Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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s + I / ISSUED t. m. prist ft 80H8, PabUshen. } % jfamilgftosgager: 4?r tftgpromotion of thq golitigal, gonial, ^ricultupl and (fotrtmttyial Interns of thq gleaplq. {TERMgmotEcop raSc^TsA''CE' ESTABLISHED 1855. YOEKVILLE, S. C., 8ATUEDAY, JIHSTE 30, 1900. 1STO. 52. - || MALCOl || A Tale of Moral Heroism ] |g BY CHARLES EE = Author of "In His Steps," "Crucii . ? = Hardy's Sei EE ^ OOPTRIOHT, 1000, BT THE 1 1 Illlillillllllllllllllllilllllilllllll niustrations by 1 illllllllllililllllllilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllHIill CHAPTER IIL , A DEATH IN MIDOCEAN. ' When Mai com Kirk entered the lit- j tie cabin room to which the steward 1 led him, he found the assistant surgeon of the steamer beDding over the figure in the berth there. A woman was sitting near by. The surgeon rose and beckoned Elrk to step outside a moment "You are a clergyman?" Kirk nodded. The surgeon looked at him as doubtfully as the steward bad done, but he seemed satisfied at last 4 "Well, you might as well know the woman has consumption. She may last until we reach Liverpool, and she may go before Sunday. She ought never to have been allowed passage." "1 can tell bow that is," said the steward. "I noticed the woman come on with her baby. She looked as bright and pretty as any one. Seemed strong and sat out on deck until we left the dock. Then she came down here and went to pieces. I've known one or two such cases before." "That's true," said the surgeon gravely. "I'll be back before midnight It will do no harm for you to see her." He spoke to Kirk and went away, leaving him standing somewhat awkwardly by the half open door. The woman called In a faint voice, and Kirk went in. "Are you the clergyman?" she asked. "Yes," replied Kirk simply. "Can I be of service to you? Do you want me to pray with you?" The woman nodded. Kirk kneeled, , and the other woman who had been ' acting as nurse bowed her head. It was the first time Mai com Kirk had been called on to pray by the side of a dying person, the first service he had ever paid to suffering and sorrowing humanity when he was asked to take'upon himself the burden and the Joy of comfort. His own life had been free from physical weakness. His own family had moved away and scattered when he was a lad, and the death of both his father and mother when he was a child bad left no impression on his early memory, v The situation, therefore, now Impressed him strongly. But the Impression was redeemed from painful egotism by his Intense longing to be of help to this stranger. When he bad told his seminary classmate that he loved people, he bad spoken one of the largest truths of his great hearted character. So his prayer went out to the God of , all comfort, and It Is very certain that he touched the heart of that human hunger for divine compassion, for when he finished she thanked him. with a sob, while the other woman made no attempt to conceal the tears that ran over her face. She looked at Kirk as he rose with increased respect He said a few words simply, but cheerfully, and then went out The woman who bad been nursing followed j him and closed the door a moment. 1 "Thank you for coming In. It did i her good. It's a sad case." j "Yes. Has she any relatives or friends on board?" "No. As near as I have learned she has a sister in London. This sister has been writing her for some time to i come here. This woman's husband died a few weeks ago. Since then she has been supporting herself In Boston by sewing. Her baby is C months old. i Bhe sold a few things, and, with the bel|) of her sister, who sent her a little < money, she bought a ticket and with a great effort reached the dock this afternoon. The ship's company did not ' know of her condition or they certainly would never have let her come on board. That Is all 1 know of the case. ' Of course we will do all we can for her and the baby now. The sea air may be a help to her after all." The woman who spoke was only 1 what some people call a "common" 1 person. Kirk could see that Yet she was one of the great army of quiet, unselfish women who give the world true definitions of the term "motherhood." She stepped to the door of her own | room, which was close by, and beckoned Kirk to look in and see the baby. He was sleeping in the upper berth, ( and Kirk looked at him gravely, wondering what sort of future awaited that bit of humanity. The woman hut the door gently and went back to the mother, while Kirk retired to his own narrow quarters, and In spite of 1 the strange noises and the sights of the ocean through the little round port he was soon fast asleep after a prayer 1 for blessing on all who suffer and all 1 who are In trouble. The next day the woman sank rap- ! Idly. Every one in the intermediate 1 cabin wanted to do something. There 1 was no lack of care for the baby. Ev- i ery woman wanted to help. Saturday 1 the mother sank yet more rapidly, but rallied, as is often the case, and when the passengers .gathered for a little ' W KIRK. (( In Overcoming the World. 