The herald., 1894-07-15
BOARDING SCHOOL.

FsQud 81E0Ib mddo Dy b maCQr0 m1nQ TO
kecau again its earliest impressions is
H0y curious thing. One evokes them.
They rise up under the form Of q very
pnail person, whom one succeeds in de-
taching from one's self, but who never
theless continues to make one body with
what one has become. The impression
e singular; IL is mnltiform. The image
Of the vision Of the myself is clear,
well defined AS soon as one says to
oneself, "When i was child" one
can see oneself as one was at certain
hours, but as soon as one wishes to re-
member an event OF question Of fact ona
cannot escape from one's actual person
ality, and it is impossible to rid that
fact or that event Of its connections, Of
all its future consequences; Ono would
like to describe childhood with childish
words. One cannot do it.
n Is it interesting for another mind
than one's own to rehearse what ono did
at the age Of 8 years? I fear not, yet
nevertheless / will try. Since I run
this risk, ] desire to run it absolutely,
and to describe in the most natural way
possible what appears to me from out
the past.
= One day--it was not q Sunday-my
grandmother put ON nae a pretty white
dross which she had embroidered her.
self, and sho said to me: ''This is your
birthday. You are years old on this
9TH day of October.
"Three years'' These two words re-
peated themselves in my head. They
had in them something grave and
gay at the tame time To grow
Is the perpetual dream Of childhood,
which entertains some very surprising
Illusions upon this subject. They said
INCREASINGLY around me- "She is tall for
her age" I looked at myself. I thought
Of tho children who were smaller than
!, and 4 found myself toll. A pride
came over mo, which was increased by
a word uttered by my nurse, Arthemise.
For the first time she called me made
moiselle. F"
On that day all the persons who saw
me kissed me. returned the kisses Of
my grandfather and Of my grandmother,
suspending myself by my arms on their
necks, but I remember that many peo-
pie displeased me by Kissing me too hard.
/ made an exception for my nurse,
Arthemise whom adored, 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 was years old, he
would call me ''his big Wife" a thing
which he did with much respect on Of
fering me drum.
H1y grandfather and my grandmother
expected for breakfast my father and
my mother, who lived three leagues
from Chauny, at Bleranoourt Every
time they came they were late, because
the route across the prairie of Mani
camp was SO bad, so bad that people
told the children the following story: A
COW had fallen in one Of the ruts, and
the harder, who was always searching
for her with his whip handle, could
never find her again.
Twas hungry, and at each moment
ran to the front door. held onto the
doorpost and leaned outside. I was 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 I oould CRY out at the
first glimpse of them, "There they are"
I was extremely restless. 1 even fell
once, to the great fright Of Arthemise,
who feared for my pretty dress. Finally
my parents arrived.
They told 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.
NY mother wore O six dress, very much
looped up and very much hidden under
her shawls. I can yet see her unfold her
jupe and shake it. help her by boating
the silk, and repeat with admiration,
Mamma is pretty!"
Ny father takes me up and puts my
head upon his shoulder. He has tears in
his eyes Ny mother takes me in her
turn, and she cries also.
''It is long time since we have seen
you," says my father, "a very long
time"
"Oh, yes, long time" repeats my
mother.
am looking for that long time, and
do not find it. My grandmother an
ewers:
"Oh, no, not very long time, two
months"
Aud am more contented.
We are sitting down to breakfast.
MY grandfather tells some things at
which everybody laughs, but am think
ing already that the gayety will not
last. that my mother will begin again
to cry in a moment, and that the days
when my parents from Blerancourt are
present are always sad on account of
me. I we'll know why. have story,
and tell it when / am asked for it:
MY grandmother took me from my
mother when I was 8 months old. She
stole me. Then I made 30 leagues in
the stagecoach. 1t was when l was very
little, and that is all'' All Chauny has
made me tell that story. All Chauny
likes to question me because began to
speak very early and without the Picar-
dy accent. They think that am q little
Parlsian, and this title OF Partisan
which they give me runs through my
head increasingly. It appears to me syn
onymous with queen. My father sud
denly says:
"This time we shall take Juliette