The Republican., 1899-07-27
! "Ld Bette" :
By Ethel Ramsey. n
GA4'A1iAG ANASAGA A0A3aS
THIS is in no sense an animal story.

a small convent school for girls, situ-
ated in an eminently respectable but
Cheerless quarter of Paris. Moreover,
the story is founded on fact" as they
say, and is devoid of that lavish orna-
mentation which bona fide animal
story permits for teller, whether he
be a church member or not.
L had been left in the convent to COM
plete my education. A slight illness
had excused me from the routine of the
schoolroom, and as l stood in the re-
fectory one morning, struggling with
the demon of homesickness, an uncon-
trollable desire to look out of the win
dow seized me. Not the window which
overlooked the garden, where l knew
there was nothing of interest to be seen
except few rowdy sparrows, or per-
haps a sister scurrying across the
walled court to the other wing of the
building, but toward the opposite
house, where one of the girls declared
there dwelt a handsome young man,
who had looked out of the window
when we were playing in the yard and
had twice tried to attract her attention.
Had | been less homesick it might have
been a temptation to investigate, and,
if fortune favored me, to establish a
rival claim, but thirsted for sight of
the street, forbidden pleasure.
Soeur Marie, lay sister, had taken
liberately standing at the front win
dow, where l could see and be seen.
''It looked so bad" said she, for a
demoiselle to appear before the pub
lie"
Presently a man carrying a box of
tools came out of the house. Instead
of turning to the right or left, he
crossed the street. The door-bell
tangled and a moment later Seour
Marie led the man into the refectory.
what are you doing, mademoiselle?" ?"
she asked.
Looking out of the window" Soeur
Marie rolled her eyes.
"Imagines vous," she said to the car
penter, "the demoiselle likes to look out
of the window. She says that in her
country every young girl can look out
into the street all she wants to-"
He shrugged his shoulders politely.
He was much younger than she, and
possibly had broader views. l decided
to cultivate him as far as possible, so
as to rout utterly the girl whose ad-
mirer lived across the court. There had
never been any doubt in my mind but
that he was valet, and it seemed that
present carpenter promised more eX-
citement than distant valet.
Soeur Marie hustled around nervous
ly. From time to time she eyed me
curiously as though celebrating. She
finally beckoned me to follow her into
the hall.
81 have to go down to the kitchen for
n few moments" said she, ''and l don't
like to leave him in there alone. All
the silver mugs are out in full view, and
who knows when the hour of tempta-
ton approaches? Blessed is he who is
prepared to resist it. Now you are an
American, and it will be proper for
you to remain in the room while am
downstairs, so just stay and watch the
mugs, but don't go to the window"
every well, ma soeur," l answered
quietly.
There was evidently a struggle in her
mind as 70 the propriety of this, and
to betray interest would have settled
any doubt at once.
The carpenter by this time had
&c -In+ hol eI,nnncol
was a closet. When | returned to the
ROOM he was knceling by hole in
the floor cut in the bottom of the closet,
taking measurements.
"What are you doing?" l asked.
He stopped in his calculations.
"Les bonnes seours," he said, "have
given me a job. l wanted to put the
dumb-waiter out in the room, but no,
it would look untidy, so they have made
me use the closet for it, which is con-
trary to the laws of carpentering!"
"Are there laws o; carpentering?"
asked.
"Oh, mademoiselle! There are laws
to everything, but carpentering is one
of the most difficult and complicated
of arts" Having found already that
every Frenchman considered his trade
an art, proceeded to converse amiably,
plying him with questions, and really
having almost as much fun as the day
the charbonnier came and brought my
lille dog and made him perform tricks
until al sister came up from behind and
sect me on an errand.
The dumb waiter was concession to
the march of time. Who shall say how
many years the patient sisters had
toiled up two flights of stairs, carrying
every mouthful eaten by the Is or 90
boarding scholars, and carrying down
every utensil used in the service?
The meals and the service were of the
simplest. The refectory was large,
well lighted room, with whitewashed
walls and bare floor. The only or
nament was a large ebony crucifx at
one end of the room. When the girls
went TO a meal they walked in two
by two" not dressed in the traditional
"yellow, pink and blue" but clad in
black mohair aprons, which complete
ly covered every vestige of the dress.
Each girl halted at her place at the
long black marble table, and. fixing
her eyes on the crucifix, hurried the