The Forrest City times., 1899-08-04
To What Base Uses

nEYOND Dieppe is fair country h skirting blue sea, and the poppies grow red and tall in the rustling wheat. The hedges are starred with blossoms and powdered with dust, for the high ways are the roads of many.
 Half way down the steep hill is a little hostel, roadside in. It has a face of flowers and is pleasant; it smiles with the welcome of courteous na- tive to the casual stranger; it invites inspections; it suggests refreshment, and it disguises the materialistic form of its refreshment with the glamour of roses and rustic porch.
 The day was hot and hesitated at the porch. The room inside looked cool; 1t had a stone floor and a latticed win dow, which was thrust open. Then l saw the futter of pink gown and a silvery laugh came to me. I had a married sister waiting for me at Pour vile. and was all ready; but then, argued, always had married sister, end she was generally waiting for me somewhere, for am invariably late; and pink gown, in conjunction with so silvery laugh, was alluring. I went in. The sunlight outside was very bright, the half-light in the room was dim, and stepped upon a dog-a pug dog, l afterward discovered which resented my familiarity with his teeth. That destroyed the effect of my entrance. It produced hurried exclamation and a haf-laugh trans lated into a cough. The exclamation came from me. I apologized profuse- ly to the lady who had been indeter- minate as to laugh or cough. She was l saw diyinely small, cool, sweet, in- nocent face, with mischief, however, lurking in the eyes; a figure slight, will lowy; an air of command and a dress inconceivable to an insular understand ing-a mere dream of light frills, soft silks and color.
 She drew herself up with some haul teur to the full extent of her five feet four inches, from which deducted two inches in consequence of a glance at her shoes. In the labor of buttoning a long glove she spoke.
 Monsieur, 1 too must apologize. It was ill of Fido. It is pardonable that, in the heat of such surprise, Q man should say-shoud say what you said
 "Yec to me it is grief" I protested.
 "I," she went on, buttoning her glove, with her eyes fixed on me under the curtain of their long lashes, 'I thought you were some one else"
 hate to be taken for anybody else but myself-I like to keep the fiutter- ing hope that 1 am unique. l was piqued.
 Madame" answered, q am sorry that l was not the other person."
 She looked at me for quite awhile, which made me feel uncomfortable. At such moments 1 have always a misgiv- ing that my tie has wriggled. Then she smiled. The smile began in her eyes, spread to her lips, and finally took refuge in her teeth. l smiled too from sympathy partly, and partly to show her that bore her no ill will for her mistake.
 Does monsieur generally enter aninn to tread upon little dogs?" I became aware that I had not summoned the landlord. I was also aware that did not wish to summon the landlord.
 T heard you laugh," said. The Tact seemed all eloquent to me, it ap- peared so to her.
 T was expecting some one. We had quarreled," she made reply.
 lie was to blame."
 Il have not said that it was a man."
 It was unnecessary. You were good enough not to think me devoid of com mon sense."
 He departed in anger"
 "A most ill-tempered man."
 If l were in the wrong"
 Which is supposition very much strained"
 Il should be miserable, but as it is l laugh"
 And when you laugh the world stops at your window"
 Monsieur is pleased to regard him seit In very fiattering light"
 And l. as the only tangible object oi the world, entered"
 "Ah!"
 ohe played a short solo upon the stone floor with the tap of her shoe. it was crescendo. Her brow-it was as marble for whiteness and as soft as rose ieaves-wrinkled in thought, her nps-l hardly know whether to bless the gods for permitting me sight, or curse them for the hot temptation puckered. She was evidently ponder ing.
 1t is," she said at length, "an un- eeremonious entrance"
 It IS an unceremonious introduc- uoh' l corrected; the entrance was not unceremonious-"
 V. Unless to Fido." She laughed a ''tie' and 1 began to find her laugh rather irritating-at times. But the worst of it is there has been no intro duction."