The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-03-27
OCTAVE FEUILLET
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a1ia TIE Sill ma IN her mana Wnen Sile
eeme into The reception room loaf OF
bread which Maxine regarded with
raVenous eyes. The girl, after a spr,ght-
~ talk with her brother declared that
she would be punished for forgetting
10 put the loaf in the basket prepared
for such food as the pupils did not care
to eat after it had been doled out to
them. The leaf had been given her Tor
luncheon but she had been treated by
a sister pupil to a feast of caramels and
maearoons, and really could not eat
more.
Would not Maxine conceal the loaf for
/ her and give it to some poor person on his
way home? 1t would relieve her con-
science. Maxine took the loaf to his gar
ret and toasted. Then he wrote letter
/ to Helene saving he had given her loaf to
8 poor man. who had greatly enjoyed it.
/ But before the young man had quite
starved NJ. Laubepn returned TO Paris
and announced that he had procured a
situation for the poor young man with a
family living in a rather remote chateau
IN Brittany. The notary had told the
- a&0n A%aA Oi.t- iANtd Will HCh
aeed father-in-law and her daughter In
the chateau. that while Maxine did not
know much. if anything, about the busi-
ness of a land steward. he was honest
II which he differed from her last stew.
arG-and would learn the business prob
ably before he had done any serious harm.
The widow had laughed at the curious
| recommendation. but had agreed to take
the young man into employ-she had
learned that it was safe to agree to every
thing which Lsubepin seriously proposed.
And the salary was TO be $1,000 a year,
Maxine felt as If he had suddenly been
plunged into wealth. A few weeks before
he would have paid as much for good
cook. But now he saw a chance not
only of supporting himself and his sister.
but of laying by something for Hell
ene's dowery. So sc travelled into Brit
tany, was established as steward to The
Laroque estate and lodged in an ancient
tower across the garden from the
chateau.
II; the tower apartments he took his
r,eals or Joined the family at theirs in
the great house-just as he fancied. The
Widow Laroque recognized Maxine at
once as a gentleman and treated him as
an equal She was a creole, born and
brought up in the West Indies, and, as
she sat in sort of sentry box chair be-
fore the blazing fire, even on warm days
and with many wraps, she put her thin.
delicate hands now and then over a little
fire burning in a brazier mounted on a
tripod at her side and seemed constantly
tn suffer from the cold of those northern
Chimes. Her fad was the idea that if she
were only poor she would be perfectly
| happy. She firmly believed that the life
of farmers wife or a shopkeeper's wife
would be for her an elysium. But being
condemned to riches she made the best
OF the unfortunate situation and demand
ed all the good things that wealth could
provide. In spite of her fads, though,
Madame Larooue was "a good soul
hel heart was in the right place.
Her daughter, Marguerite. 20 years old.
was a daughter of the gods, divinely tall
and most divinely fair Marguerite was
rather whimsical, like her mother. She
was diseased with the idea that because
she was beautiful and rich she could
never be loved for herself alone-only for
her money-principally for money. How
ever, she did not long for poverty like her
mother, but contented herself with culti-
yating a hatred of everything beautiful
end indulging in suspicious of mercenary
intent with regard to everybody thrown
in her way. But with all that, NJ. LOU
bepin had told Maxine when discussing
the family with him, the young lady was
good soul"
Upstairs, growing and grumbing and
naudling, were the grandfather, Captain
Laroque, a fierce, old. piratical-loolSing
orepit. The old man had been sailor
and privateer in bygone days and had
fought many battle with the hated
English. Some said he had done a little
shaving also along the Guinea coast, and
that sometimes he had forgotten the fine
line which separates a privateer from a
pirate. However he had not much longer
to live and his daughter-in-law and his
granddaughter saw that all his wants
were carefully supplied-his witnesses
hundred. The old man stared at Maxine
when the young man was first presented
to him, mumbled to himself and ever
afterward treated him as If he were half
afraid of him.
AS for Marguerite. her treatment of the
new steward was as consistent as her
own character. Sometimes she would be
charming treat. him as an equal and
seem TO delight in his company Then
size would have a hat,obt1y ar1 s,,sy;a;o.,.
streak and be rude to him--or at least
distant. Another inmate of the household
was Madame Aubry, sort of second
cousin to the Laroques. sour old widow.
who said: Il was rich once and looked
down on poor people. Therefore | know
that people who are rich now look down
On me. What l suffer in this household
nobody knows, for / never COMPLAIN. fAs
a matter of fact, she was complaining
from morning TIL nlght.) / can see that
even the servants do not treat me with
proper respect
MADAME Laroque put up with all these
rasping integers of her household with a
languid calmness quite creole and phi
losophy truly admrable--they did not
seem to worry her at all. Then there was
young man, Monsieur dc Bevallan. a
person Of considerable wealth and belong
ing to the neighborhood, always hanging
about the chateau. He was regarded as
the sutton of Marguerite, and it was UNI
derstood that the girl would marry him
or not as she pleased; her mother had
left thar to her. Meanwhile NJ de Be-
Vallnu yyns as II Nrre on, frohatinn ~