The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1900-09-14
MISS CELESTlNE !
by Fielding Ridge.

lon as they sean percd backwards and
forwards in the pasture beyond. Some
times when child's mother had pat
roniz,d the village store in place of
weaving her own homeSpun. a dash of
color. a vivid red was added to the
scene.
The sails Of the windmill barely
stirred in the spring airand as | looked,
Roucette and Cherry. Mol and Rose
came from the milking pan softly tink-
ling 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 chimnoys. pleasing sign
Of supper to come. Our neiahbor
across the way would soon gather in
her little flock from the troop of
merry. shouting children. and | found
myself Specializing as 10 how many
times the cry of Angelo. Jacques. venez
done" would come shrilly across the
pasture. before they would finally
WELD 10 parental urging.
Miss Celestine Lagraize sat opposite
10 ne on the porch. Though converse
tion languished. it was evident that
with her this was not due TO a contem-
patton of the scene. Picturesque il
was TO me. but TO her il was only one
Of those dull realities which one ac-
ccpts without thought and 10 which the
:T.r 1F l..,-4,. ,fc,. NOT nf4agb
rs | looked at her. could scarcely
believe that i'm former years she had
been called ia belle Celestine Le-
graize." but so il 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
shadows began TO lengthon. and that
chill which marks the approach OF
night became perceptible. Still Miss
Celcstine fingered. could not fattef
myself that it was because She had
found me Overwhelmingly interesting.
] was aware that il was a part of her
social etiquette Zone handed down to
her for gcnerations) to pay this pro-
tractcd call. She would have thought
il lacking in courtesy if she had
brought her visit to a close sooner.
knew that after awhile she would
rise with the time-worn excuse for not
remaining still longer. "Eh bien. je
m ennuie pas mais il faut que je
men allie" (Well, I'm not bored, but
must go).
How often in other days when en-
tertaining "Caian" visitors had | re-
ioiced in the fact that was not
forced to confess my own feelings on
the subject. It would have been hard
10 reconcile courtesy and candor!
BY chance. in a search for ideas, I
mentioned Pointe des Arbres, a thriv-
ing Louisiana town which ! had vis-
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 a place where one
might live" she murmured.
| remembered Pointe des Arbres as
a little town thriving in a business
sense but hopelessly provincial. l re-
called how it aped city customs and
thus lost the charm il might have
possessed had il clung to country
WAYS. The little Acadian hamlet was
at least picturesque. / could not say
as much for the town of larger
growth. Miss Celestine anu ! evidently
regarded it from a different angle of
vision.
"Why. what is so nice about Pointe
des Arbrcs?" / asked with real in
terest.
There are so many people there"
said Miss Celestine. "and there Is the
levee TO walk on, where one sees all
ones friends on Sunday afternoons.
Then there are balls in the spring OF
the ycar-one is not dead like here.
Perhaps" she added hesitatingly as
though she feared | might think her
boastful. "vou do not know that my
brother Tclcsphore is a master me-
chanic in Pointe des Arbrcs. Yes,
She continued land he lives in the red
house near the postofice.
! remembered the place as gaudy
little structure with a horrible pre-
tense at style. The flower beds were
primly defined by border of blue and
red stakes about six inches high,
while two ferocious looking dogs
nrinned AT one from either side of the
steps. had never been inside. but
I'm driving past, I had often wondered
II / might not decide with a reason
able certainty that within on the par
lor hearth rug the counterpart OF
these dogs might be found in vivid
red on background of blue But it
was evident that to Mss Celestine's
mind this house represented all that
was beautiful.
81 was never there but once" she
,aid wistfully, "but some day / hope
shall 90 back for a while. My
brother is married and has three chill
lren" she said as I showed a bccom-