Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-30

guarded the stately entrance (huge iron
doors. which rarely swung open to let
out the troop Of merry laughing children.)
Their mother. incapable Of realizing the
necessity of action, had drifted on with
the tide. when she found herself. at the
close of the war, a widow with three
little girls, small income. great house.
and horde of domestics, as incapable
of taking care of themselves as was she
She made no change in her way Of living;
she did not know how. The armoires were
replenished as regularly as the seasons
changed. and the little Jarreaus present
ed at school as dainty an appearance as
though Monsieur Jarreau stin rode.
wa, chfully, through the fields of cane and
! no ruinous mortgages menaced the splen-
id estates that had descended In his
family from generation to generation. 1t
had almost broken madame's heart that
as her girls grew older she was forced
to send them to public schools. where
they not only mingled with Americans,
but were taught by them. Mon Dieu!
What will they be? she cried. 1.-THE
Americaines are so crude-they have no
manners
Alas! The time came when madame
was forced to live In the midst of ces
America.nes. The old house passed out
Of her possession. and the terrible ques-
ton of self-support presented itself.
What shall we do. my children? have
so little that 1t is nothing" It was
Jeanne. the eldest daughter, who answer
ed this appeal.
I'VE Will move uptown; We will take
house there: we Will have boarders;
will teach music. Clemence will give
French lessons: Angelo shall help you
keep the house"
"impossible!' said Madame ..Jarreau.
Never yet has one Of my house dis
graced herself thus. No, 1t shall not be.
We shall starve first" She threw out
her hands with fierce gesture. her del
icate features were suffused with indig-
nant color But the cool common sense
of Jeanne prevailed, and before very
long the little family were established,
in a large house In the garden district,
SO high above Canal street that not a
sound of that other life Of the old town
penetrated to sadden them with vain sug
gestions in their brave efforts to attain
independence. Nine. Jarreau did not con-
Germ herself much about the house; she
thought it was enough that she, the
widow Of Onaere Jarreau, should open her
doors; besides. there was old Lsette In
the kitchen, and who could ask more
than to drink her coffee, and to eat the
delicious gumbos, for which she was so
justly celebrated?
II madame took any interest in the
welfare Of the house, 1t was shown in
her firm but courteous insistence upon
credentials. She knew too well what was
due to her to allow the new or the vul-
gar rich to penetrate the atmosphere of
aristocratic refinement which her old
name and her old silver alike helped to
create.
There were very brave and very cheer
full, those creole women. All day the
two older girls went from house to
house, giving their lessons: and all day
the little Angelo tripped up and down
the long stairs, encouraging and scold-
ing the old servants, who had known her
as a little child; and all day madame,
who used to sit In high. cool chamber,
with vines clambering over the windows,
sat In a little gallery room such as her
servants had, and mended her ~children's
clothes. and sighed over past that
would never come back again.
In the evenings they all made toilettes
for dinner. and they were so gay. so
bright. so full Of mirth and laughter.
could be tired. Often they went to the
opera, and II the soles OF their little
shoes were not above reproach, the
dimpled shoulders that rose from their
simple muslin dresses were, and the
sparkling. animated faces, radiant with
courage and with health, drew many an
eye to their box. and made youth and
age alike pause beside them.
Oftentimes Sunday they had eoirees.
There were music and conversation. and
sometimf dancing: little cakes and ices
were handed about. Some OF the 5oarderS
did not approve of this; they thought 1t
u
meager and thesoirees fewer But they were
frugal Americans OF New England stock.
Perhaps they could not know that these
creole girls, with their Celtic tempera-
have dropped and withered under the mo-
notonous existence which the boarders
would have pr scribed as betting their
poverty. What did they know of get
ting ahead? What did they care? They
had a home. they had the necessities of
life and God had planted in their h: arts
the necessity of song. and 60 they sang.
And one sang with them. He was Gre
ole. too.
He was a creole. toO-tflat Is, he was a
Cuban, and he had come into their midst
with a certain little air Of mystery and
reserve. which had melted away under
the genial influence of their home. He
was handsome in a swarthy way. and
there was something that was melancholy
In his soft, dark eyes. Unlike most Gu
bans. he was tall and athletic in his build.
took his place as a prime favorite in the
household and Ii was perhaps not I'M
natural that the girls should spoil him.
He was so big and yet so gentle.
When he came In to dinner Jeanne
would exclaim. her eyes alight with mis-
chief, lie roi! LIE roll"
Clemence would make room for himto sit
beside her: but the little Angelo said moth
ing would only give him one swift glance
from under her long. black lashes, and it
was perhaps for this reason that his eyes
were oftenest fastened upon her demure
face.
1t came about very quietly. One day
Angelo said to her mother, Mamma. 1
have promised to marry Andreas de Ce-
rillo.'
You have promised TO marry Andreas
de c. rilloi'' cried madame, horror strick
en-. Mon Dieu! What are we coming to?
It Is !, your mother. who should have
made marriage for you, and you.
baby, tell me that you have promised to
marry! It is impossible, l say.'
Angelo laughed. and repeated obSti-
nately: II have promised to marry An
dreas. l am an American now. I Will
marry like an American girl. the man l
love. not q man picked out for me-.
my father said to me-" Nine. Jarreau
began feebIy, M Jarreau has done us
the honor to ask for your hand. 1 have
promised it And said: i thank you. my
father and I was glad and happy
wife. 90,