Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1904-04-07

voice trenDieu with excess OF cllOtlOIl.
Monsieur is going back into the great
world; Monsieur has honor and fair
fame; l must return to the wine shop.
The poor girl must have been wea-
ried out with her watchingS by my bed,
for she burst into such an uncontrolla-
BILE weeping as I fain would have pre-
vented. l did my rough best at COM
fort, but had to let her sorrow run its
course.
ooh, Monsieur think of 1t! must
go back to that dreadful wine shop, to
The gaming tables; must continue to
draw men there to be despoiled OF their
! money, perhaps of their lives; must
laugh and be gay. though my heart
break at its own debasement. There
have been many, ah, so many, have
lured to that place, and 1T came so
| near to costing you your life-you who
I We're so kind to Florine."
| She had sunk to the floor and catch
| Ing my hand poured out all the bitter
| ness of her heart.
Yet, Monsieur, what can F'lorine do?
| There is no way for a weak woman to
| do anything in this wretched Paris.
If l do not bring players to the house
my aunt beats me. See" she drew up
| her sleeve, and exposed the welts of
| cruel cuts across the bare white flesh.
She denies me food in my garnet. So
must work, be merry and work-and
| weep all the day for the misery of the
nights" My heart went out to the girl
| with all sympathy. but, every whit as
| helpless as she, 1 only wondered what
| could be done.
Monsieur 1T was not OF my choos-
| ing, believe me, believe me, it really
was not. MY father thought his sister
| so we'll off in this fine Paris, when she
| offered to bring me up as her own
| child, and sent us presents, he made me
come with her. We We're SO poor 50
cruelty poor My mother could not
| come for me, and now how can | 80
back? l dare not let her know how I
ann treated. 1t would break her heart
and she is so old and tottering. II L
seek other employment no one Will
| take me, no one would give me a char
acter for service. All the world is
| open to YOU You go where you please,
do what pleases you. All the world Is
shut to l'lorine. And you. Monsieur.
my only friend, hoped when YOU Were
well again, such a rich gentleman
could find me a place among his
| friends: find me some quiet place
where l might live and be of use, no.
bringing evil TO all 1 touch. What an
evil life, what wicked life lead. oh,
Monsieur, save me from 1t: save me,
| The horrible man you defended me
| from that night pursues me every
| where; my aunt is Jealous because of
| him. She hates ME now and would
| like TO drive me out upon the streets
ugh! the terror of it. But her husband
wA1t lot her; he is kinder than she.
See, | am pretty, bring custom. She
can not tell her husband why she hates
And l dare not tell him. They would
kill me
Her speech rambled on now, dis
1 connected and incoherent. Still by
catching sentences here and there the
| whole pitiful story was clear to me
Ny eys would always overflow at sight
| of woman's suffering, my throat
choked up; l could speak no word to
her. OF q truth what a horrible lifs
it must be; what iron webs do sin anc
circumstance weave around their vic
tim. The covering girl sobbed con
vulsively on the floor at my feet.
4 laid my hand tenderly upon her head
"Florine, have but two friends my
self in all this land Of France You
have served one of these faithfully in
| helping me. I will commend you te
him, and am sure he will reward yol
1 WE'LL
Monsieur, ! seek no reward;
served you not for money"
She shamed me, though I persisted
/ Not u reward, Florine, but surel!
you can let him send you back to YOU
mother. Here is money; his money
not mine; he is rich. 1 am poor. He
can pay YOU for valuable service,
can only give you my undying graft.
tude."
II bent down and kissed her pale fore.
head, whereat she wept afresh.
/ "Claudes wife will keep You here
safe until we come again. Then We
will find means to protect and provid,
for YOU"
/ babe her rise now and calm her.
| nounced the noisy arrival of severa
horsemen. A few moments. and Jcrr
ONES voice called Inc from below t.
make all ready.
l called Claude's wife up and dellv.
cred the girl to her keeping, thel
turned to loook out into the street
There were now drawn up in front o
the door four sturdy equerries, wei
mounted, and leading two excellen
nags, which l took to be those Jerom
had provided for our own use.
Jerome obliged me once more Il
dress with exceeding care, but | frette'
much for my own easy garments Which
permitted Il man to use his limbs witt
1.-THE freedom God had given them
all this frippery could be cast aside
and by my faith. 1t was much simple
to lay 1t off than to array ones self in
never did learn all the eccentrictie
of that remarkable rig my Fashionable
friend had adorned me with.
Had We better not strap on our pis
tols?" asked, not knowing what n
purposed.
NO; gentlemen do not wear them
Beside at Sceaux one sharpens one
wits, and lets even his good blade dui
and rust
We mustered six stout swords as w
clattered away from the Austrian
r Il ,f,{ I,,,t
spite what Jerome had said, he tool
good care to provide trusty fellows an,
swift horses.
"a lean hound for long race" Jer
ONE laughingly remarked. noticing m.
inspection of the not oyer-fed nag be
strobe.
We took that road leading past tn
heights of villejuif. which in hardl.
more than an hours brisk ride brough
US to the park of Sceaux, overlooking
the beautiful Fontenay valley of whicl
l was destined to learn much. Dur
ing this ride / had leisure to speak witt
de Greville of Florine. for the girl
story had aroused real desire in m
heart to see her bettered.
There are thousands such In Paris,
he replied, struggling his shoulders un
.concernedly. The few tell you truth
the many lie to you. You know no
when to believe them. If you like
though, l will see what may be done
AT least she may be placed in la Salt
peterie where no present harm car
reach her to earn living. 1t is not
pleasant life. and no wonder youn;
and pretty girls prefer the gay worl
to the seclusion and labor of Salt
peterie. Yet we will try"
He treated the matter lightly, as
thing of common occurrence. yet wa
Jerome tender hearted Men who liv
in great cities become SO hardened t