Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 September 1893 — Repaid with Interest. [ARTICLE]

Repaid with Interest.

Dignity is associated with honest poverty as often, beyond a doubt, as it is with wealth; and it is not always safe or wlfie for those who are better-to-do to affront the self-respect of the poor. A story is told of the youth of a woman who died in old age in Paris lately which illustrates this fact When she was a poor girl, working for her.living, she took her dinner each day in a restaurant kept by a woman named Clemence—a wellknown place in Paris, where people of limited incomes were in the habit of eating. The young woman, whose name was Theresa, received her salary

monthly, it was so small that it was often spent a day or two before pay-day came around again. On such occasions Madame Clemence generally gave Theresa credit until payday, although she regarded her with suspicion. Theresa always paid her debt whon she received her salary. But one day toward the end of the month, when Theresa had been particularly unfortunate in her affairs, she presumed too far on Madame Clemence’s generosity. The customary patrons of the restaurant had gathered preparatory to the meal. Theresa, who bad eaten but a scrap of bread that day, was among them, and very hungry. Madame Clemence came up to her and said, roughly: “What do you want here?” “My dinner," Theresa answered meekly. “Well, you can’t have it here,” the woman said. “You owe me nine francs already, and that’s quite enough for you to owe.” The poor girl arose in burning humiliaton, and was about to go when she heard a low and very kind voice near her.

“Pay the woman right off, ” it said. She felt a ten-franc piece slipped into her hand, and saw that the person who had Bpoken to her was M. Dumaine, a gentleman whom she knew by sigjit. She hesitated a moment: but some generosities are not to be lightly refused, even by persons of pride. She paid Madame Clemence her debt out of the money. Then M. Dumaine arose and said aloud to the people in the room. “My friends, one of us here, a poor girl, has been publicly iDsulted without good cause. Evidently Madame Clemence needs a little admonition. Let us leave her alone for a fortnight. 1 know a little restaurant in Belleville where we can do very well. Let us go there!*'' *] ” “Bravo, Dumaine,” the people called. They all arose and followed Dumaine to Belleville, leaving Madame Clemence aghast. The Crowd dined merrily in the new place—all except Theresa, who had lost her appetite as the result of the extraordinary incident, and had grown very pensive. She did not repay M. Dumaine's ten francs; she feared to offend him. But she “paid it back,” as she called it, with large interest, for through all her long subsequent life—during which she often had considerable sums to dispense—she never hesitated to assist a struggling artist or any necessitous young person who presented himself. “It Is M. Dumaine’s ten fraucs,” she would say as she assisted these needy persons in their battle with the world.—Youth’s Companion.