Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-04-30
THE WILL.

knew this tall young man who was
called Rene de BournevaL He was very
agreeable in company, although a trifle
| sad, seeming to dislike everything, very
| skeptical-a formal and biting skep-
ticisrn-clever especially in laying bare
in one word worldly hypocrisies. He
often repeated, There are no virtuous
men-or at least they are only relative
ly temperate. "
He had two brothers whom he did not
visit, the NM. de Ccurcils. On account
Of their different names l believed him
the offspring Of a second marriage. l
had been told ON several occasions that
a strange story had happened in this
family. but no details had been given
me.
This man being entirely agreeable TO
me, we We're soon good friends One
evening, after l had dined with him, /
accidentally asked him, Were you
the offspring Of your mothers first or
second marriageY" l saw him turn
slightly pale, then blush, and he re-
manned some seconds without speaking,
visibly embarrassed Then he smiled
in a sweet and melancholy manner
which was peculiar to him and said:
my dear friend, IL 1t does not tire you,
/ will give you some singular details
of my parentage. I know you for mn
intelligent man Idonot therefore fes
your friendship for me will suffer, an
if it should suffer | should no longer
care to have you for friend
My mother, Nine. de Courcils, was
a poor timid little woman, whom her
husband had married for her fortune.
Her whole lie was martyrdom- Af-
fectionate, Z, Irful, delicate, she was i'll
treated without intermission by him
who should have been my father, one of
those churls who are called country
gentlemen After they had been married
q month he lived with servant He
had besides for mistresses the wives and
daughters Of his tenants. This did not
prevent his wife from having two chill
dren; including myself, three should be
reckoned. My mother said nothing
She lived i'll that ever noisy house like
those little mice that slip in and out
under the furniture. Effacfng herself
flying away, trembling, she looked at
people with her clear, restless eyes,
which, always in motion, looked scared
with the fear that never left them. She
was still pretty, very pretty-very fair
with grayish fairness, timid fair
ness, as if her hair had faded little
from her incessant fear.
"Among the friends of NJ de Cour-
ellis who came frequently TO the castle
was an old cavalry officer, widower,
formidable man, tender and violent,
capable Of the most energetic resolves
NJ. dc Bourneval, whose name l bear.
He was tall, spare fellow, with IA
heavy black mustache resemble him
very much This man had read and
thought far more than those of his class.
His great grandmother had been lover
Of Jean Jacques Rousseau, and 1t was
said that he had inherited something
from this connection of his ancestress.
He knew by heart the Social Con-
tract, the New Heloise' and all
those philosophical books which have
prepared beforehand the future over
throw Of our ancient customs, Of our
pre1udices our obsolete laws, our foolish
morals
He loved my mother, 1t appeared,
and was loved by her. This affair was
kept so secret that no one suspected 1t.
The poor woman, sad and abandoned,
clung to him desperately and imbibed
all his habits Of thought, theories Of
free opinion, boldness of independent
love; but, as she was so timid that she
never dared speak loudly, all Of it was
driven back, condensed, pressed into
her heart, which was never opened
my tive brothers We're harsh to-
ward her, like my father-did not caress
her--and, accustomed to seeing that she
did not count for anything in the house,
treated her almost like servant
Il was the only one Of her sons who
really loved her and whom she loved
"She died was then 18 I ought
to add, in order that you may under
stand what Is to follow, that, by legal
advice, her husband had been provided
for, and she had retained her own sepa-
rate estate having, thanks to tho arti-
fees Of the law and the Intelligent de-
votion OF a notary, preserved the right
to make her viii as she pleased
"Wc wern therefore, informed by
this notary That will existed and in
vited to be present at its reading.
IT recall Il as if 1t were yesterday.
1t WINS q grand, dramatic, burlesque,
surprising scene, called forth by the
posthumous revolt of the dead woman,
by this cry Of liberty, this claim from
the depth Of tho grave Of this martyr
1,v-y v,1yrnlg 1Y1 v-fntr hAr life
From her shut coffin she threw de-
spairing appeal toward independence.
"Hc who believed himself my fa-
ther, a stout, plethoric man, who put
one in mind Of butcher, and my broth
ers, two robust fellows Of 20 and 20.
waited TRANQUILITY ON their seats. M dc
Bmrneval, who was invited to be pres
ent, entered and placed himself behind
nae. His frocli coat was buttoned tight
". He was very pale, and he often nib
blcd his Inustacho, now little griZzled
he doubtless expected what was com
ing.
1.-THE notary double locked the door
and commenced tho reading, after hay
Ing in our presence broken the red wax
veal of the envelope, Of whose contents
he was ignorant
Suddenly my friend was silent rose
md took fru.n his secretary an old pa
per- unfoldcd II, kissed IL for a long
time and rc5umcd Here Is the last
viii Of my dearly loved mother:
:" Il, the undersigned, Anne Gather
Inc Genevicvc Mathilde dc Croixluce,
lawful wife Of Jean Leopold Joseph
Gontran dc Courcils, being Of sound
mind and body. do hereby make my last
will
" i ask forgiveness Of God above,
and then - my dear son Rene, for what
l am now ,.oing to do ! think my
child IL stout hearted enough TO under
stand and TO forgive me. have suffered
all my life. was married from consid-
erations Of advantage and was aftcr~ard
deepised, disrcgardcd, oppressed and de
ceivcd uncc singly by my husband.
j forgive him, but / owe him
nothing.
:" My elder sons have not loved me,
have not cGresscd me, have scarcely
treated me like a mother.