The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-07-04

fown of lie Puy. 1t is the capital of the
'old province of lie Velay. which also is
Es1ow but little known, even to French
fears, for IL is in these days called by
the imperial name Of the Department of
the Haute Loire. 1t is TO the southeast
Of Auvergne, and is nearly in the center
of the southern half of France.
lie Puy itself is a small, moderate,
pleasant French town, in which the
language Of the people has not the pure
Partisan aroma nor is the glory Of the
boulevards Of the capital emulated in it's
streets. These are crooked, narrow,
eteep and intricate. forming here and
there excellent sketches for a lover of
street picturesque beauty; but hurtful
Ito the feet with their small rouEd-tpped
paving stones. and not always as clean
Rs pedestrian ladies might desire.
And now I would ask my readers to
Hoin me at the morning table d'hote at
the Hotel des Ambassadors.
; The dejeuner or dinner at the Hotel
Hes Ambassadors on the morning in
icuestion, though very elaborate, was not
q very gay affair. There were some
fourteen persons present, Of whom half
E1vere residents in the town, men en-
ployed in some official capacity, who
sfound this to be the cheapest, the most
luxurious, and TO them the most COM
PORTABLE mode of living. They clustered
together at the head of the table, and
las they were customary guests at the
house they talked their little talk to-
igether-it was very little-and made the
most of the good things before them.
Then there were two or three commits
Noyageurs, a chance traveller or two,
land an English lady with a young
daughter. The English lady sat next to
zone Of the accustomed guests; but he,
unlike the others, held converse with
her rather than with them. Our story
at present has reference only to that
lady and to that gentleman.
Place aux danes. We will speak first
Of the lady. whose name was Mrs
Thompson. She was. shall 1 say. a
young woman of about thirty-six. In
so saying. am perhaps creating a preju-
dice against her in the minds of some
READERS, as they will, not unnaturally.
suppose her, after such an announce
iment, to be in truth oyer forty. Any
such prejudice will be unjust. 1 would
have it believed that thirty-six was the
-outside, not the inside of her age. She
was good looking. ladylke, and consid-
ering that she was an English woman
fairly well dressed She was inclined to
be rather full in her person. but per-
haps not more so than is becoming to
ladies at her time Of life She had rings
on her fingers and a brooch on her
bosom which were of some value, and on
the back of her head she wore a jaunty
small lace cap, which seemed to tell, in
conjunction with her other appoint
ments. that her circumstances were
comfortable.
The little girl who sat next TO her was
the youngest of her two daughters. and
might be about thirteen years of age.
Her name was Matilda. but infantine
circumstances had invested her with the
nickname OF Mimmy. by which her
mother always called her A nice. pref
", playful little girl was Mimmy Thomp-
son, wearing two long tails of plated
hair hanging behind her head. and in
cLned occasionally TO be rather loud in
her sport.
Mrs. Thompson had another and an
elder daughter. now some fifteen years
old, who was at school in LIE Puy: and
1t was with reference to her tuition that
Mrs. Thompson had taken up a tenn
pOrary residence at the Hotel des Am
bassadeurs in that town.
When I'm sure that she'll do, I shall
leave her there and go back to En-
gland Mrs. Thompson had said. not in
the purest French, TO the neighbor who
always sat next to her at the table
d'hote, the gentleman. namely to whom
we have above alluded. But still she
had remained at lie Puy a month"; and
did not go, a circumstance which was
considered singular. but by means
unpleasant both by the innkeeper and
by the gentleman.
The facts as regarded Mrs. Thompson
were as follows: She was the widow of
gentleman who had served for many
years in the civil service Of the East
Indies, and who. on dying had left her
a comfortable income Oft matters not
how many pounds, but constituting
quite suf1iCiency to enable her 10 live
at her ease and educate her daughters
Her children had been sent home to
England before her husbands death
and after that event she had followed
them; but there, though she was pos
sessed of Moderate wealth, she had no
friends and few acquaintance. and after
q little while she had found life to be
rather dull Her customs were not those
OF England nor were her prOpensities
English; therefore she had gone abroad.
and having eceived some recommended
ton Of this school at lie Puy, had made
her way thither. As II appeared TO her
that she really enjoyed more considera-
ton at lie Puy than had been accorded
10 her either at TOrquay or bennington
there she remained from day day
The total payment required at the Hotel
des Ambassadors was but six francs
daily for herself and three and a half
for her little girl: and where else could
she live with better junction of eCOnO-
my and comfort? And then the gentle
man who always sat next TO her was so
exceedingly civil.
The gentleman's name was NJ Lacor-
daire- So much she knew, and had
learned 10 cali him by his name very
frequently. Mimmy, too, was quite in
fimate with NJ Lacordaire: but nothing
more than his name was known of him
but ". LacOrdaire carried a general let
ter Of recommendation in his face man
iner. gait. dress. and tone of voice. In
all these respects there was nothing left
Ito be desired; and. in addition to this,
he was decorated, and wore the little
red ribbon OF the legion of honor, In
fgeniously twisted into the shape of
small flower
NJ. Lacordaire might be senior in age
TO Mrs. Thompson by about ten years
NOR had he about him any Of the airs
and graees of a would-be young man.
His hair, which he wore very short, was
gTizzled. as was also the small pretence
of a whisker which came down about
ias far as the middle OF his ear: but the
tuft on his chin was still brown. with
out gray hair His eyes were bright
and tender. his voice was low and soft
his hands We're very white. his clothes
were always new and Well-fttinR and