The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-06-14

1 their century-old house, a present from ! their father to their mother on her we'd ding day It is darling house like a
 house in a storybook, and of dear old black walnut furniture and china orna-
 ments and glass candleholders and flow cred carpets and bead work and wax flowers.
 1t is set in the midst of marvellous garden, with shell paths and old-fash- toned flowers. But there are orange 1 blossoms on the slim treelings in spring time and jessamine and bride roses set here and there among the dusty miller and hollyhocl1s and helotrope. The two devoted sisters work forever
 in their garden. Mamzelle Memee is the younger, and has great soft brown eyes.
 But in the eyes of Mile. "Popo' (diminu- tive for Pauline), is a lively humor, and an understanding of many mysteries.
 She wears a quaint frock in a basque pattern and makes little gentle jokes about this and that. Mamzele Memee's frocl1 is cut away tiny bit at the throat, and she puts her hands behind her, ex- blaming that they are soiled from dig ging ip the garden, and that she knows
 her "blessed maman'' in heaven re-
 breaches her for their grubbiness. STREET HENS IN THEIR LIVES
 I do not believe these little gentle sis ters know there is a world beyond Kere- lee street. Or, if they do sense that there is, they know nothing of its vast ness or it's rush and cruelty. And yet they do know there is hard ship in the world, for only on last Holy
 Saturday and Easter Sunday did they busy themselves cooking and baking for a neighbor family in desperate poverty and sickness.
 A year ago a terrific storm swept this region, splintering giant trees, felling hnt1 tivcr hoEr 1lry The tall house next door to the Mdiles. Abadie was razed to the ground and all their big trees went, too. For days such a wind blew that they dared not even open the door. They just ''sat and prayed"
 yet beholdl" said Mdlle. Pope, with wide eyes four shrine remained un- harmed. It Is our miracle This shrine Is in the open garden. LAt- tie children of the neighborhood keep 1t dressed in flowers. Small green painted benches are before it, and I give you my solemn word that you could sit there on 1 that bench chatting to Mamzelle Popo and Mamzelle Memee and have the world and its acres and wars and pressures swept from your consciousness beyond all possible realization. I did not know there was such spot in this hemisphere. l While I have a feeling that if some strange circumstance forced the gentis
 
 the din of trolley cars and motors, dust and crowds and noise. they would some- l how shrink and perish, they are far from recluses.
 'How many callers have had 80 far this year?" someone asked Mdlee. Memee. "oh, a fair number" she answered brightly; about 600 so far. We shall probably have 4o00 or more when the year is out This is not including the children, who come every day to play in the gar den and to see the dolls" These dolls are ancient of days yet full of the beauty and dignity of their once high station as court dolls in France. The visiting babies must not lay hands on their wonderful, moldering garments. but they play with them vicariously, through the careful hands of Memee and IPopo Abadie, who heaven send shall never learn I have written about them 1 in a newspaper!
 But when New Orleans holds such pressed flower sweetness as the little la- dies Abadie represent, will you tell me how I am to write of modern New Or leans and political intrigue and sewer in- rrovements and industrial school and fig ures on the export of cotton?