1 ? M. SHELDON, Ixion of Philip Strong," "Robert = = ren Day*." = = LDVANC* rOBUHHWU IV. __ ImmmBwr. Illlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllli | llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllm service whrch Kirk was asted to fead 3he wanted her door left open so that she could see and bear the singing better. That was a novel experience for Kirk. The intermediate cabin was not irowded as It would be on the return royage. The passengers were mostly from what the English people call the "middle classes." We in America say the "common people." This means the people out of the plain ranks of labor, not necessarily very poor, often well read, with love of home and in most :ases with a religious life that flows deep through narrow channels, but is Uways true in its application to duty. Kirk preached a simple sermon about Christ in his relation to the sea and those who live upon it. He touched on Christ's love of humankind and his :ompassion for all sorts of trouble. The sermon was easily understood. It lelped. Kirk saw tears in many eyes, tfany of the passengers thanked him ifter be was through. lie went in and prayed briefly with the sufferer. And die day passed on slowly with an unwonted calmness, as Sunday on board ?hlp at sea is so often. The ocean was juiet The sun went down without a floud about it, and the sick woman jeemed to rest easier as the lights were J - J * _|+U Urnetl OH, uuu iue greai Dieaujci wuu ts freight of human tragedy and Its mcounted value of souls sailed untlrngly on toward the old world. Near morning the woman who was matching the sufferer sent for the sur;eon. He came down, and Kirk, who svas wakened by an unusual noise, leard him going by and rose and dressid, going out Into the large cabin. The vlnd was roaring over the water, and :he vessel was beginning to rock for ;he first time since they left home. "We are in for a storm," he heard >ne of the passengers say. He steadied limself and walked down to the sick woman's door and sat near, waiting expectantly as If he knew he would be mmmoned. In a moment the door >peued, and the surgeon looked out He beckoned to Kirk, who Instantly ose and went In. The great change svas coming. Kirk had never seen any >ne die, but he knew at once what the :ook on the face meant He kneeled, ind the woman feebly opened her eyes. He took the hand and prayed again ind knew that she heard and understood. "We'll see that your baby is cared for," said Kirk very gently. "He's a Bne boy, and we are going to pray that be may grow into a noble Christian man. You don't have any fear to go, 3o you? We have talked about that XUU Cttll LTUHl UJe xuve UI JCBUHf xou know he has prepared a place for pou?" She could not speak, but they all knew she understood. As the storm rose and the vessel began to pitch and toss under the resistless grasp of the heaving hand of the tempest under It the woman neared her harbor of peace. And she entered it gently Just as the gray dawn was creeping over the water now lashed into great sheets of spray that went clear over the decks and fell In torrents on the hatchways. A death on board ship in midocean is soon known by all the passengers. Before noon every one knew that there was an orphan baby in the intermediate cabin. The storm increased as the day wore on. Nearly every one was sick. One after another of the women in the cabins gave up the struggle and retired. This was what led to an unexpected experience for Malcom Kirk. The baby woke up, and for the first time there was no one to take care of him. The three women stewards were busy with their duties, and one of them who had prepared the baby's milk suddenly came up to Kirk, who was standing by the long dining table, and asked him if he couldn't take the baby awhile. "I don't know what we'll do," she said in- great perplexity. "The women are all sick, and we have our hands full caring for them. You can hold him all right, can't you? He's the best baby J'ou ever saw." By this time the baby had developed a good, healthy cry that could be easily heard through the roar of the storm. Kirk looked doubtfully at the stewardess. "I'm afraid I'll drop him," he said. "Drop him! A great strong man like you!" said the woman, whom Kirk was sure was laughing a little at his hPRitAtion. "He'll be all rlelit as soon as he has some dinner, poor fellow." "Well, bring him here, then!" said Kirk desperately. And the woman quickly brought out the baby and placed him In Kirk's long arms. If the few passengers 6tlll in the dining room had not been so miserable from approaching seasickness, they certainly would have laughed