Part 5 (1/2)

Then Major d'Artrot pulled a little card out of his pocket and showed it to Madame.

”And since Mademoiselle (m?d-mw?-zel') Margot is to have a beautiful frock,” he said, ”why do you not take her to this old friend of mine who makes some of the loveliest frocks in Paris?”

Madame Villard read the card and then looked up at the Major questioningly.

[Ill.u.s.tration: VERDUN]

He continued, ”Suzanne Moreau lived in the village adjoining my farm before that village was destroyed by the enemy. She was a demure little dressmaker, and we knew her, my wife and I, as a kindly and lonely soul.

Now as you see by this card, she has established a fas.h.i.+onable children's shop in your Paris. She is still a kindly, modest little woman. Her whole life is centered in that small niece of hers, Jeanne, who is called the 'Little Model.' Have you, perhaps, heard of her?”

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE MEUSE]

Madame Villard nodded and looked again at the card.

”Auntie Sue's Shop,” she read.

”Yes, indeed,” she answered, ”I have heard. But Margot and I have never been to the shop. Now since I know that they are friends of yours, we will surely go.”

”Ah, you are kind,” said the Major. ”Auntie Sue deserves what little one can do to help. She is struggling alone and works very hard. I a.s.sure you, dear Madame Villard, that she is a most deserving and honest person.”

”I believe that,” smiled Madame, patting the Major's hand. ”For to be a friend of yours, one is obliged to be deserving, honest, and kind.”

CHAPTER VIII

THE GUIGNOL

Auntie Sue watched Jeanne as she skipped along to school. There could not possibly have been a happier skip. There could not possibly have been a happier little face than the one Auntie Sue had just kissed.

But yet as Jeanne turned the corner, Auntie Sue felt something sad inside of her.

Something said to her, ”She is not really happy. Other children are happy, but Jeanne is not a child. She is a puppet--a puppet.”

Suzanne rushed into the shop and tried to shut out those thoughts. And Jeanne skipped along to school.

Strange to say, Jeanne was thinking of puppets, too. But she was not thinking of them in the same way as was Auntie Sue.

She was thinking of the puppet show in the park. This puppet show is called a Guignol (gen'-yol) in France and the park where it is played is the Champs Elysees.

On nearly every corner of this beautiful park is a Guignol. Where there is no Guignol, there is a swing, or there are donkeys to ride or goat carts. Children are amused in Paris.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE GUIGNOL]

Jeanne often pa.s.sed the park, but the amus.e.m.e.nts there were not for her. Jeanne had no time for Guignols and donkeys and goat carts.

Jeanne had to go to school and from school to help Auntie in the shop.

The donkeys and swings and other amus.e.m.e.nts did not attract Jeanne so much. But oh, how she loved the Guignol! Very often she would stop outside the tall gates and watch for ever so short a time.

And when the children cried out, ”There he is! There he is!” as they do when the wicked policeman pops up his puppet head, Jeanne would shout with them.