Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1898-04-14

for something like half an hour with
out speaking, when all at once Leroux
,aid TO me, "That room. Monsieur,
the room you thought was occu-
pied"
"Yes?" questioned, as he paused.
'T have a proposition to Make
,nid he. He spoke, as it seemed to
me, half shyly, half doggedly, gazing
the while at the ears of his horse.
what Is it," | asked.
III you will leave that room as II
8, with the things in it, we Will make
4 reduction in the rent. II you will
ct us keep it as it is?' he repeated,
With a curious pleading intensity.
you are alone. The house will be
big enough for you without that
room, will it not Monsieur"
OF course, | consented at once. II
they wished to keep the room as it
was, they were to do so, by all means.
Thank you, thank you very much.
My wife will be grateful to you" he
said.
For a little while longer we drove
on without speaking. Presently,
you are our first tenant. We have
} never let the house before" he volun-
teered.
"Ah? Have you had it long," I
asked.
IL built 1t. built it, five, six years
ago." said he. Then, after a pause,
he added, II built it for my daugh-
: ter"
His voice sank, as he said this. But
.. one felt that it was only the begin
ming of something he wished to say.
| invited him to continue by an
interested "0h?"
"You see what we are. my wife
! and l." he broke out suddenly. I'VE
are rough people, we are peasants
; But my daughter, sir"-he put his
: hand on my knee, and looked earnest
y into my face-'my daughter was
as fine as satin, as fine as lace"
He turned back to his horse, and
again drove for minute or two in
silence. "There was not lady in
this country finer than my daughter"
he went on, speaking rapidly, in a
!, thick voice, almost as II to himself.
"She was beautiful, she had the
sweetest character, she had the best
e education. She was educated at the
: convent, in Rouen, at the Sacre Occur.
: six years-from twelve to eighteen
she studied at the convent. She knew
English. sir-your language. She took
o prizes for history. And the piano!
u Nobody living can touch the piano
G as my daughter could. WE'LL he de-
y handed abruptly, with kind OF
! ferceness, was rough farmhouse
e good enough for herr" He answered
IL his own question. mo, Monsieur
> You would not soil fine lace by put
ting it in a dirty box. My daughter
5 was finer than lace. Her hands were
II softer than Lyons velvet. And oh,
IS he cried, "the sweet smell they had
her hands! 1t was good to smell hel
e hands. | used to kiss them and smell
e them os Won would smell n rose ;
His voice died away at tbe reminis
\ cence and there was another inter
e val of silence. BY and by he begar
N again, II had plenty of money. wal
is The richest farmer of this neighbour
hood 7 sent 10 Rouen for the hes
r architect tbev have there Monsieur,
Clermont the hest architect Of Rouen
Laureate of the Fine Arts School O
le paris he built that house for m,
y daughter; he built it and Furnished
n to make II At for n countess. q,
lie that when she came home for 200,
ie from the convent she should have
D. home worthy of her. Look at thi
lie Monsieur Would the grandest palac
d, In the world he too GOOD for her?
II, He Ind drawn n worn red leathe
10 case from his pocket and taken GU
e. small pbotoprapb of GIRL deli
" cota-look;ng girl of ahout seventeen
III Her face was pretty. with tbe irrep
Mar nrettiness NOT uncommon i
y France and very sweet and gentl,
ty The old man almost held his breat
II, while I was examining the nhoto
ed pranb "Est-elle oentile9 Est.ell
,g belle Mopsieur?o he besoupht m,
g. with n very hunger for svmnatbv a
re 7 returned II One answered r
ht course what one could as hest on
VS. could He with shaking fingers r,
G. nlaced tbe nbotwranb in its cas-
nHere Norsionr 3 ba so;d ovtroct;n
n. from an onnosite commandment a mi
IL white card II was Tho usmal Frenc
I'M memorial Of mourning. an engra,
re- mo If tho Cross and Dove md,
We. which was nrinted. "Enlalie. los
it'll nbine.Morie feroux Born tbs "a,