Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1903-11-06
MULFORD r. BURT.
ALICE OF OLD
VINCENNES
BY MAURICE THOMPSON
Copyright, 1900, by the
Bowen. MERRILL COMPANY
BY MAURICE THOMPSON

It's time to change the subject"
seen while away. | wish | could go
far off and see things. Have you been
to Detroit. Quebec. Montreal?"
Yes, I've been to all, long. hard
journey, but reasonably profitable. You
shall have goodly dot when you get
married, my child
and did you attend any parties or
balls" she inquired quickly, ignoring
his concluding remark. Tell me about
them. | want to know what you saw
in the great towns-in the fine houses
how the ladies looked, how they act
ed-what they said-the dresses they
wore-how"-
"Ciel. You will split my ears, child.
Can't you fill my pipe and bring it TO
me with coal on? Then I'll try to
tell you what | can" he cried, assum-
ing a humorously resigned air. Per
haps if | smoke | can remember ev-
erything"
Alice gladly ran to do what was
asked. Meantime Jean was out on
the gallery blowing flute that NJ.
ROussillon had brought him from
Quebec.
The pipe we'll filled and lighted ap-
parently did have the effect to steady
and encourage NJ. RoussillOn's mem
DRY, or if not his memory, then his i'm
agination, which was of that fervid
and liberal sort common to natives of
the Midi and which has been exquisite
ly depicted by the late Alphonse Dau-
Diet in Tartarin and Bompard. He
leaned far back in a strong chair, with
his massive legs stretched at full length,
and gazed at the roof poles while he
talked.
In the first place, he had not been in
Quebec or Montreal during his absence
from home Most of the time he had
spent disposing of pelts and furs at De
troit and in extending his trading re-
lations with other posts, but what mat
tered a trifiing want of facts when his
meridional fancy once began to warm
up? A smattering of social knowledge,
gained at first hand in his youthful
days in France while he was a student
whose parents fondly expected him to
conquer the world, came to his aid, and
besides, he had saturated himself all
his life with poetry and romance. Sou
derry ScarrOn, Provost, Nine. La Fa-
yette and Calprenede were the chief
sources of his information touching the
life and manners, morals and gayeties
of people who, as he supposed, stirred
the surface of that respondent and far
off ocean called society.
Alice was absolutely charmed. She
sat on n low wooden stool and gazed in
to Gaspard ROussillon's face with dilat-
ing eyes in which burned that rich and
radiant something we call passionate
soul. She drank in his flamboyant
stream OF words with thirst which
nothing but experience could ever
quench. He felt her silent applause
and the admiring involuntary absorp-
ton that possessed his wife. The con
seriousness of his elementary magnet
ism augmented the flow of his fine de-
scriptiOns, and he went on and on until
the arrival of Father Beret put an end
to 1t all
The priest, hearing of y. Roussillon's
return, had come to inquire about some
friends living at Detroit He took
luncheon with the family, enjoying the
downright refreshing collation. of broil-
ed birds, onions, meal cakes and claret,
ending with dish of backberries and
cream.