Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1896-06-22
ROUTED BY GIRLS.

Inc Marquise Therese de Lionne,
the most adorable old lady in the
world, grandmother, with futtering
little curls and the laughing eyes Of a
cnlld, has but one fault, and that so
grave 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 conversation with the
strangest of oaths. At the slightest
provocation, or on no provocation at
all, she will come out with sThe
deuce!o or "The devil!'' or even a
''Damn!" that shocks every one who
hears her. ssIt's an old habit Of mine, -
she explains, stand I cling to it be-
cause it is an old one. And then,7 she
adds, with a gay smile, ssit saved me
ouce from the greatest peril a woman
can rum
And here is the story as the mar
quise tells it:
cold though | am, I am not a very
serious person; but, as little girl
ah, how long ago that was, how long
agoi-I was the greatest madcap that
ever got out of breath chasing butter
| flies, or tore her gown and left her
| hair ribbons on the hawthorn trees,
though that did not prevent me
egad! would you believe it, at Ill
from being very much interested
even then in the handsome hussar,
gold laced, embroidered and bedizen-
ed, who adorned the front pages of
the romances of that day.
ssNaturally my friends were hardly
less feather Drained than I. You
would have to search long to find a
dovecot more full of turbulent chat
ter and laughter and flights of song
than the Convent Of the Sacred Heart
where took my vows-never to be a
nun.
cit was in the evening that we used
to play our greatest FRANKS. We had
discovered way to slip out of the
dormitory without waking up the sis
ter who was supposed to guard over
US. AS soon as she was asleep, we
great dark garden, carrying with Us
tablets of chocolate, coffee pot, and
an alcohol lamp, and, climbing up to
a favorite perch high in an old oak
tree, we would make chocolate and
drink it triumphantly in the darkness.
ssIn the town where this convent
was, there was also a garrison. The
walls of our garden were very high,
and we never SO much as set eyes on
a uniform; but walls that prevent
seeing, do not prevent hearing. The
officers and common soldiers -natur-
ally attracted by the presence of SO
many girls, [ suppose-used to stroll
along on the other side of our wall in
the evenings, chattering together,
and we girls used to listen. We could
hear them so WE'LL They would tell
what they had done in battle, or what
they would do in case there should be
war, and when they got excited
they used to talk in the most blood
thirsty way. It was terrifying to
hear them, but so fascinating! And
what formidable oaths they used! We
could remember few of them.
zone day, as we were walking to-
gether in one of the paths, Eveline de |
Sabran exclaimed, BY thunder, girls,
this is devilish fine EVENING"
cit was a revelation! From that |
time forth, the entire convent, inspir-
ed by her example, began to pepper
their conversation 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 re-
called peasant profanity we had heard
years before, and hunted through
romances to find the oaths of fine
gentlemen, roisterers, and serving
maids. 1t was not long before we had
acquired special and remarkable
erudition in that line.
'sAs you may imagine, it was not in
the classes, before the oious ears of
the sisters, that we aired our new ac
complishment. In the daytime we
swore only before the abbess, who
was deaf as post. But as soon as
night came-oh, we did not think of
chocolate any more, you may be sure
we met on the lawn under the big
oak and had a grand time. Deuce
take it!' Jane de Seaux would begin.
| would follow with BY thunder blast
your eyes!' and the others would
chorus Devil fly way with me' BY
r lady!' sDamme, sir!' Ten hundred
thousand devils!' Grape and CAMS
teri Thunder and lightning!' Con