The daily banner., 1913-10-02
EVIDENCE IN
A PICTURE
By F. A. Mitchell

Touring on foot along the coast Of
France between st. NaZaire and La
Rochelle, sketching by the way,
came to picturesque spot where
stood a cottage. boy often came and
looked on while | worked | was
tempted to cease my landscape draw
ing and sketch the boy instead, for I
never saw finer model of a child of
that age. | chatted with him and
learned that he lived in the cottage
with his mother, widow; that his ia
ther had been wealthy man, and un-
til his fathers death a few years be-
fore the family had lived in a chateau.
Curious to know something more of
the story, l asked the boy if he would
present to his mother the compliments
Of an American artist who was on a
sketching tour and beg shelter for the
night under her roof. He ran away
with my message and soon returned to
say that his mother would be happy
at least to receive a visit from mon
sieur. | folded my stool, easel and
other equipment and, singing the
package on my shoulder, accompanied
the child to his home.
l found Nine Clairmont, his mother,
as aristocratic looking as her son.
told her that my curiosity had been
excited by her boy as to her family
story, and if it would be no intrusion
upon her feelings would like to know
more of it. She made. me welcome
and gave me the facts.
She had married late in life a man
much older than herself who was both
rich. high born and in every way
prominent One child, my little friend
CASTOR, had been born to them at a
time when it was supposed that she
was too old to bear child. Her hus-
bands brother, who had been looking
shown from the birth of CASTOR that
he was bitterly disappointed at being
supplanted. But he gave no sign of
any intention to dispute the success
sion till after the death of her hus-
band a year agone.
tered when his brother, Martin Clair
mont, claimed the property on the
ground that Castor was not his son
nor the son of his wife, but the child
Of one Annette Voudray, laundress,
who had been brought into the cha
teau to be palmed off as the child of
Nine. Clairmont. The claimant OBJ
tanned from this woman what purport-
ed to be confession to that effect.
There was trial that was dragged
through the courts for two years; then
the highest court confirmed the deci-
sions of the lower ones, deciding in
favor of Martin Cairmont, giving him
his deceased brothers estate and Gas
ton to Annette Voudray.
Nine Ciairmont had possessed lit
tie r",I!ay of her own. with which she
bought off the woman so far as CASTOR
his mother They had come to live at
the cottage. Mfne. Clairmont having a
small allowance from her relatives.
Such was the story got from the
lady's lips. and I could not doubt her
statement One thing surprised me
that court should be made to believe
that Castor was the son of a laun-
dress True he did not especially re-
sembIe his mother. but l have observ-
ed that sons and daughters bear the
closest resemblance to their parents at
a corresponding age. One can hardly
expect a child to resemble a parent of
sixty.
Nine. Clairmont kindly offered me a
room for the night, which | gladly ac-
cepted. Her personal effects, furni-
ture. heirlooms. pictures, etc.. had
been removed from the chateau to the
cottage The room | accepted showed
evidence of this Over the mantel was
a picture that interested me. 1t was
roses arranged in an oval shape to