The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-03-04

In the midst Of the breakfast Justine
opened the door.
Madame, M. de Valentc has left his
glass eye In his room. Shall it be sent to
himp"
Had the heavens been opened to let fall
Oh the table the sun aud the moon could
not have felt n greater shock. The end of
the world will perhaps be nothing to equal
It. repeated, with horror:
His glass eye, Justineg'
eyes, mademoiselle. 1t is on the wash
stand''
Mamma grow pale, but remained calm
Every well, Justine, you may leave the
room. We will sec if it ia necessary to
send it to him.
l had only two alternatives-either to
faint away or burst into convulsive sobs
chose the latter.
Mamma, mamma, he has glass eve!
Good heavens, is it possibeY How horri-
blel 1 shall never console myself! 1 shall
die Of grief"
Calm yourself, my child, calm your
self. It Is ridiculous to put yourself in
such state. This gentleman has deceived
as, that Is all. I always thought no had
rather queer expression
Mamma had risen, and was sobbing
on her breast.
why did he not tell me9 1, who had
avowed all my own defects-the nail the
wisdom tooth and the anger-all, every
thing! Dear me, how unhappy am! And
only last evening he had said, You are the
JOY of my eyes. He should have said, You
arc the joy of my eye All, it is dreadful,
dreadful"
Come, quiet down. Don't cry like that
l tell you it is ridiculous Think no more
about it. Try to calm yourself. How un-
fortunate it is that things have gone 50
far! Only eight days before the wedding
and everything ready! Well, it is good
thing we found it out in time"
hardly listened. One question burned
in my throat.
He has another eye to change with,
mamma, and this one which he has used
is probably put in water to COOL"
Mamma was horribly worried knew
nothing whatever about it. have never
known any ne intimately who had a glass
eye and do not care to know how they man
age.
She continues u little monologne all to
herself: at Is pleasant. All this trous-
seau, marked with a V. We never will
find the same initial again, and my hus-
band will listen to no one else lie was
charmed with this gentleman at first sight.
The references We're perfect. The Jesuit
fathers, his colonel and every one That
them. A pretty discovery indeed l al
ways thought there was something eX-
traordinary about him. The individual
never pleased me, and was quite right -
had raised my head. The vision of the
glass eye gazing ut me from the depths of
the wash basin still troubled me profound
ly. But another vision came also to nv
memory.
saw again my fiance, so good, so ten
der. heard once again all our prospects
for the future, nll our plans made together,
ana suddenly 1t seemed to me to be last
evening, and rain of kisses was falling
on my hair. | had not told mamma about
these kisses, but felt that loved Raoul
with his one eye, and that nothing would
induce me TO give him up. All my cour-
age came back to me-
Mamma, am sure he lost that eye in
some honorable, magnificent way 1t is
wound OF which he should be proud-in
saving some one perhaps from Il fire, in
sacrificing himself, it is certain-he is so
good, he has such noble sentiments. I
quite understand he would dislike confess
ing It,"
"Whnt do You say? Are you quite era
ny? DO yon think am going to allow YOU
TO marry this man with such an infirmity?
You, beautiful rs you arc and only Il, and
with your fortune too? No, thousand
times no. my child. DO not forge yourself
romance of devotion and sacrifice-it is
perfectly useless. l will never consent To
your marriage with man with one eve.
Should he lose the other, he would be quite
blind, and how agrcea Die that would ber'
but, mnmma, will he his faithful dog.
will lead him, | will take care of him and
will love him in spite of his infrmity, in
spite of everything which interferes to sep
aratc uSn'
was i'll an extraordinary state of exal-
tation. My sobs began again harder than
ever anu did not promise soon to stop,
when Justine re-entered the ROOM her hon
est face showing every expression of as
tonishment and stupefaction
1T isn't possible that mndcmoiselle can
put herself in such state because NJ. de
Valcnte has forgotten his eye At all
events, he can buy another if he needs It
before this evening, and he won't throw
himself in the river because he hasn' That
thing in his face
And Justine showed me, hanging deli
cately at the end of her fingers, Raoul' s
monocle that knew SO well, with its round
glass encrclcd with tortoise shell which
seemed to me for the moment like n lumi-
nous halo. My emotion forbade my sneak
ing. Mamma, however, went quickly to.
ward Justine
" Is that what you call IL glass eye, Jus
tne?'
"Certainly, madame. It seems to me
that's the name for it. In any case, it
doesn't suit NJ. Raoul, and mademoiselle
would do well TO give him spcctacles when
they are married. 1t is strange that men
of the present day think it pretty to look
with one cyc-like that. 1t must be very
difficult to keep it in place should never
know how" And Justine, with n com
ical grimace stretching her mouth and
turning UP her nose, tried to introduce the