at the Bight of Malcom Kirk holding that baby. He really tried to be as gentle with It as Its own mother ever was, but It seemed to him that he sprawled all over the cabin in his efforts to keep the baby where the woman said he ought to be. But the tremendous storm was partly to blame (or that. Kirk braced his feet against the legs of the table and held on to the baby as if it was a life preserver. The milk In the bottle was first In one end of it and then in the other. Every time the baby missed getting it he cried with a vigor that made Kirk afraid he would burst a blood vessed or rupture his lunga. Finally, however, matters were adjusted so that the baby's hunger was satisfied, and he dropped asleep in Kirk's arms. Kirk was so afraid to carry him over to the cabin where he had been kept that he held him for nearly an hour. The storm howled over the vessel, and there was a remarkable confusion of all. sorts of noises in every part of the steamer. Kirk noticed, however, that the stewards and one or two officers who happened to pass through the cabin were unconcerned. "It will blow itself out before morning," was the statement of the surgeon who came down in a lull of the tempest He laughed at the sight of Kirk and the baby. But being a man with a baby of his own at home in Liverpool, there was also a little moisture about his eyes that was not caused by the ocean spruy. "You'll do, man." he said. "And the boy will make a fine sailor, looks like. He sleeps through the storm as If he were used to being 'rocked in the cradle of the deep.' But we must be after looking up the other woman when we get across." "Yes, yes," said Kirk eagerly. He had a long talk with the surgeon, and next morning after the storm had subsided and they had gone out to breathe the fine salt air Kirk had no difficulty in persuading the surgeon to keep the body of the mother and help in some way to get it to the sister in London. "Aye, aye, we'll arrange it all right The company will see to that But the expense of the rest, man. Can't you see to it that the passengers do something for the baby to give him a start in life?" "I had already thought or it," said Kirk, and the fact revealed one of his great qualifications for the ministry. "I'll go up on the other deck and see the first cabin passengers about it." The surgeon was a Scotch Irishman with a big heart He had Influence He really tried to be as gentle with it as its own mother ever was. with the purser and easily persuaded that gentleman to call the passengers together In the dining and music rooms, which joined, and then suggested that Kirk himself take the baby and go up and tell his story and appeal for help. This time Malcom Kirk required no urging to have the baby placed In his arms. He would have gone with it Into the presence of all the crowned heads of Europe and their families even, although he knew well enough that he looked and felt as queer as a long legged, long armed, awkward man ever looked and felt The women wrapped the baby up, and he smiled when Kirk's hands clutched him. "He doesn't care how homely and awkward I am anyway," said Kirk to himself, with a gulp In his throat He climbed up the rather steep stairs out on to the lower deck. The storm was almost spent It was about 4 o'clock id xne arxernoon, auu wueu ue rtucueu the promenade deck be met the purser himself, who led the way into the dining saloon. The first cabin passengers of that teamer will never forget that Incident in their passage. They had gathered to the number of 100 or more, many of them old travelers who were not affected by storms. They had been told that the orphan baby's friends below wanted to tell his story, and they were ready to listen to It, but they were not prepared for the sight of the baby himself and his strange nurse. CHAPTER IV. raleigh sketches malcom and the baby. A smile crossed nearly every face as Kirk entered. As he began to speak the smile passed off, and another look crept <^er the faces of the rich, refined, leisurely people gathered in that steamer. The first cabin drew very near the intermediate for a few moments at least Kirk told the baby's story very well. How could he help ,J- 1 * ? ! ? Kin I*rin olnotlnn it wneu ut saw iu uis luiu^iuanuu the face of that wornout mother lying nearly beneath where he stood, still - and cold? The tfaby'looked out fro his Bbawls with a curious, lnqulsith look on Its face and kept perfect > quiet as long as Kirk was speaking. "It seems to me," Kirk conclude "that we might help the baby to sta in life. I understand that the moth v left only a few dollars, and the sist in London Is a shopkeeper In poor ci cumstances. If I was in a church, think I would say, 'We will now wc ohln tho T.nrH nrlth rmr nflfeHllff.' " He said it in such a tone that it wi irresistible. A portly, dignified o! gentleman sitting in the middle of tl dining room