Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1902-09-11
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4 Bit Of HgzlgAa ami
Experience. 5
v OBODY knew where she had
come from OF anything about
vi her beyond the fact that the

stage which brought the
weekly mail over the mountain to
Rougemont, late on Saturday night,
had dropped her and her tiny bundles
at the door Of the little French inn.
She wanted a room, she told the old
woman who came in answer to her
knOCk-not the best one, she could
scarcely afford that, and she shouldn't
mind how small it was SO long as she
and her baby might have it quite to
themselves
Old Marie mumbled as she hObbled
along before: Mon Dieu, but what a
child it is! And SO pretty, too. Where's
her husband?"
Then she held the door of the room
open and the young woman passed in;
her sharp old eyes noticed that she
wore no wedding ring. Marie shrugged
her shoulders significantly, then hur-
ried down stairs TO inform her col
leagues Of the fact AS for the young
woman, once the door was closed she
laid the baby down upon the bed and
walked to the bureau, upon which
stood a lighted lamp. She raised her
left hand and looked at it closely. Di-
rectly below the knuckle of her third
GEger the flesh had been compressed
and reddened, but both the marks and
color were now gradually dying away.
by this time tomorrow every trace
of it will have gone. AS far as looks
will J,o t1u fnnJ1rh
never had any ring at all"
The cure called the next Gay. He
was an old man and had seen queer
things even in that quiet place, but he
believed in her instinctively. "Yor
must take me on trust for a little
While,' she said to him in her gentle
Way, when she caught his eyes wan
derirg to her hands. 'It doesn't mat
ter what you call me-Brown, Jones O.
Robinson-anything. l was married :
year ago, but it doesn't matter t
whom. That's why I've come here,
wanted to get somewhere wher
neither my baby nor need be know
by her fathers name"
She was English, but she spok
French eXcellently, and her gcntl
manners won his sympathy.
AS lie was leaving he called Mari
to one side and pressed q coin into he
hand.
That's for you, Marie-on one cond
tlon. You must see to it that they a
call her madame"
"Mais Monsiour 10 C,1ro ,.
Enough, Marie! Do as 1 bid 70
now, and say no more about it,"
The days went by, but none Of tt
village people came to see her. The
never "called' in that vicinity; the
were far too primitive FOR that. Blu
nevertheless, had things been othe
wise than as they supposed, they wou
nave soon shown her, after their oN
fashion, that she was a welcome CUES
one day the cure came and found b
knitting upon q long, white, fee,
cloud.
Look" she cried, holding it up f
MN to see. Isn't it pretty? Tell 70
your people-all of them down in t.
village there-that if they will pay L
l. VIII make them clouds and mite
ana all sorts Of things far prettier TIL
they have ever seen. 1 don't ask the
10 know me; only want to earn L
own living"
80 the cure told them Of it, and p
III 4 word parenthetically upon the
lie mothers behalf. "Go and see he
SAD he. 'She can't harm you.
lonely up there alone, and you ole
women could help her so with t
baby
But the good people would have nc
vi her; if she worked well they wo,
pay her we'll, but with her they wol
nave no fellowship.
One night about two months later
Marle came hobbling down. to
cures house and told him Madame v
~ When he came to her she hani