The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-04-01
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H|II(LT ZDTTE.1

Lizotte?
Yes, that Agenaise lassie, half peas
ant half wording, who revealed tn,
sweetness of woman's presence to tn,
little thinker and dreamer that | ther
was.
must tell you that they are good t.
look upon our girls Of the Gascor
country. They have not the rattle,
hard type, the accentuated Greek type
OF the Arlesiennes, but their tall fig.
ures are less supple, less stocky, their
more humid eyes have more sweet.
ness.
| Lizotte was an incarnation of this
charming and piquant type.
When | became her friend I was IL
years old. l lived in Fontgrane Ev-
cry day l went to the parsonage to
take a lesson in Latin from the Able
Destourbes. The Able was a kindly
teacher, lover of Virgil whom he re-
cited with devout intonations, like a
prayer
|
was Lizotte-Lizotte Destourbes--the
little niece of the able, the daughter
| OF the Destourbes Of Agen-he who
kept at the corner an important estab
llshment of fruits and candies Liz
otte was some months older than I.
She loved fun like child, and none
the less did not disdain from time to
time to play the lady, as she paced
along the sidewalk on SUNDAYS, at
tracing much attention from the
young fellows.
t'nforgetable days, those Easter hol
days in the parsonage at Fontgrane
Never since have l made such tremen-
dous journeys nor such curious ones as
those which I then undertook with
Lizotte in the attic Of the parsonage
real wilderness Of entangled beams.
Further, it was the season of an
preaching Easter.
recall above all others a certain
evening of April, at the commence
ment of Holy Week.
Lizotte and I were enjoying a holi. |
day on the plea that we had to attend |
to decorating the church. | dined pleas
antly enough at the parsonage between
the Able Destourbes and the little
mink, who amused herself by kicking
NE on the shiGs under the table. We
had finished the frugal reDast that
was served UP for the Lenten period
and had already left the table when
a messenger came to call away Able
Destourbes to very old lady who was
very sick and wished to make her con.
fesson.
lie instantly donned his overcoat
took his hat and stick, and sailed out
with the final instruction that I was
not to leave Lizolte alone in the mar.
sonage for, the night being dark, Irma
the hcusekeeper, accompanied her
master, lantern in hand.
The charge gave me great pride, but
at bottom | was forced to own to nv.
self that she had in me a rather moor
defender. She was at that time far
Drawer than I. Taking me by the
hand, she drew me into the intermna.
Bile, winding corridors of the house
then into the cool solitude of the nave
She whispered into my ear at the same
time awful stories of ghosts, whose ia.
vorlte season, as is well known, is
Holy Week, for enjoying themselves
In consecrated spots. Suddenly she =,
burst out into song her fresh young ;.
voice accentuating the vowels in the
Languedoc fashion. i.
Come, divine Messiah, q
Bless our unfortunate days. -
Come, source of life q
Come, come, come!
But when she ceased the church an. "
Wered to her voice in such horrible re-
'erberatory echoes that we madly fled I'd
Jack through the sacristry and the "
ong winding corridors to the dining
DOM of the parsonage, where we fell la
nto chairs, affrighted and laughing at DC
ur fright. o.
Then as the Able Destourbes did not U
eturn, Lizotte enumerated to me all eli
ne presents she had received on he, tn
irthday, which fell that year on Palm
unday. At last, my little friend rinse vi
ON her chair and went on tiptoe tc W;
pen the buffet at the dining room o.
he drew from it box of whit, sill
pod, which sheylaid cautiously on the We
ble
This box was a present which Liz. Pr
tie had brought from Destourbes gel
Agen to his brother, the cure. A me
inbred of the finest prunes were ar Ca
nged side by side in layers of TWEEN to
upon beds of laced paper. The bri
unes which Lizotte had brought the
re phenomenal ones, large, meaty roy
rsting with juice and luscious and mo
The girl was right in the lut
de with which she displayed these tor
'ducts of the paternal business. As A
me, I should have wished to com. tur
re their taste at once with their Out
e appearance. But alas! the slight. and
theft would be easy to discover. Pri
e prunes fitted in one against the han
81 ihe STONES IN mosaic. and disl
ubtless because such luxuries were adv
erdicted in Holy Week. the able of ,
not yet touched them. as
fter long and contemplative ST. Pal,
&c Lizotte said: mar
If | let you taste one OF these INN
mes what would you say?" live
readily acknowledged that the ex- delu
ment Mnuld ha uaru nnraaa hla IA