The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-08-04
I|T|ER RIGHT Fi5 e. T.:
L I'LL III STILES

It was still light in the faubourg.
but in the Rue Brise- Niche there wer
no spreading boughs through whicl
the sun rays could pour a strong eff
fulgence. which was to die out in rivu
lets Of light as evening advanced.
Enclosed between two immens
walls, black, filthy and dilapidated,
| current of Light and fresh air was al
| ways prevented, and in the damn
cold days Of winter an icy and Dens
! tfaIlng fog obscured this kind of OBJ
long tunnel with its miry street In the
snort February day gloom the yellow
Dlurs marking the fog at intervals
showed where the inhabitants were
| crowded about a lamp or candle.
! a woman CROPPED her way from the
Rue du Cloitre-Saint-M Merry. and
/ through a species of elbow leading into
/ the Rue Ta1lle- Pain, and 50 into the
proIounder obscurity Of Brise Niche
itself She was old and yellow, scared
oieared and hairy, while the bundle of
coarse clothing, clasped IN her with
| cred but strongly muscled arms. repre-
sented a week of effort
EVen sewing with ten stitches to the
men was growing too fine for Mere
Capuchat, and many a stitch was miss
lng but what Of that. there was the
river, and It was scarcely eolde- than
recalled the swish of her silken days,
when Mere Capuchat was beautiful.
1hefe was no use attempting to pick
way, Tor TIE street was equally df-
Nloeo into muck holes and puddles; so
the woman walked straight away
Mon DieuI" murmured Mere Capu-
chat; that which the mud stains the
water viii wash, and. besides. what
should there be to harm"
A man followed steadily. keeping in
her tracks, and one unusually bright
lamp glare hared over his features.
where the inn d'Ecrue received the
thirsty and vicious that is to say. all
the inhabitants of the quarter who
possessed sou. Despite his battered
appearance. and because of the con-
tra5t between his Wretched clothing
and the pallid refinement of his face.
Il appeared that he who followed Mere
Gapuchat was not a child of the Deo-
pie, but gentleman in bad case.
The house into which Mere Capuchat
entered was In harmony with the street.
1t was sweat shop whose yellow IA
cade, painted and patched hundred
times over, bulged out threateningly.
as II about TO give way at the middle
aLlc precipitate story or two into the
streeI- An electric arc lamp lighted
the entrance to this sweat factory.
once fashionable residence. when the
sun and the wax candle signified day
ana night TO its inmates
With the dominating aggressiveness
OF It's type the electric light cleft a sol
itary pathway through the mists. and
just at the sharp edge Of this luminous
lane the man paused and watched the
woman as she deposited her garments.
1 ne consumptive-ap appearing forewoman
dragged the bundle apart ana peered
closely at the rough seams
She seemed displeased with the result
ana spoke angrily to Mere Capuchat.
VINO answered ENORMOUSLY at first hut
soon adopted sullen insistency as her
oaly weapon. Finally the forewoalan
counted out a few battered coins of
copper, which the debilitated seam
stress clutched, and as she came forth
the mar shrank further into the dark
ness, but he, none the less. heard the
stTldent Begone." which followed the
old woman through the doorway.
He waited until she had passed, aud
then resumed his pursuit, for the bag
fetfaced her steps and presently re-
gained her tumbling shelter near the
river and not far from the convent Of
st. Mary which was built by The
in 1886.
When the door closed behind Mere
capuchat, the man fingered. What did
ne Wlshl There was nothing here.
neither pleasure Of the mind, the heart.
or the soul he was unable to extend
charity, and there was none TO seek.
yellow tint appeared through the
wretched window to the hovel. and the
man gazed through this aperture at
the spectacle presented. as If it was
the most ravishing his eyes had ever
beheld.
1T is beautiful he muttered. mag