Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1906-10-18
SALVE FOR THE SLAP.
A Box on the Ear and n Box With n
Diamond Ornament.

The following anecdote was written
autobiographically by Mime. Feuillet,
wife of the famous French writer. at
the time of the incident she was a
young girl of seventeen, living with
her parents in a provincial town OF
which her father was mayor One
day news came that Louis Napoleon
intended passing through and would
spend one night in the town. AS may
or Nine. FeuiIlets father had to ar
range the details of the reception and
festivals to be given in the emperor's
honor. while it was agreed that his
daughter must present him with a bou-
quet at the ball TO be given In the even
ing.
Father and daughter were pleased
enough but one person in the mayors
household suffered acutely. Nine. Feuil-
let's mother was an ardent royalist,
and 10 her the new imperial dynasty
appeared an intolerable usurpation.
According to her daughter, the ar
rangements for Napoleon's arrival
pulled her two ways. She was pleased
that her daughter should have been
chosen for prominence, anxious that
her ball dress should be the most be
coming possible. proud in her maternal
instincts and at the same time exas-
perated. reluctant, furious q royal re-
ception should be given at all TO man
she considered an upstart and an ad-
yentUrer. The day came, and the fu-
ture Nine. FeuIllet, with string OF
other young girls dressed In white, was
placed along the line Of procession.
When 1t passed everybody shouted and
cheered, and the girl, carried away by
the excitement on every side OF her,
did the same. Suddenly she felt a
burning, stinging sensation upon one
cheek, and before she could realize
what had happened she was being
dragged back out of the crowd by her
mother. whose face was crimson and
whose eyes were blazing with anger.
Then the girl understood. Unable to
bear her own daughter joining the en-
emy and crying out Long I've Eapo-
leon!' she had publicly and furiously
boxed her ears and was now dragging
her ANONYMOUSLY home like n child In
disgrace
The girl spent the afternoon on her
bed sobbing with the shock and the
shame Of what had happened. The
great big bouquet for the evening
stood in a jug and perfumed her little
bedroom; her snowy ball dress lag
spread over chair. She dressed Enai
ly, feeling the SAVIOR gone out of life,
but when from under an arch of flow-
ers in the ball room she made her little
speech and presented her bouquet eS-
citement returned to her. Louis Napo-
icon took them, she thought, somewhat
coldly, and, being very pretty as we'll
as seventeen, the girl felt chilled and n |
little inclined TO go over to the political |
vlews of her mother But the next |
morning as Louis Napoleon was step
ping into his carriage to leave he asked |
that she might be sent for. When she |
game he thapked her again for the |
beautiful bouquet OF bright flowers she |
had given him the evening before |
though they had not been more bright /
than the lovely eyes above them-and
in return he begged her to accept a
small remembrance of his pleasure.and
gratitude. The carriage left, and the |
girl opened the little case he had put
in her hands : beautiful diamond or
nament lay on a surface of white rel !
Annales.