The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-08-08
A WOMAN OF STONE.

Lurine was pretty, petite and is. She
had nice situation at the Pharmacie de
Sam, in the Rue ST. Honore.
She crossed the river twice every day
once in themorning when thes1ln was shin
/ ing, and again at night when the radiant
lights along the rivers bank glittered like
Jewels in a long necklace. She had her little
walk through the gardens of the Tuileries
every morning after she had crossed the
Point Royal, but did not return through
the gardens in the evening, for a park in
the morning is different thing to park
at night. On her return she always walk
ed along the Rue de Tuileries until she
came to the bridge. Her morning rambla
through the gardens was a daily delight
to her, for the Rdle de Lille is narrow and
not particularly bright, SO it was pleasant
to walk beneath the green trees, to feel
the crisp gravel under her feet and to see
the cleaning white statues in the sun
light, with the sparkle on the round foun-
tain pond, by the side of which she some
times sat. Her favorite statue was one of
a woman that stood on pedestal near the
Rue de Rivoli. The arm was thrown
over her head, and there was smile on
the marble face which was inscrutable.
1t fascinated the girl as she looked up at
it and seemed to be the morning greeting
to her busy days work in the city. If no
one was in sight, which was often the case
at s O'Clock in the morning, the girl kissed
the tips of her fingers and tossed the salute
airily up to the statue, and the woman of
stone always smiled back at her the strange,
mystical smile which seemed to express
that it knew much more of this world and
it's ways than did the little Parisienne who
daily gazed up at her.
Lurine was happy, as matter of course,
for was not Paris always beautiful? Did
not the sun shine brightly? And was not
the air always clear? What more, then,
could young girl wish? There was one
thing which was perhaps lacking, but that
at last was supplied and then there was
not q happier girl in all Paris than Lurine.
She almost cried it aloud to her favorite
statue the next morning, for it seemed to
her that the smile had broadened since she
had passed it the morning before, and she
felt as if the woman of stone guessed the
secret of the woman of flesh.
Lurine had noticed him for several days
lowering about the pharmacie and looking
in at her now and then. She saw it all,
but pretended not to see. He was a hand
some young fellow, with curly hair, and
she noticed how white his hands were, as
if he were not accustomed to doing hard
manual labor.
One night he followed her as far as the
bridge, but she walked rapidly on, and he
did not overtake her. He never entered the
pharmacie, but fingered about as if wait
ing for achance to speak to her. Lurine
had no one to confide in but the woman
of stone, and it seemed by her smile that
She understood already, and there was no
need to tell her that the inevitable young
han had come. The next night he fol-
lowed her quite across the bridge, and this
time Lurine did not walk SO quickly.
Girls in her position are not supposed to
have formal introducitons to their lovers
and are generally dependent upon hap
hazard acquaintance, although that Lu-
rine did not know. The young man spoke
to her on the bridge, raising his hat from
his black head as he did SO.