The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1900-09-14
MISS 6ELESTINE
By Fielding Ridge.

I OF daylight. I could see their little fig
1 ures clearly outlined against the hOri-
/ zon as they scsmpered backwards and
forwards in the pasture beyond Some
times when a ehild's mother had pat
ronized the village store in place OF
weaving her own hOmespun, a dash Of
J color, q vivid red, was added to the
scene.
The sails Of the windmill barely
stirred in the spring air and as look
ed, ROugette and Cherry, Mol and
Rose came from the milking pan softly
tinkling their bells as they passed
In q little while, knew, lights would
begin to glimmer In the village win
dows, and smoke would curl up from
the low mud chimneys, a pleasing sign
Of supper to come Our ueighbOF
across the way would soon gather in
her little flock from the troop Of merry,
shouting children, and found myself
specializing as to how many times the
cry Of ''Angele, Jacques, venez DONE
would come shriIIy across the pasture,
before they would finally yield to par
entail urging
! Miss CelestiDe Lsgraize sat opposite
to me on the porch. Though converse
ton Ianguished, it was evident that
with her this was not due to a cOntem-
/! plstiOn of the scene Picturesque it
was to me, bat to her it was only one
Of those dull realities which one ac-
cepts without thought and to which
the idea Of beauty does not attach.
However, 7 could scarcely blame her
for this, or marvel at her lack Of arts
tic appreciation She had been here
80 years, I not as many hours.
As my eyes travelled across miles Of
prairie land with only a patch of stunt
ed china trees here aud there marking
homestead, 1 questioned whether,
after awhile, the mOnotOny of the place
might not produce a deadening effect
on my sensibilities also.
As I looked at her, 1 could scarcely
/ believe that in former years she had
/ been called ala belle Celestine Le-
graize," bit so it was. Ny hostess had
/ told me the evening before that at one
time Miss Celestine had been the vii
/ lage 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
shadows began to lengthen, and that
chill which marks the approach of
night became perceptible. Still Miss
Celestine fingered. I could not hatter
myself that it was because she had
found me overwhelmingly interesting
I was aware that it was a part Of her
social etiquette lone handed down to
her for Renerationsl to pay this pro-
tracted call. She would have thought
it lacking in courtesy if she bad
brought her visit to a close sooner.
knew that after a while she would
rise with the time-worn excuse for not
remaining still longer, ''Eh, bien, je
m ennuie pas mails il fault que je men
allie" well, I'm not bored, but I must
co.
How often in other days when en-
Pertaining ''Cajan" visitors had I re-
joiced in the fact that I was not forced
to confess my own feelings on the sub
ject. It would have been hard to re-
cOncile courtesy and eandOrI
By chance, in a search for ideas, Il
mentioned Pointe des Arbres, q thriv-
ing LOuisiana town which I had visited
in my rsmbles. To my surprise, Miss
CeIestine suddenly became enthusiast
tic. She leaned forward and an unex-
pected color came into her ssllOw face.
sAh, that is a place where one might |
live" she mUrmured.
I remembered Pointe des Arbres as
q little town thriving in a Business
sense, but hopelessly provincial. 1 re-
called how it sped city customs and |
thus lost the charm it might have
possessed had it chung to country
ways. The little Acadisn hamlet was /
at least picturesque. could not say
as much for the town Of larger growth
Miss Celestine and 1 evidently regard
ed it from a different angle OF vision.
sWhy, what is so nice about Pointe /
des Arbres?" asked with real in
terest.
There are so many people there, /
said Miss Celestine, Sand there is the 1
levee to walk Oh, where one sees al /
ones friends on Sunday afternoons.
Then there are balls in the spring OF
the year-one is not dead like here