rose and in a husky voii which betrayed his feeling said, "I be one of 25 gentlemen to give $10." Instantly more than a dozen m< arose, followed in a moment by a doz< more. Some one in the music room b gan to pass a fiat. Money was throv into it until it was half full. Undi the Inspiration of the moment one < the young ladies suggested a conce and literary entertainment to be gi en the next night, and the suggests was taken up at once. One of the m< offered to take charge of the fun< and help Elrk or some one to see thi they were properly placed, and Kii started to go out The ladles ht crowded around the baby, caressli him as he never had been caressed b fore In all his meager, pitiful life. It was at this moment that Kirk sa Francis Raleigh. He had come out < the music room, and the minute he sa Kirk he came to him and held out h hand. "Mr. Kirk, isn't it? I heard you i Hermon a few weeks ago, at cor mencement You remember me? W have met once or twice. Raleigh Is m name." "Yes, I remember," said Kirk. E had met Raleigh at some reception "Excuse me for not shaking hand Mine are full just now." "Excuse me, I see they are," sal Raleigh, laughing. "You did that vei well." He spoke very kindly, but In tone that he did not mean to be patrol lzing. It was only the Raleigh mai ner. It belonged to the family. might have spoken differently if 1 had known that in the upper ve pocket of the homely figure before hi: was the lovely face of Dorothy Gilbei But there was this fact about the sit ation?Kirk knew that Raleigh was I love with Dorothy. Raleigh did n< know that Kirk loved her or that 1 ha^ever thought of such a possibility ',1am glad for the baby's sake," r plfOTHKirf' soberly. He Ignored tl compliment and finally succeeded 1 getting down to the lower deck again The intermediate cabin was excite over the result Nearly $500 had bee contributed, and the concert wou! bring a hundred more. In fact whe the concert was over and all of tl first cabin had been solicited near! $800 was given for the baby's start I life. When the vessel reached LIverpoc Kirk, with the help of the surgeon ar one of the cabin passengers, secured nurse for the baby and arranged wll one of the women who had cared f< the mother in the Intermediate to { down to London and see the baby sa: in its home there. Kirk himself ha the sad pleasure of meeting the siste and while he was in London doing h special work of study in the east en he secured lodging near by and ofte went to see the family. He grew woi derfully attached to the child, ar when he was obliged to leave and pu sue his studies on the continent 1 parted from the baby with genuine so ? -a xi? xi ? ^ xv._x xv. row. tie supposeu ui uie uiiie umi m little chapter in his life was closed ac completed. It was one of the futui events that no man can foresee thi opened to him afterward a continuj tlon of that human affection. For I was unable to return to London agali and when he said goodby he had r dream of ever seeing that part of h life return. It was two weeks after the steam* reached Liverpool and while Kirk we working bard In the east end slun that Dorothy Gilbert received a lett< from Francis Raleigh, dated from Loi don. Gordon square, near the Brltie museum. She had not encouraged hli when he pleaded the privilege of a occasional letter; but, on the othe hand, she bad not refused him, and t was too careful of his future to rie the mistake of writing too often or In tone of sentiment He wrote a very ii teresting letter. Dorothy enjoyed rea< ing It, while she felt a little dlsturbe to think she must answer. She did n< want to encourage him too much. A the same time his unloubted love fc her and his great talents as an artlf appealed to her strongly. The onl reason she had not accepted his affe< tlon was a lack of feeling on her ow part She was fearful of herself. St | wanted to be absolutely sure of he I own heart She had known him sine they were both children. It was not a if they were in any way comparativ strangers. She also knew well enoug * V, n, V. ?.ll 1 n.,l? uiai uci latuer mvuieu uaici^u a ouiu There was one passage In the lettt that Intensely Interested ber. It migl not have pleased Francis Raleigh If t had known all the reasons for her Ii terest. It was a passage describing scene on the vessel during his recei voyage across. "You may remember," the lett( went on after a description of som famous paintings in the National ga lery, "a theological student of th name of Malcom Kirk, who graduate this year. Had an unusually goo voice for a theologue and received th German scholarship at graduation. Yo would remember him if for no othc reason on account of his almost phi m homenal awkwardness. Well, He wai re on the Cephalonla coming across, am ly I fell in with him and had several In teresting talks with him." Dorothy d, looked up from her reading, and th< rt color deepened