
cred with pale blue forgetmenots. The
stomacher was thickly sewed with seed
pearls, and wide ruffies of rare old lace
edged the neck.
The artist gave cry Of admiration:
ga costume of the time of Louis XVI
How exquisite!"
''Here are her slippers, " continued
madame, holding up pair of white
satin slippers adorned with furnished
gold buckles, "and these are the gloves
she wore. To think I have them yet,
monsieur, and my great grandmere dust
these 100 years! 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's sake. Listen, monsieur. Petite
Annette, across the street, you love her.
have seen so. She has a heart as sweet
as nut and as bonny face as ever the
sunshine kissed. If 1 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 I
will make his fortune
That night, then, the sausage vender
took in his stand. Annette, free at last,
slipped across the road, and the old
madame robed the girl in the grand tot
let and fastened her soft, fluffy curls in
Q knot high on her head with quaint
tortoise shell comb. Wrapped in cloaks,
the two stole down the street and enter
ed the tall building They threaded
tlI0iI WY diIloIlss e'iO e'oSeJ Dee6o, ooei-
ing the silvery coated mice, and climb
ed the stairs to the artists studio.
When his eyes fell upon the vision Of
loneliness madame presented to him.
they shone with a new light. Lovea.
Well, part love and part artistic rap
ture, but in either case Annette was
the cause. The little Frenchwoman
elapped her hands and laughed joyfully.
Always during the sittings madame
sat decorously by, knitting Industrious
", but keeping sharp eye out, as be-
came chaperon. Not the slightest
symptom Of lovemaking escaped her.
The portrait grew beneath the brush as
if the very fairy Of good luck had lent
her spell to the artist Never had his
palette .glowed with such colers, nor