The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1902-03-13

LEI u RSDAY, MARCH l3.
lions, and each knew Of what the 9th
e. was thinking.
Marie now almost breathlessly hur-
ried her story:
$50 the poor girl came back over the
plains and over the hills to her little
cottage home. But she was never the
same again. She laughed when others
laughed, and she was gay, and she
danced, and everybody said that she
had good times in the world. But you,
DO you think she had? Because, when
she thought of the city now it was no
longer Of gold, and when she thought
of the river it was black and wicked,
and when she remembered the man
she saw the great rulers of his king
dom frowning at her and the hand of
her prince raised as if it said, NO,
never, neverv"
When she finished, there was silence
for a moment, so deep that only the
breathing of her audience was heard.
They could not read the thing. They
took her story literally, and it did not
seem so strange to then, for, they were
simple people. But they were roman
tic, too, having in their veins-nor did
they know this-the feeling of an an
tique time. So they applauded hearth
ly, grandly. They called 'Bravo!' and
said there was no one in the parish,
not in ten parishes, who could tell a
fine true love story like Marie. And
Alphonse looked at her with his hun
CRY eyes as though to say that were he
that prince he would have followed
her from that city and have lost his
kingdom and his soul for her.
The dance Of the Little Wolf had
been a success, and now Medallion
hustled in and out among them, break
ing them up into groups, while they
kept calling for another dance. AS he
passed Marie he whispered to her:
"Well done, ma selle, we'll done. But
you must find another prince, toute
suite.'
She shook her head at him, laughing
in plaintive kind of way, but said
nothing.
Just then there was a hustle at the
door, ''Vigord! Is it VigordY' some
cried
1t was not Vigord, but the crowd
parted, making way for tall young
man, with handsome, clean shaven
face, warm, keen dark eyes and a
strong brow above them. He smiled
in grave kind of way on them, turn
ing his face from right to left as
though looking for some one He car
ried under one arm a violin. Every
one knew the old battered box. It was
Vigord's.
"Why, it's Vigord's; it's vigords fid-
dle!' said Antoine.
Eyes, it's Vigord's fiddle" said the
young man, still looking round. "Vi-
cord is down at the house of Big Ba-
biche. He was taken sick. I saw him
there and told him 1 would fetch the
fiddle and play for you. and here 1
am"
He tossed his hand up in a gay, free
fashion. Just then he saw face look
ing out at him from behind half doz-
en- others-a pale, half frightened, be-
wildered face, with the eyes full of an
anxious questioning, and a smile, too,
struggle for life about the lips, just
such smile as might falter at the lips
OF a condemned man who thought he
saw the bearer Of a reprieve. God
gives even the poor, the laborious and
the foolish of this world, whose brains
are set to shine under gray skies, mo-
ments of wisdom and of feeling so
deep that all the rest of their lives, in
days and months and years, is as
nothing beside them, as a guarantee
that at the end, as at the beginning,
all souls are the same, and the rest is
according to the Angel of the Four
Corners, who wards the thousand paths
of life.
Something in the young mans look
warned her, and she dropped her eyes
while he came on, the crowd still gath
ering around him.
''You will play for us, then, you will
play for us?'' they cried.
eyes, I'll play for you,'' he answered,
his eyes wide open and shining like
two black diamonds. ''But see," he
continued, II must have the prettiest
girl in the parish to supper, and at
every fourth dance she must sit beside
me while play
He laughed as he said it and tossed
his fingers again in an airy, gallant
fashion. 1t was strange, too, this buoy
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