In her face as she pic er tnred the two men together. "I fount er him a very intelligent fellow and, t< lr- tell the truth, not at all like the typlca I theologue. There was a somewha' ir- tragical affair in the intermediate de partment, where Kirk was a passenger is A poor woman the fifth day out died o: Id consumption, leaving a 0-month-olc ie baby for the passengers to take can ce of. Kirk got in the habit of holding '11 the baby a good deal, and the last tw< days of the trip he used to come on ;n on deck and hold the baby there. Onci ?n or twice he sat Just below the stain ie- leading up to the promenade deck, an< m I had a good chance to get a goo< er sketch of him. I inclose It, thinklnj of you may be interested in a little toucl rt of humor. It Is not exaggerated much v- and I pride myself on having caugh >n Kirk's attitude pretty welL I showe< ;n the sketch to him in order to save my Is self from a feeling that I had possibl: at done an unfair thing to take him un rk awares, and he laughed very good na id turedly and seemed very much amuse< lg without a particle of resentment H< e- asked me to let him have the sketch and I drew him another, which he tool w with evident pleasure. He is a gentle of man and will do some good work in hli w line, but I should think his genera is appearance would always stand in th< way of his advancement In the minis it try." a- Dorothy spread the sketch out on th< re table and looked at it Raleigh had noi iy said too much when he wrote that h< had caught Kirk's attitude very well [e It was, besides, a splendid likeness s. There was just a little exaggeration t< s. the stubborn brown hair, a little toucl of unnecessary grotesqueness to th< Id face, but it was "Maicom Kirk plain y enough," as he used to say of himself a The baby lay in his arms satisfied ant a- smiling. There were tears in Doro q- thy*s eyes after she had looked a little Le while. Malcom Kirk's great beartec ie love of humanity as It was representee st by that helpless bit of It in his long ?--? kn. QH* Ill uruib buiueuuYv a^/pcaicu w uvi* 1 seemed to feel as If there was a worlc a- there Into which she had never enter In ed, but which she could enjoy with al 3t her eager enthusiasm If once she wer< ie Introduced to It She folded up th( r. sketch and carefully laid It away bj e- Itself. She did not put It with a col ie Jection of drawings which Raleigh hat In given her when he finished his cours< . In art id Malcom Kirk went over on tne conn sn nent and spent the year In France Id j Italy, Germany and even two weeks li in | Russia. How he lived all that tlm< ie I would make a story In Itself. Hi ly j walked a great deal. Always lodged In in the most expensive places. S1j months after he had been away fron >1, home he sent to the president of th< id seminary a written report of what h< a bad been doing. It was so remarkabli :b In many ways that the president show >r ed It to Mr. Gilbert The Boston pub jo Usher urged its publication. The pres fe ' Ident wrote that the seminary woulc Ld I assume the expense of publication r, [ and Mr. Gilbert's house printed the re ]s ' port in a neat pamphlet that at onc< id attracted attention, m The night of the first issue of th< tt. pamphlet Mr. Gilbert brought a copj id of it home. r. "By the way, Dorothy, you remem ie ber that theologue who took the Ger r. man scholarship, Kirk?" Is "Yes," murmured Dorothy demurely ,d If Dorothy's mother had' been living, il Id nocclhlo oho mlcht hnvo tftld hPI re 10 pvw.M.w ^ ?o-- ?- ? about Kirk's declaration. Her fathei a. was another person. Besides, he hac ie not asked her to be his wife. He bad Q> only told her very bluntly that he loved i0 her. That was in one sense his secrel is to be kept for him from others. "Well, here's a bit of work he's beet ?r doing abroad. We brought It out tois day. Knowing you have always been 18 interested In this work, I thought yon ?r might like to look this over." a. Her father spoke with his usual pretij else calmness and left the pamphlet on m the table. The moment supper was n ended Dorothy seized the report and ?r went to her own room, ie She read it through as If It had been k a fascinating novel. It was written in a a simple style that possessed no merit i* except Its simplicity, but it was a rec1 ord of how humanity lived, and the d pathos, the reality, the fact of how it >t lived, stirred Dorothy Gilbert as her it mind and heart had never been stirred. >r And all through the reading she seem*t ed to see Malcom Kirk with that baby y in his arms. She knew that If that o* sketch had been put in as a frontisn piece it would have exactly expressed ie the contents of the pamphlet She rose >r and walked her room strangely exclt:e ed. Who was this man to stir her feelis ings so deeply? Francis Raleigh bad e never been able to do It No man, for b that matter. All the other men she 1 ?