Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-07-21
ANNETTE.

OnlN uile WtuuuW lO It slu a DlI uI a counter piled high with punches of gay yarn and boxes of cheap tinsels. There was bird in cage i'll madame's win dow. He always sang furiously in the early morning, and a pot of mignonette 1 in blossom adorned the sill.
 ! Just across the road lived the sausage vender. a little old man, who wore a wig and dressed in snuff color. He was early at his post every morn i ing frying sausages, but being cruelty afflicted with asthma he could only | speak in a loud, hoarse voice, so his daughter, Annette, a very dream of health and beauty, would stand beside him in her neat stuff gown and call in a voice as lusty as chanticleer:
 Hot sausagcsl Hot sausagesr' Now, diagOnally across on the next street was tall brick building used us a storehouse. Its lower rooms were piled \ with dusty white bags full of grain, over which the satin coated mice frol- | icl1cd and grew fat the livelOng day, but up in tho peak of the building was a large GarrCt, rented to q poverty stricken artist.
 Here were pictures strewn all about tho room, whilc in tho middle of the room stood stout easel supporting a bare canvas. Every morning the artist crcpt down from his lofty quarters to buy hot s;Iusagcs of NJ 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 i'll the world
 But when he turned to go back to his garret then would Annette smile and toss her head, with its white cap, in a cOQucttish nod to the little madame across the road. saying as much, See, I have an admirerI' And madame would smile back, for she dearly loved Q 1 romance. Sometimes she would beckon to Annette, and when the girl ran light | ly aCr,eS -hc street the old woman would say:
 When shall the wedding bc:''
 "Cghr' Annette would answer Could eat paint: I thrive now and am comfortable. Monsieur must make his fortune ere Annette weds him.
 And he shall do it." returned the little madame. T will myself speak to monsieur.
 That very day when the artist passed her shop with a canvas well wrapped in paper under his arm the little French woman called to him. Come in, - she said show me the picture. Reluctantly he undid il and disclosed pcnsivc faced Madonna
 ''Fi done. nIunSivur.' exclaimed ma dame But she has sickly look. do not wonder you may not sell her. We have enough like her. Monsieur must paint Misunderstanding gay and cheerful fresh. you know
 II am too poor to hire model, '' said the artist gloomily.
 ''Ah, truly" replied madame, but suppose could find a model. Would monsieur paint:''
 "PcrhaIs.''
 She led the way through the tiny shop to tinicr living room. There, in one corner, looking very big and clumsy, stOud an oaken chest, with the lilies of France carved upon it The old woman unfastencd key from her chatelaine and knelt before the chest. She paused
 Monsieur must know" she said GravCly. long way hack in Franco my people were not poor, but rich. That !, was before the revolution, monsieur, be J J fore their names were knitted into thu 2 cruel madamc's stocking. They fell D We have always been poor enough since Ce coffre contains my great grandmeer' 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. Tn stomacher was thickly sewed with sec, pearls. and wide ruffles of rare old lac edged the neck.
 ' The artist gave a cry of admiration A costume of the time of Louis XVI = How exquisitc!'
 Here are her slippers continue, madame, holding up q pair of whit satin slippers adorned with tarnisho - gold buckles, and these are the glove , she wore To think I have them yet
 monsieur, and my great -Grandmere duS - these 100 years! We might have sol
 her toilet over and over again whe
 we were hungry and cold, but we al
 ways preferred to suffer for my grand :. mere's sake. Listen monsieur. Petit
 Annette, across the street, you love hel S have seen so. She has heart as sweC VI as nut and as bonny face as ever th ,n sunshine kissed If I put these robe
 upon her, she will look like une grand
 dame fit for monsieur's brush. She wi S be fresh like the rose and as beautiful
 She shall be monsieur's model, and
 will make his fortune.
 That night, then, the sausage yendC Sa took in his stand. Annette, free at las n' slipped across the road, and the ol
 madame robed the girl in the grand to
 let and fastened her soft, fluffy curls
 n knot high on her head with 0 quail
 tortoise shell comh. Wrapped in cloak
 the two stole down the street and entt
 ed the tall building. They thread
 their way among the dusty bags, SCI
 ing the silvery coated mice, and clim
 ed the stairs to the artists studio.
 When his eyes fell upon the vision m lOveliness madame presented to hil He they shone with a new light LoN
 Well, part love and part artistic ra 6, ture, but ill either case Annette W
 the cause The little Frenchwom
 clapped her hands and laughed joyful 1T Always during the sittings madal 10 sat decorously by. knitting industriol
 ly, but keeping sharp eye out, as
 came a chaperon- Not the slight "a symptom of lOvemaking escaped h The portrait grew beneath the brush n if the very fairy of good luck had lt U. her spell to the artist Never had
 palette gl6wed with such colors, I
 had such hitherto impossible tints bl
 somed forth. Every detail of the fri
 young face became familiar to him |
 til at last ffom the canvas looked fo ee. the sausage vendors daughter in
 grand dame's robes as beautiful as 7 proudest lady in the land
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