Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1895-09-27
THE LIAR.

ed five years with her in perfect happi
ness. can truly say that to her l ow,
my success, because of my freedom from
care and because she imbued me witt
some of her great ambition. From tn,
first moment we met it seemed to N,
that had always loved her. Her beaut,
and character answered all my dreams
That woman never left me- She died il
my house, in my arms and still loving
me. But when I think of her it drive:
me mad. If attempt to describe her az
she was during the five years, ill all the
glory of her love, with her tall, svelte
figure, her clear cut features, like al
oriental Jews, her luminous, pale face,
her cheerful talk, her voice soft and
sweet as her glance; if I try to bring
again to my mind that vision of delight,
lit is only to say hate her!
| Her name was Clotilde. In the house
in which I first met her she was known
las Nine. Deloche, the widow of a cap
tain long since dead. She appeared to
have travelled extensively. LII her con-
versation she would sometimes say,
"When I was at Tampico, Or, perhaps,
I"Once during a raid i'll Valparaiso. y
Aside from these remarks nothing in
her manner, i'll her language, suggested
nomadic ]ife-nothing Of that disorder
and hurry incident to quick departures
OR untimely arrivals. She was Paris
ian, dressed always with exquisite taste,
without burnoose or those eccentric
,,serapes by which one recognizes the
wives of officers and marines who are
'perpetually on the move.
When 1 found that I loved her, my
only idea was to ask her hand in mar
riage. A friend spoke to her for me.
iShe replied simply that she should never
marry Thenceforth I avoided places
where would see her, and as was toe
unhappy to work l resolved to 60 away.
I was making preparations for depar-
lture, when, one morning, in the midst
of the confusion of packing, Nine. De
Iloche entered my apartment.
"Why do you go away" she asked.
because you love me? also love you,
y''-here her voice trembled little
y-"only I am married" And she told
me her history.
1t was story of love and desertion.
Her husband was dissipated. He had
beaten her. They separated at the end
Fof three years. Her family, of whom
she seemed very proud, occupied high
positions in Paris, but since her mar
rage they had disowned her. She was
ia niece of the grand rabbi. Her sister,
widow of an officer Of high rank, had
married for second husband the gen.
eral Of the guard at st. German. AS
for herself, financially ruined by her
husband, she had fortunately been high
~ educated and possessed several ac-
accomplishments, of which she now made
use. She gave lessons in music in the
wealthy families Of the Chausee d 'Antin
and the Faubourg st. German.
Her story was touching, but quite
long, full of the pretty repetitions and
Iipterminable incidents which crowd the
talk of women. I hired pretty little
house in the Avenue de rImperatrioe. I
passed the first year listening to her,
looking at her, without thinking Ct
work. It was she who first urged me to
enter my studio and fired me with am
Ebition to become great artist. could
not induce her to give up her pupils.
This independence touched me deeply.
I admired the proud soul which made
me feel little Inundated before the
expressed wish to owe nothing except
to her own exertions We were thus
separated every day.
With what happiness Ireturned home,
SO impatient when she was late, SO
happy when I found her there before
me! From her pupils in Paris she
brought me rare flowers. I often forced
her to accept some present, but she
laughingly said that she was richer than
I, and the lessons must have been very
profitable, for she always dressed with
great elegance and always i'll black,
which she wore through coquetry on &C
count Of her complexion.
Her beauty was enhanced by heavy
velvets, shining jets, lustrous satins and
masses Of silky laces. All her pupils
daughters of bankers and financiers,
adored and respected her, and more than
once she showed me bracelet, bangle
Or piece Of lace which one Of them had
given her.
I Except when at work, we were never
separated. Only on Sunday she went to
ST. Germain to see her sister, the wife
of the general, with whom, long ago,
she had made her peace. | accompanied
her to the station. She returned the
same evening. and often, when the days
were long, we would make rendezvous
and go to row on the water or for q
walk in the woods. She would tell me
about her visit, how pretty the children
were and how happy they all were to-
gether. Tt seemed to make her so III
happy that ledoubled my tenderness in
order to make her forget her sorrow.
What happy times Of work and COR
fdence we had!-' suspected nothing
Everything she said Appeared SO true,
30 natural 7 could reproach her with
only one 'tthing--sonstimes, in telling
me about the families to which her pus
pills belonged, she gave q quantity Of
intimate details and told Of imaginary
intrigues. She saw always the romance
around her and seemed to live in dra-
matte combinations. These dreams trous
bled my happiness. 7, who wished to
fly far from the rest Of the world to live
alone with her, often found her occupied
with Indifferent things. But could
pardon these dreams in woman young
and unhappy, whose life had been sad
romance, without hope of a happy de-
houemanS. = +" i (: - :
Once only I became suspicious, or,
father, unealy. One Sunday evening
she did not return. / was in despair.
What should do? Go to ST. German
I could not do that without compromis=
ing her. however, after q fearful night,
had just decided to go there when
she arrived, pale and troubled. Hel
sister was i'll; she had remained to care
for her, believed what she told ms
not saspectins che flow OF words which
met the LEAST questioning. Two o.
three times, in the same week, she re
turned to spend the night; finally, the
sister having recovered, she again tool
up her regular and tranquil life.
Unhappily, some time afterward, i