Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1900-08-10
MISS CELESTINE


lEROM the Acadian hamlet came
shouts of children who were turn
| ing to advantage the last moments Of
daylight. I could see their little fig
ures clearly outlined against the hori-
zon as they scampered backwards and
forwards in the pasture beyond. Some
times when a child's mother had pat
| ronized the village store IN place OF
weaving her own homespun, dash OF
color, a vivid red. was added to the
scene.
The sails of the windmill barely
| stirred in the spring air and as looked,
| Rougette and Cherry, Mon and Rose
came from the milking pan softly tink-
| ling their bells as they passed.
In little while, I knew, lights would
| begin to glimmer in the village win
lows, and smoke would curl up from
| the low mud chimneys, pleasing sign
of supper to come. Our neighbor
| across the way would soon gather in
| her little flock from the troop OF
merry. shouting children. and i found
| myself specializing as to how many
| times the cry of "Angele, Jacques, venez
donc," would come shrilly across the
| pasture, before they would finally
yield to parental urging.
Miss Celestine Lagraize sat opposite
| to me on the porch. Though conversa-
| ton languished, it was evident that
with her this was not due to contem-
| plation of the scene. Picturesque 1T
was to me, but to her 1T was only one
| of those dull realities which one ac-
| cepts without thought and to which the
idea of beauty does not attach.
! As looked at her, I could scarcely
believe that in former years she had
been called Ga belle Celestine Lee
graize," but so it was. My hostess had
told me but the evening before that
at one time Miss Celestine had been
the village belle. 1t was hard to
credit it.
True, her eyes were very large and
dark, but their luster was gone and
there was nothing left of her beauty.
After the manner of "Cajans." as they
are called in that part of the world,
she had aged early.
The topics which we had in common
were few, but Miss Celestine's social
call was something of long duration.
We had discussed flowers, chickens and
vegetable gardens until my brain re-
fused to give me another idea. The
|
chill which marks the approach OF
night became perceptible. Still Miss
Celestine fingered. / could not flatter
myself that it was because she had
found me Overwhelmingly interesting.
was aware that it was a part of her
social etiquette Zone handed down to
her for generations) to pay this pro-
tracted call. She would have thought
l To- in oh hoh
brought her visit to a close sooner.
I knew that after awhile she would
rise with the time-worn excuse for not
m ennuie pas mais il faut que je
men allie" (WelI. I'm not bored, but
must go).
How often in other days when en-
PERTAINING "Cajan" visitors had I re-
joiced in the fact that / was not
forced to confess my own feelings on
the subject. It would have been hard
to reconcile courtesy and candor!
By chance, in a. search for ideas, 1
mentioned Pointe des Arbres, a thriv-
ing Louisiana town which / had Wis
tied in my rambles. 10 my surprise,
Miss Celestine suddenly became enthu-
siastic. She leaned forward and an
| unexpected color came into her sallow
| face.
"Ah, that is place where one
, might live" she murmured.
:. remembered Pointe des Arbres as
. little town thriving in a business
sense, but hopelessly provincial. 1 re-
called how it aped city customs and
i. thus lost the charm it might have
: possessed had it chung to country
. | ways The little Acadian hamlet was
at least picturesque. I could not say
growth. Miss Celestine anu 1 evidently
regarded it from a different angle OF
vision.
l "Why, what is SO nice about Pointe
: des Arbres?" 1 asked with real in
: terest.
:. There are SO many people there,
said Miss Celestine. land there is the
!. levee 10 walk on, where one sees all
ones hiends on Sunday afternoons
h Then there are balls in the spring OF
4 the year-one is not dead like here
t Perhaps" she added hesitatingly as
4 though she feared might think he,
s boastful, 'you do not know that my
t brother Telesphore Is a master me
y chanic in Pointe des Arbres. Yes
: she continued, land he lives in the red
a house near the postoffice."
remembered the place as a gaudy
I little structure with horrible pre-
r tense at style. The flower beds were
: primly defined by border of blue and
d red stakes about six inches high
8 while two ferocious looking dog.
d grinned at one from either side of the
+ steps. I had never been inside, but