The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1898-04-05

pare their taste ct once with their
lne appearance. But alas! the slight
est theft would be easy to discover.
Tho primes fitted in one against the
other like stones In mosaic, and
doubtless because such Injuries were
jnterdoted in Holy Week) the able
had not yet touched them.
After a long and contemplatlve ST.
lerce Llzotte said:
IF | let you taste one of these
prunes what would you say?"
readily acknowledged that the ex-
pertinent would be very agreeable to
me.
The little mink made that gesture
which signifies in every language,
"Wait moment; don't STIR" She del
icately lifted out of the box first the
upper layer of prunes, then the Sec
ond, each in It's bed Of paper, took q
prune from the third, carefully re-
placed the two layers that she had
taken out, then closed the box and put
1t back in the buffet
All these maneuvers were executed
with an ease, perfect mastery, which
filled me with admiration.
But now Lizotte had returned TO me,
nolding between two fingers the stolen
prune. She began by appropriating to
herself at one bite exactly half of the
prune. This seemed to me entirely
equitable. Then, just as people offer
sugar to a lapdog, she rendered me
the other half in her red finger tips,
amusing herself by withdrawing 1t as
soon as | approached my mouth to the
morsel.
A pretty camel Ny lips caught with
out retaining sometimes her nails,
sometimes her brown fingers and
sometimes the fist of my little friend.
Then l seized Lizotte's arm, | snapped
the prune, but when had swallowed 1t
still held imprisoned the slim little
hand with my lips above it.
Oh, that exquisite hour of innocent
caresses! All who have known such
an hour know also, l think, how to
love most delicately. Almost swoon-
ing away, l murmured:
"Oh! Lizotte. 1 love you, | love
you!"
Suddenly Lizotte thrust me away
from her. She turned little, hiding
her head with her arm. Astonshed,
[ raised my eyes. saw the Able Des-
tourbes standing in the frame OF the
doorway. He was looking straight al
us. He was very red. The scene OF
which lie had been a witness had un-
loubtedly disturbed him violently, for
his breviary was hanging from the end
If the little piece OF cloth in which he
Usually carried it, and the devotional
pictures, sliding out of the pages, were
whirling around the floor like choris-
ters escaped from sacristy.
He said severely:
Pick those up!"
Lizotte did not stir. Half turning
her back, her head slightly bent, she
was norvousy playing with her fin
| gers on the strings of her apron. ]
noticed that her shoulders and her
chgncn shook
"She is weeping l thought. At
present, having deeper thought on this
matter, it is my opinion that she was
laughing.
Sheepishly, | picked up the sacred
objects and replaced them in the bre-
Wary. The able did not scold me. He
contented himself with saying:
GO home to your parents. 1t is
time for you TO be in bed
After this event was no longer al
owed to play with Lizotte. That was
IN awful grief to me, but you may be
sure | spoke of it to no one. and so
began to know, before love itself, the
delicious suffering of love.
Al the Easter season, when the hoii-
lays arrived, / still saw at the church
md afar OFF the pure profile, the. supple
iguIe, the knotted kerchicf of Lizotte
Bat, alas! never more did she laugh
At me or box my ears. Never more
lid my lips touch her brown hands.
All this happened long ego. Never
.heless, when | visit Gascony, when
walk in Agen, sometimes meet Liz
jtte.
Only Lizotte is a woman. She hes
married notary. She wears hat
And she is no longer LizOtte.