The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-06-09
ROUTED BY GIRLS.

The Marquise Therese de Lionne, the
most adorable old lady in the world,
grandmother. with fluttering little curls
and the laughing eyes of child, has
but one fault, and that so grave a one
that you would hardly believe it,
Dainty and pretty as she is, and grande
dame TO the tips Of her taper fingers
she punctuates her most ordinary con-
versation with the strangest of oaths.
AT the slightest provocation, or on no
provocation ut all. she will come out
with THE deuce!" or 1.-The deyil,' or
even "Damnr' that shocks every one
who hears her. Its an old habit of
| mine" she explains, land 1 cling to il
because it is an old one And then, " she
adds. with n gay smile, lit saved me
once from the greatest peril woman
can run
And here is tho story as the marquisc
| tells it:
| "Old though I am, am not a very
serious person; but, rs little girl-ah,
how long ago that was, how long ago!
i was the greatest madcap that ever
| got out of breath chasing butterflies, or
tore her gown and left her hair ribbons
on the hawthorn trees, though that did
not prevent me-egad would you be-
lieve it, at 14!-from being very much
| interested even then in the handsome
hussar, gold laced. embroidered and be
dizened, who adorned the front pages Of
| the romances of that day.
Naturally my friends We're hardly
less feather Drained than 1. You would
have to search long to find dovccot
ELL 90
laughter and flights Of song than the
Convent Of the Sacred Heart, where l
took my vows-never to be nun
1t was in the evening that we used
to play our greatest pranks We had
discovered way to slip out Of the dor
mitory without waking up the sister
who was supposed to guard over us AS
soon us she was asleep. we would creep
down stairs into the great dark garden,
carrying with US tablets of chocolate. q
coffee pot, and an alcohol lamp, and.
climbing up to favorite perch high in
an old oak tree, we would make choco-
late and drink 10 triumphantly in the
darkness
In the town where this convent was.
there was also Il garrison The walls Of
our garden We're very high, and we never
so much as set eyes on uniform but
walls that prevent seeing, do noe pre-
vent hearing. The officers and common
extraordinarily attracted by the
presence of so many girls, suppose
used to stroll along on tho other side of
our wall in the evenings, chattering to-
gcther, and we girls used to listen We
could hear them so we'll. They would
describe what they had done in battle
or what they would do in case there
should be u war, and when they got ex-
cited, they used TO talk in the most blood
thirsty way. 1t was terrifying to hear
them, but so fascinating! And what
formidable oaths they used We could
remember u few of them
Zone day. as we We're walking to-
gether III one of the paths, Evcline de
Sabran exclaimed, BY thunder, girls
this Is dcvilish fine evening"
1t was u revelation From that time
forth, the entire convent, inspired by
her example, began TO pepper their con-
versation with oaths that would have
done credit TO Napoleonic veterans And
We did not content ourselves with the
garrison explosives overheard across the
wall. We recalled peasant profanity we
had heard years before and hunted
through romanoes to find the oaths OF
| fine gentlemen. roistercrs, and serving
maids. 1t was not long before we had
| acquired e special and remarkable er11di
| ton in that line
las you may imagine, it was not in
the classes. before the pious ears of
the sisters, that we aired our new &C.
complishment In the daytime we
swore only before the abbess, who was
deaf as post But rs soon as night
came-oh. we did not think of chocolate
any more, you may be surc-wc met ON
the lawn under the big oak and had
grand time. Deuce take it, Jane de
Seaux would begin 1 would follow
with BY thunder, blast your eyesr and
the others would chorus Devil fly way
with me" 'Damme. sir! BY r ladyi'
Ten hundred thousand devilsr Crane
and canisterP Thunder and lightninor
| 'Confound it, To sec us struttinp about
with our hands on our hips or twirline
imaginary mustachcs, with our little
voices coming from the bottoms of our
boots. you would think we were more
terrible than q regiment of dragoons. -
AS she said this, the maruuise burst
INTO peal of merry laughter, and imi.
tating the childish uproar of the pre-
cocious blasphemcrs, the gentle old lady
swore delightedly.
1T must have been all amusing
scene, we said laughing, but we
don't see the danger it saved you from"
Devil take you, my dcars, she re-
piled, "how inpatient you arer' and
L hnr