Year: 1875




tanned door and listened to a conversa-
tion, and, what makes II still more IN
pardonable in me, cannot help telling
you what heard. It was this.


had been at the ball about half an
hour when I saw in a corner of the par
lor, through the door which leads into
the conservatory, a little group of three
young girls arrayed in billows of white
muslin, who were talking behind their
fans with so much animation that it
was impossible not to notice them.


These three girls had reached that
age when young women's hands are
slender hut still rosy. when their forms
have still that charming delicacy which
some people call thinness and others
youthfulness, and when their move
ments have that excessive suppleness
which is like awkwardness, but which it
would be the height of art to initiate.
Leaning back with easy grace in their
arm chairs, which were drawn up close
together, they were laughing unrestrain-
edly. Already women and coquettes,
they would from time to time stretch
out their well-glOved hands and pat
their ample drapeTies with a thousand
little gestures. They were already
mistresses of the art of looking at
things without seeing them, of laugh
ing when they were Lot amused, of
showing their white teeth while smooth
ing their gloves at the wrist, and while
mOdestly looking down of giving a vi
bratiOu to their voices like the striking
of glass, which cannot fail to attract
attention. They had, too, the trick of
stopping short in the midst of a move
ment aud posing that you might see the
turn of a shoulder or a graceful arm,
and of turning their profile to you to
show a pretty nose, of catching up
their skirts and turning away with a
movement like q frightened dove till
the ear alone is visible, and replying,
"Oh, how you frightened me !" when
you have said nothing to them but
''How do you do ?' Then their way of
prattling increasingly without rhyme or
reason, or when both ideas and words
fail them of exclaiming, ooh oh! oh
yes, indeed !" while strOking their hair.


All, dear little creatures ! I love
them just as they are, so knowing and
so pure, so gracious and so skillful. 1
really love these little ANGELS who make
their entrance into the great world be-
tween two pOlkas-whO go to a ball
instead of going to bed-who broke
their doll into pieces two days ago, and
now think of painting themselves under
the eyes like mamma-whO know to a
louis the price of cashmere shawls-are
connoisseurs in diamonds, look men
straight in the eye, are all worn out
when Lent comes, and who during holi-
day week, after devoutly nibbling bit
of salmon salad run off to their religious
exercises in boots with tassels and with
their hair powdered. l love these little
painted lambs as one loves roses in De-
cember or green peas IN the middle of
January. There is simplicity even in
their excessive self-possessiOn some
thing, at any rate, which reminds one
of green apples which one longs to
taste.


They are already wOmen-ln fact,
they were when they were born-but
still one guesses at their motives, reads
their little thoughts sometimes, too,
one finds clue which is like a revelR-
tion. They are


But pardon me, young ladies 1 am
afraid / am going too far; perhaps as
you turn over these pages you will re-
call the gentleman who was looking at
you so attentively the other evening.
Perhaps you Will recognize yourselves,
however imperfect the sketch may be,
and then But it is too late now not TO
tell you all.


1 sIyly opened the library door, and
turned to the left, l made my way to
the conservatory, and stationed myself
directly behind you, near the door, In
the folds of the curtain, and there
heard it all. I did even more than that;
in coming away snapped off branch
of camellia. What follows is merely
the work of q reporter if memory or
skill is lacking forgive me and I will do
better another time.


"No," said the youngest. looking at
her pink satin slipper, 81 mean the one
with the decoration in his button hole ;
don't you see him ? He is standing by
the mantlepiece, by the side of the big
bald man in white waistcOat."


&" Why, the big bald man is not a
colonel-no indeed. I know him very
well; he comes to see papa. It's Mr..
Thingamy-some queer name. After
every visit of his we find two casters of
the easy chair. Mamma says he's clever,
papa says he's not as for me, think
he smells of pomade."


" Where does he put his pOmade
He has hardly three hairs on his head. u


eyes, but they curl, my dear. 1 am
sure he ought to wear a hUtle crimson
velvet cap with tassels. Dear me how
do hate a man as fat as that Papa,
who is slender in comparison with this
bear, seems to Ine a httle-when he Il
shaving ~ Well If it was not papa
should like to plane him down 6
little"


"But, girls. don't mean the stout
one l mean tine one by his side, with
an aGuiIine nose and mustache. There
he is taking an ice. He seems to be {
lion. Now he's blowing his nose +; hei
Col c."


ooh yes, I see. Dear me how hare
he blows his nose Your colonel has
cold one can hear him from here
! ha ha"


"There is nothing strange in his hav
| ing cold; he has just come from AT
rica see how tanned he is. Well, m!
dear he is a lion. ="


"Then he is an attache :"
"Oh, how stupid you are say ht
is a lion because he fought like a tiger
and he"


"Then say he is a tiger, and have
done with it.


(Shrugging her shoulders) "ant
that at the battle of Rapata-Ratata-
L
what, but il was a frightful battle
| where the Arabs bit the dust - That
/ it, word for word, as papa read 1t alouC
the other day out of the paper.
"Why did they bite the dust?"


Why, because they were so angry
/ You know when you are in a passion
/ Well, in this battle the colonel receives
! q cannon-ball or bullet don't remem
| Der which-in his left shoulder, an
they could not extract it, so he returne
to France very i'll.


How terrible those battles mus
lei"


1T is the day after the battle that


terrible. Just think of It'll They foun


this poor colonel under a mountain {


dead men at the very moment the vii


beasts were going to devOur him ik


the missionary IN the Propagation {


the Faith. Being swallowed by IA GRO,


odile Is, indeed, terrible"


"Thats nothing. When you thin


you have before you a man with an iro