Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-11-16
JEAN AND SUZETTE.

platform.
''God keep you, my son, murmured the
old man as the train moved off.
Jean sighed happily, for in three short
hours he would be at Paris. And Paris to
Jean meant seeing his beloved Suzette,
who had gone there two years before to be
milliner's apprentice.
Suzette and Jean We're betrothed She
had gone to Paris to earn some money of
her own to go toward the home which was
| to be theirs as soon as Jean made money
| enough to build cottage on his little plot
| of ground. He had worked hard and been
very saving. Now the house was in readi-
ness. He was going to fetch Suzette How
delighted she would be with the pretty
| matched cottage that was to be all their
| own, thought Jean, and how glad she
would be to leave the bustling, crowded
city for the pure, clean air of the country!
He had written her frequently while the
little house was being built, telling Of all
| it's perfections but there was SO much
more than he could we'll describe on paper!
How happy she would be to see it all for
herself, and how her big black eyes would
snap with joy!
Jean smiled dreamily as he thought
how she looked two years ago when they
had said goodby.
1t will not be for long, you know, "
she had whispered seeing his eyes fill with
tears.
Jean raised the paper from d pot of field
violets he held carefully on his knee Su-
zette loved the violet above all flowers,
and he wanted these to be fresh for her as
q present
At Rouen he got off to sprinkle them
with cool water.
Just before the train rolled into the
Care st. Lazare Jean opened his wallet
and took from it map of Paris. Then,
with straw, he carefully traced over it
the way to Suzette' house.
The noise and confusion Of the great
streets were SO bewlidering to Jean, in
Paris for the first time, that he was forced
to consult his map several times before ho
reached the Rue Bleue.
Suzette was not in, and he was told she
would not be at home until 6.
Jean stood staring stupidity at the con-
! cierge who gave him this information.
| Surely there was some mistake. He had
written he would come
Mademoiselle will not be home till 6, "
repeated the woman.
lean turned away. His heart was heavy.
such a disappointment! Suzette had not
(N6iS3ssved his letter, else she certainly would
have been $4,000 70 receive him. And now
he must watt % long iUfs y vas barely IL
o'clock s.--s-q-z,,
He wandered aimlessly about. The gay
streets and the shops did not attract him.
At o'clock he sat down on bench in
the Champs Elysees and ate a roll he had
bought at one of the booths He was very
tired The gendarmes had pushed him
roughly across the streets. Doubtless he
had been awkward to get in the way of
the carriages, but everything was SO con-
fusing
He thought once more of the peaceful
little home shaded by the poplar trees.
How nice it would be to go back to it.
And with Suzettel
A man on the next seat went away and
left his newspaper. Jean picked 1t up. 1t
was open at the amusement column What
| lot Of theaters there were in Paris,
thought Jean as he read over the long list,
| Finally he read something which inter
| ested him-the announcement of the Salon.
| The Salon, he knew about that, for an
artist had come to St. Valery once when
Jean was little boy and had painted his
| picture and told him it would be put in
the Salon. Jean had always been sorry he
| had been barefoot that morning for tho
painter wouldn't give him time to run
home for his shoes
He took out his map and studied the
way to the Salon, which he found to be
unaccountably short. II he went to see
the pictures, the time of waiting would
not seem SO long. That was comfort.
The beautiful rooms, lined with pic
lures took his breath away, He had never
seen anything so wonderful He forgot
Suzette-he forgot everything. He met
4 many old friends. Here was the old Cha
teau Silleron, with the gardens, to the life.
There was the beach at St. Aubin, and
! when he came upon the church at Sotte
Vile it looked so natural Jean bowed his
head and made the sign of the cross.
Then there were some horrid pictures of
surgical operations, the details rendered
with an exactitude that made Jean shud-
der
He went into one room where group
Of men were excitcdly discussing one of
the pictures. He caught scraps of their
| conversation.
| 1T is she in the desh!"
An, you KNOW ner tnaU way, OlO man!
Marvellous! Look at those eyes, that
arm, that coloringl Superb Marcelin's
| fortune is made"
Jean pushed nearer. He wanted to see
this wonderful picture. Suddenly he stop
ped, his face colorless, his eyes riyeted on
/ the canvas from which Suzettc looked out.
| Her golden hair was piled on top of her
/ head and caught by diamond arrow.
! Her black eyes were half closed Her red
lips were parted. She leaned against an
| azure velvet curtain--an excellent setting
| for the slender form and wonderful white
! skin In her hand was violet satin mask.
At her feet lay fading bouquet Of Rus
sian violets. Such was the picture which
made Marcelin famous throughout Europe
jean stood Ike statue, lis eyes fas-
tened on her who had been his Suzette.
Two smartly dressed men who saw him
nudged each other and grinned.
At last Jean turned away. He went out
into the noisy, glittering streets.
That evening, when the st. Valery train
left the Care st. Lazare, Jean sat in one
of the third class carriages. His head was
bent forward on his breast. On his knee
he still held the pot Of violets. They were
faded, but what did it matter now2--From
the French.
A Restorer.
/ A man dropped his wig on the street,