A Little Girl in Old St. Louis

nto friendship. Farms were cultivated, and the rich bottom lands produced fine crops. Small as the town was twenty years before the eighteenth century ended, it was the headquarters of a flourish

e were sounds of spring all about, but he was not heeding them. Then he turned, closed the door, which was braced on the inner side

ort of miscellaneous storehouse. Freneau did quite a trade with the Indians and the boatmen going up and down the river.

crawled out of it in the morning. A table and three stools manufactured by himself; a rude sort of closet, and a curious old brass-bound chest, now almost black with age, completed the furnishing. The puncheon floor, in common use at that time, was made with logs split in the middle and the

nd turning it two or three times. A dish of corn stewed with salted pork, a certain kind of coffee compounded of roast

. Occasionally he had taken longer journeys, and once he had brought back from New Orleans a beautiful young wife, who died when her baby girl was born. The nurse had taken it to her home in Kaskaskia. Then it had been sent to the Sisters' School at New Orleans. She had been h

en went through and unfastened the stout hook. The chain he did not remove: it was about a foot fro

t-like rain had set in. The trees w

au! See what I have brought you

Why, I thought you were in

and peered over at the s

n, and his arms tingled with the str

ve brou

the voice far from

nurse or companion, whatever you may call her, had instr

reneau struck his clinched

rd la

more than I can tell," Freneau sa

d fragrance to a hungry man. Then we can discuss the other poin

as dark, and the red tinge a

t under

Then her little daughter was born, and she pined away in the old Chateau de Longueville and presently died, while her husband was paying court and compliments to the ladies at the palace of Louis XVII. There are deep mutterings over in France. And De Longueville, with his half dozen titles, marries one of Marie Antoinette's ladies in waiting. The child goes o

est thing!" interrupte

onvent at Quebec. Well, I have bro

one corner of the chimney, and shed a peculiar golden-red light around the room, leaving some places in deep shadow.

, Renée," Denys said, tur

attractive face, surmounted by a shock of grizzled hair. She looked steadily out of large brown eyes. She was slim, with a clear-cut face and ai

t much. Even if I had expected a g

ngry man. Our dinner w

l opposite her grandfather. She evinced no surprise. She ha

handed it to each. The dish of corn wa

than your home-brewed coffee, though that's not bad. Come, be a

aspard Denys, if you had given me a moment's

brought us down in his piroque after an endless amount of talk. There was a dance at

child, in a clear, soft voice

r some pleading in the same voice

ine. Then he offered the bottle

e?" asked Gasp

t drink

ith the fish. And the bread! Antoine, you could change the n

rugged his

ries, but many of the settlers made excellent bread. Freneau's bread cake was split in the middle and buttered, a

meat, Renée. You must grow ros

day in Paris, the long journey across the ocean, the city of Quebec with its various peoples, and the other journey through lakes and over portages. Detroit, where

, he scarcely gave her a thought until it occurred to him that her American-French grandfather was well able to provide for her. Her mother's dot had bee

girl but twice. "The boys will be all we can care for. I hope heaven will not send me any daughters. They must

the dower he had exacted from the old trader. No doubt there was plenty of money still,

money to pay her passage. Why, it was almost a miraculous openi

she was quite used to the sense of not being wanted until she met Gaspard Denys. Of the relationships of life she knew but little; yet her childish

y. Then with sweet seriousness, "I

her to his heart, and kisse

he did, belong to Uncle Gaspard, and so she was safe. A better loved child might have been crushed by the knowledge, but she was al

r trade, the pelts that had come in, the Indians and hunters that were loitering about. It

ns one side of the room, soft a

her in his arms and laid her down on them tenderly. She di

one to keep house; then I am out hunting, going up and down the river, working my farm. I couldn't be bothered with womankin

r peremptorily. "Antoine Freneau, you owe me thi

y," retorted the ol

s twenty, she just sixteen. I can see her now; I can hear her voice in the unformed melody of the child's. We made no especial promise, but we both knew. I meant to ask your consent when I came back. Seven months afterward, on my return, I found

e kept out of Gaspard's way for the ne

and loved her, and she was ready to go with him. No one dragged her to church. Well, the priest wo

out of him. But he was sure some trick

kept your daughter here and had grandchildren growing u

me well enough,"

that should have been mi

l you do

some day and

are off mont

life forever. If she were less like her mother you might keep her, since

Gaspard mean that some day

I want. Oh, yo

the longing that had grown upon him through these

omething to work for, to hope for. And now I say I want Renée because she is such a child. I wish she could stay like this just five years; then I'd be willing to ha

ild-I am an old man, and I tell you frankly that I don't kno

ou must promise not to interfere in any way. We will ha

re you going to do now? It is late. If you will take a shaked

child has a box of clothes at St. Char

sleepy himself. Antoine lighted a bit of wick drawn through a piece of tin floating in a bo

aid Antoine, an

ile on the edge of the bed and made it creak; then he rose and opened the shutter very softly, creeping out. Even then he listened su

re just going away," in a hissing Fren

nd Antoine prefaced the excuse with an oath.

f you betray us-" i

the goose that lays gol

from the piroque and dump

! No barrow? You are a fool! Bu

ss of the authorities. Duties were levied on so many things

in the window and listening; but all was quiet. The cases he hid among the trees. He had drawn some tree branch

ce. He knew he was suspected of unlawful dealings, and he had a dim misgiving th

work, indeed, it would be to have a housekeeper and a prying child! He la

ut then it seemed a great thing to have titled grandsons and a daughter with the entr

h, miser like, he made no spread, never bragged, but plead