Year: 1878

y
stopped before tree covered with yell
low roses, and looking at them reminded
me Of tale, which will relate.


Two years since, I dropped in to
spend my evening with an old lady
who resides near my house. She is n
most charming person-amiable, clever,
witty and charitable in all things. She
is passionately fond of flowers; and you
will scarcely credit the coquetry and
gallantry I expended in making bou-
quets for her, nor how much l rejoice at
her surprise when I bring her flower
Of the name of which she is ignorant, or
which is very uncommon in our part of
he country.


One evening, when I arrived at her
house, | found her seated with an old
gentleman who had been residing on his
property more than year--a handsome
estate in the vicinity, which had been
left him by distant relative, on condi
tion of his taking the name of his bene-
factor; consequently he was called Mon
4ieur Descoudraies. He hal obtained
an introduction to my old lady and 1
had every reason to be jealous of his as
siduities. They became warm friends,
and passed almost every evening togetb-
er, playing backgammon.


/ bowed silently, on the evening in
question, as I entered, not to interrupt
the game. When it was finished, l pre-
sentel Madame De Lorgerel a bouquet
of yellow roses which I had brought for
her.


My roses were very beautiful, and
singularly so because the continued
rains of the season had blighted most of
those of the neighboring gardens; but I
had taken the precaution Of sheltering
mine by a shed; and they were, perhaps,
the only ones to be met with in perfec-
tion. Madame De Lorgerel uttered an
exclamation of delight when she saw the
beautiful bouquet. Monsieur Descou-
draies said nothing, but seemed preoccu-
pied. + looked at him with surprise;
not well able to comprehend the mystic
rious influence of my yellow roses.
Madame De Lorgerel shortly afterward
spoke of something else; and l thought
had been mistaken.


A minute or two subsequently Mon
sieur Descoudraies suddenly burst out
laughing, and said =: "Would you be-
lieve that this bouquet has evoked, as
by magic, an entire epoch of my very
youth days? For five minutes l was
only, in imagination, twenty years OF
age-for five minutes [ became again in
love with a woman who, if she exists,
must be at least sixty years of age. |
must tell you this history it is one
which had an immense influence on my
life, and of which the memory, even
now, moves me in an extraordinary man.
ner, even now, when my blood has only
just warmth enough to keep me alive,
and enable me to play backgammon. !
was twenty-that is more than forty
years since-I had just quilted college,
where young men were kept a little
longer than they are in the present day.
After well weighing the matter-but
without consulting me-my father de.
cided on my future path in life, and
announced to me one morning that he
had obtained lieutenancy for me in
the - regiment, then in the garrison
in Auvergne, and desired me to be ready
to leave in three days. was not g
little taken aback, for several reasons.
In the first place, disliked military
career but that objection the sight Of
dashing uniform would soon have over
come added to it, few ambitious
hopes excited, and little music, would
oil combined, have made either C@sal
or an Achilles Of me. But I was il
love. Nothing in the world could have
induced me to utter word Of this to my
father, whose only reply to such con
fidential communication would hav,
been to send me away that very night.
But I had an uucle--and what an uncle
He was then man of the same age as