+mrrlrkrr frv hotrft fl tujtrw weic uuoj ujuig wv u?<w ? ?r time or win fame or make money, it This man was Interested In people. He ie wanted the world to know and feel for i- humanity. He was unlike the others, a Besides, he loved her. He had her picit ture. She glowed at the thought For the first time in her life she trembled -r at the thought of being loved, i? A few days later she read the report 1* again. People in Hermon were talking ie about It. It had actually stirred the d life of the village In some ways. Dorod thy placed the sketch of Kirk in the ie pamphlet and put them away in her u desk. ?r Malcom Kirk finished his year and 2.- took passage on one of the. French 3 rfteamers for New York. He had used , 1 his money well, but he had so little at . the end of the year that he took steer7 age passage. That was one degree ? lower than the Intermediate, and he - smiled a little grimly to himself as he 1 crowded Into his noisy, close quarters ) with French peasants and a colony of 1 Mennonite emigrants. However, It t was literally true that he loved people - regardless of their condition, and to . many a simple, ignorant soul In the t steerage the American clergyman who 1 somehow was strangely there became i during the nine days' voyage a friend J and companion from whom they parted > with real regret and with loving memt ory. ? He started at once for Hermon. He 3 would have nearly two weeks there to 1 write out his report for the seminary. 1 Then for his Home Missionary field in 5 Kansas. And Dorothy Gilbert? He < i had not heard except indirectly any? thing of her. Once in Berlin he had t chanced to meet one of the Hermon 1 professors who was taking his vaca[ "Excuse me for not shaking hands. Mine are full just now." tion. From him he had learned that ' the Gilberts had been spending the * summer at the home of Dorothy's aunt ' in Beverly and were expected home 3 early in the fall. He wondered if he 7 should see her before be was obliged ' to go west The superintendent had written him that the church would be 3 ready for him in September. He took out the miniature. He would be obliged to give It back. Would he? But what possible alternative could there be! He 1 still loved Dorothy Gilbert Somehow he felt as if she would be a part of his i future as she had been of his past 1 He reached Boston in the morning c and took the first train for Hermon. i He bought a paper as he entered the train, and as it was moving out of the ! station he began to read. Among the first items that caught his eye was this: "The publishing firm of Sydney, Gilbert & Co. assigned yesterday. The 1 company was Involved In the recent syndicate failure In the book business. - Mr. Gilbert's loss Is heavy. It Is ' i thought he saved little If anything from the failure." } It was simply one item out of a score r of othera stated in a cold, newspaper style without comment But It made Malcom Kirk tremble all over. What effect would this have on Dorothy Gilbert? If he, Malcom Kirk, was poor . and Dorothy Gilbert was now somet what nearer him in condition, what of his love for her now? : He reached HeUnon and went at I once to the president's bouse. The 1 president had not come home from I his vacation, but was expected the t next day. Dorothy and her father were still out of town. He learned that i they might return that week. He look ed up the steward of the building and i secured the key to his old room where i he had been 'allowed to keep his few books and pieces of furniture until he . returned. The room was not very dei sirable and had not been occupied by ( any of the new students. I He went in and opened bis curtains and sat down. There across the familiar campus was Dorothy Gilbert's 1 house. He sat there thinking deeply ! about his future. Then he took out the miniature and laid it lovingly in his great brown palm. , TO BE CONTINUED. ANCIENT FASHION JARGON. The language of the fashion plate and the woman's paper is sufficiently appalling to the mere man even In these days of emancipated and, we may presume, more grammatical womanhood, but, according to an extract from a fashion journal of 1787, the Jargon of over a century ago was even more astounding. This is how the paper described the dress of a certain Mile. D at the opera: She appeared in a dress of "stifled sighs," ornamented with "superfluous regrets," the bodice cut In a "perfect candor" point and trimmed with "Indiscreet complaints." Her hair was dressed In "sustained sentiments," with a headdress of "sustained conquest," ornamented with several "flyaways" and "downcast eye" ribbons, and her collar was "beggar on horseback" color. No doubt all these marvelous terms conveyed some meaning to the fashionable woman of the days when French society danced on the edge of the volcano of 1789, but to their descendants of a hundred years later they have absolutely no meaning./ /