The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-22
Che LITTLE j.
= mademoigeNe.

Illus II Is that Nine de GouVlie-Cho !
wife of Capt. Roger de Gouville-told me |
what she knew Of little Lieut. Yves Barn |
abe de Pelven, whose chun had been at |
Saint-Cyr, and whom I had never seen |
after we left the college.
It was in 1871. Our regiment was then |
at the village Of F., a few miles from the |
provisional frontier. The town lay in |
the midst Of a forest, and had been part
iy destroyed during the war. We lived
in wooden barracks that had been built
by the Germans Not far away was the
line of black and white posts that mark
ed the provisional frontier, and 1t was
one OF our pastimes to ride out TO them.
The young officers dreamed OF nothing
but the chance of provoking a frontier
conflict. Some made targets OF the point
ed helmets found and brought in by the
peasants, arranging matters SO as to be
seen by the German sentinels. Others
galloped wildly across the line and back
again
One of them, however, Yves de Pelven
de Kerdec, took no share in these pleas
antries. When he was asked to join in,
he would shrug his shoulders softly and
murmur. "ChildishnessY' He was left
to do as he pleased. No one cared. Only,
after a while, we discovered that he was
accustomed TO take long solitary rides
at highland IN a direction that did not
lead to F'rancet We began to watch him,
more from curiosity than from suspicion.
myself, I confess. was drawn toward
him by this original and mysterious mode
Of existence
He was then a slight, blonde, pale
y nth, feminine Of features, all nerve and
muscle, tireless, fearless, silent He was
liked by the men, although they were q
trifie jealous Of that indeflnable superior
ity which marked his breeding. Some of
the old veterans Of swarthy skin and
voice loved him in spite of his refine
ment. They called him ''Mademoiselle dc
Pelvin,'' or "the little mademolselle."
With Ave years Of service to his credit,
he had still the air of a young conscrtpt;
his voice was gentle; I never heard him
yell or curse the men or horses. At nine
teen he had received a decoration for
distinguished bravery at Rezonville.
He had his lodgings, outside of town, in
| a solitary cottage surrounded by rose
bushes and cedars-he and his dogs
"Finaud'' and 'Tigresse''-a great Dane
anu little striped bulldog. His horses
were two long, slender Angle-Arabs
We gossiped not little about the lieu
tenant, his mode of life and his character;
we discussed his fortune and the employ
ment of his time outside of the service,
for beside his regular appearance twice a
day at mess he took part in none of our
entertainments. He was often seen alone,
gaIlopfng his horses over the green mead
oWs Of the Saone; he rode in some OF
the 1mpromptu races, winning often, but
| without pride, without exultation. taking
the things as part Of the trade. He never
| touched cards. His horses his dogs
seemed his sole distraction. At times
he disappeared for a week or so, and
| on returning would say, "My father was
down to see me-" It was known that
| he had a father, an old man living in
Bretagne. Yves spoke of him only on
| those days
-oJF
| what Of a mystery to us. Each one ex-
planned in his own way the singular com
| rade, "the littale mademoiselle" For
some, Pelven was the son Of GaIician
| princess and a knight of Malta, which
was not impossible, 1t being the usage
since the days Of Louis XIV. to accord
| that title to French gentlemen having
contracted marital alliance in Austria
| In fact Austrian decorations had been
seen in his room. That, at least. was
affirmed by some of the indiscreet ones
who had penetrated the great chamber
| where ne was wont to dig" on his STRAIT
| egg during the warm hours of day. A
| singular room 1t was, at once salon, IL
| brary and saddlery, the refuge of a think
| er and the handy shop Of soldier. but
| Its interior, In spite of the weapons was
| rather feminine, and this struck the IN
I ferior officers, who were accustomed to
| visit 1t, with their reports There were
! always fresh flowers in his room And
| one day when some inquisitive spirit ex-
| plored the pockets of his ''dolman," which
he had cast off during a fencing bout.
they discovered golden locket on which
sparkled strange little diamond wing.
They did not succeed in opening it.
he is a sentimentalist," Commandant
| st. Perle would say, land the proof Ia
| that when one passes his cottage in the
! evening, one hears him playing the
adag1o OF Beethoven's sonata in A fiat
| the sonata of monks and priests" >
| one morning, my husband, the captain.
| came In very much worried. I questioned
| him. No answer. He drove away In his
phaeton as soon as breakfast was over
| with several officers. He returned at &
! o'clock alone, having left the others at
| the club. After dinner he held a confer
| ence with the fencing master and the
| chief armorer. then st. Perle, his friend.
came and called him below his window:
heard him order the landau with the
big van-horses for o'clock in the morn.
ing. An, said I to myself, "a duel
and 1 suppose that they will fight at
| Delle. This spot lay on the other side
OF the frontier, and experience had taught
me that such affairs usually took place
| there.
Toward 10 o'clock the party returned;
| another conference took place in my bus
bands study; heard the brusque voice of
St. Perle, the gentle voice of De Pelyen:
Dell rang; 1 heard my husband call for
grog, port wine, Ice. Then the hours
passed and silence reigned.
- remained awake, very curious At 2
Roger came into my room in full uniform
and cloak. l did not question him for
knew that he would not answer. When
1t was he that was about to fight he u,ouId
always tell me brusquely; It's had hap
pened three times In our ten months of
married life. Like CURIOUS child 7 neer-
ed from behind the blinds and saw them
start on There were Saint-Perle Roger
eeiven' and the surgeon. who is to
nght?' I thought. 1t must be Pelven
for Saint-Perle would not take an In,
ferlor In rank for second"
Finally, went to bed nervous and ,,,or
rleo' morning broke. I rose late, feeling
oere1t or all my friends. wandered
through the house. / entered the study
| hung with skins, Oriental rugs, panopIie3
with weapons; on the blackboard 7 cav
some half erased sentences. opened tba
curtain, and there, in the bitter atnoos-
phere of cold tobacco smoke, In this al
most sinister disorder of room where
people have watched over night. I tried
10 decipher the half obliterated marks.
me phrases seemed rhythmed. At length
L nnlshed by making out these scraps of
verse:
Qu'on menterre
En- satin blanc
CONNIE I'm Seigneur
Eft qu'on capitonne ma here
Toute de roses:
Cest ma f1eur-
I wandered about all day oppressed
feverish.
You know. yourself. that Pelven was