The Palatka news and advertiser., 1916-12-29
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down upon one side, and where tn
Ruelle des CerceauX leads out of
and in again, in curving and surpris
ing fashion, on another, where tn
splash of the brown waters of tn
Scheldt can easily be heard, lies tn
Rue de la Moutarde, at the one cor
ner the small Theater du Peuple
Just around from this there is Co.
Was) a tiny gate giving into paveC
yard; at the right narrow patl
leading to flight of stone steps; a
the top of these crammed in between
red tiled roofs, tall chimneys anC
mansard windows, there stood the
door.
Of mahogany, carved too with
cherubs and rosettes and vines and
grapes, having a brass knocker and
a large fanlight tricked out with pink
paper over it. A fine door, large and
rather imposing, the wood shone from
incessant polishing. So did the
kn2cker, so did the glass fan light
Presently there came out FROM the
rear door of the theatre around the
corner, short stout figure in a long,
full, dark blue cloak, a speckless cap
enriched by large ear lappets of knit
ted Flanders lace, her feet in blue
woolen stockings and snowy sabots,
and on her strong arm a pail with =
scrubbing brush and clothes, in her
hand a broom and a whisk.
This was Marie Rose Menthe, the
scrubwoman of the little Theatre du
Peuple. She crossed the Street of
the Mustard, passed through the tiny
gate, up the long flight of stairs, and
taking a stout key from her apron
pocket, unlocked the fine old mahog-
any door
1t was rather of a surprise to be
sure, because the door had been hewn
and carved, and polished, and hung
on its bronze hinges for a nObleman's |
house in the sixteenth century, and |
how it every got to be the portal to
Marie Rose Menthe's garret no one
in this poor quarter of the city of |
Antwerp could tell. All they knew
was that the door had come original
ly from Germany, somewhere in the
Bavarian woods and that above there,
between the cherubS and the rosettes,
was cut in deep in arabesoued letters
the word Willkomcn. Rather a sur
prise when Marie Rose Menthe open
ed the door then and one found her
Immediately in the tiniest of rooms
with, it is true, another Gs small
opening out of it.
The floor was sanded and clean as
a table, the window outlooking upon
roofs was clear as crystal,
the stove cleaned. 1t was a good
porcelain stove, but in it there was
never much fire, and the pot on it was
a very small one. There was lace
pillow full of bobbins on the sill,
strings of onions festooned from the
black beamed ceiling. The floor
sank, almost making a pool for the
sand, right in the centre of the room
and here there was placed table.
On the shelf over the stove, were
plates and cups, a pan or two, jug,
a lamp, teapot, On the corner
shelf stood a clock and a very dimi- !
nutive Virgin and Child, under :
glass canopy. There were sprigs of
parsley at the Virgins feet and few ,
.awdry paper roses.
At one side, there stood a chest Of :
irawers with brass knobs and a !
,rocheted lace cover on top of it. =
At the other side there was the curl :
,us Flemish bed built in the wall and q
ct down when night fell in. y
L. haI these /
,eds and a stand for washing, also
rush chair and, on the shelf, +
,ottle of ink and a pen. On the +
wooden pegs in there, hung Marie 9
Roses own other garments, nothing q
nore than a brown wooden skirt, two f
APPS, three aprons and some linen un- !,
erwear with two pairs of stout \
tockings, and the wide-brimmed hat n
he put on on Sundays and holidays :
he rest of the garments there were y
hose of a man, and they were few.
They belonged to Marie-Rose's Il
on, Philippe. Just then he had y
one off into Holland to work in the =
elds, because being summertime, his Y
wn trade of gem polishing was ;,
lack, and a Belgian is never idle. =
lie has two or three trades or callingS C.
pom which he can rely. When one +,
:; shut down, he can pass along to i
he others. If he does not do this he is
considered an idle fellow.
Philippe therefore had iouneyed a
if to Bergen-op-Zoom and had taken is
ONE of his clothes with him.
His mother was lonely without him. f
lie was fine, strapping boy and
,ould be one and twenty now in three t
1ore days. Marie Rose hoped that
e would marry right away; not that V
he was anxious for a daughter-in- f
aw, but she was very desirous for O
Since the good pro-
idence had denied her a girl, she had 7
lways looked forward to, and prayed t
or. this "little Marie Rose; one who r
hould be named for her and one for t
,hom she had skimped and saved and \
one hungry to bed many nights in "
rider to make ready suitable, COM s
ortable, pleasant things when she
ldeed arrive.
Marie Rose then was a somewhat
id person? Yes, she was; Philippe
as adorable. splendid "But then" as r