Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1904-02-12

i D. .:" ~ |
Ny attention was attracted by an old
:. shawl.
latter city. One evening, with two
friends, vas strolling down the Bou-
levara do IInpsratrice,i when a wom-
n, poorly dressed, an :: DID, faded
shawl drawn closely round 'her,'face,
apDneachs1t ~ ead asked for aims. In
these days; Joe, was q good deal like
yourself, aid looked With little favor
- begxars. PASSED on, unheeding
her appeal, although it was earnest
and pitiful. She placed her hand on
~ arm as II to detain me, but at the
I sight Of 4 Esn1arme. who was ap-
|. preaching, she moved rapidly away.
and the next morning my friends, to
whom was showing the sights of
the French capital, expressed a desire
to visit tho naorgue-that grewsome
place, which possesses a strange fas-
eination for 10: many. For myself, I
had been there many times and was
we'll acquainted with the officials in
charge, We entered, and my friends
Gazed: rurioasly about. In long, rows
were marble slabs on. which lay
the bodies. Of the unknown and IN
claimed dead. Passing one of these
my attention was attracted to an old,
faded shawl, which, with other gar
ments hung on hook at the head of
the dead, to assist in identifying the
body. I recognized it as the shawl
worn by the woman we had seen on
the previous evening, and accosting
one of the attendants, asked if he
knew the circumstances of her death.
'Ah, monsieur, said he, with the
usual French shrug of his shoulders,
this woman was found In the garnet
where she had been living. Charcoal
fumes was the route she had chosen
for the new Jerusalem, though doubt
less, starvation would soon have rem
dered her the same kindly service. A
funny case, too. Fastened to a string
around her neck was little silk bag,
and in it 4 diamond ring and letter;
would monsieur care to see them?
II nodded assent, and he invited us
to follow him into the private Office.
Shelves with pigeonholes occupied the
greater portion of the wall space, and
from one of these he took a small
silk bag, from which he brought out
ring. knew it at once-it was my
sister's-the same you held in your
hand this evening.
"Trembli7g with anxiety I reached
out my hand for it. There was no
mistake. Inside the golden circlet was
engraved:
y. L. to M. w. Toujours tot
1T had been my mothers-a gift
from my father prior to their marriage.
She, had given it to Mary before she
loft England, exacting promise from
her that she would never part with it.
How well I remembered IL all now,
and, alas! how sacredly had poor
Mary kept that promise. ':
~ And the letter. I said to the Of
fetal. He handed me piece of coarse
wrapping paper, such as grocers use.
1t was. irregular in shape and on it
were these. words: ~>",. ~,
"'No money, no friends; refused
aims, can no longer live with honor;
my name I dare not dishonor. Surely
the good God Will forgive, - =" r..
:: - j MARIE DBCHAMEL' -
:; "'An my efforts to discover who her
husband VA. or what her past life
had zbeen, were of no avail. Time had
spread an 3mpenetrable veil over the
whole miserable business, and perhaps
it was better, thus but Il do know.
Joe4o, God! X ! only could forget it
that ] refused ny sister aims, when
she WAS dying Of starvation: diving
to saye her name and: mine from dis
honor S&sa-s.s4 sts:ts - ssl.i? j. ~. .;,-s
IT Is = pitiful story, but i feel that
You can now more fully understand my
2attftude to Ne poorswrstchss we meet
On ~ 1trspt. and althoJnixh + have not
Z lhh1 relative on sarth. !. II can
nsvt fofset ft1at NJ woman, no matter
Alewspeoe "a w11etchsd, may still be- !.
z stsr. ana Is need sof q ].