The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1864-04-27


each time; on those days, whoever had
come to pay a visit to my wife or myself
and looked for US in the house, would
certainly have lost his trouble.
Arm in arm, and Drawing the hottest
sun, madame, with her parasol and her
pretty scarlet sun bonnet, so becoming to
her twenty years, and |, with an immense
straw hat, worthy of pure blooded
American planter, closely followed Gil
bert The honest youth had scarcely ar
rived, when, proud of having gardener,
we went, like genuine Betians that we
were, to sit beside him while he worked,
with spade or wateriug-pot in hand, and
you should see what mischievous pleas
ure we then took 10 overwhelming him
with multitude of questions as absurd
as his replies in hearing him reasen
gravely on the rain and fine weather
discuss the influence of heat and cold
describe his hopes and fears relative to
the approaching harvest; curse the race
of foxes and weasels, nocturnal marauders,
not waiting for license from the yintagers
to ravage their best vines; in fine, to
study in all his phases this honest villa
ger, who, having arrived at the age Of
thirty, had wife and child, paid his
taxes, figured on festival days in a Gaul-
ish blouse 10 the ranks of the citizen
militia, and had never in his life, except
in one excursion to Versailles, when he
saw the great fountains play, lost sight of
the steeple of his commune. What a
curious type what an excellent and kind
nature how many amusing simpliuities,
how many charming stories he had to tell
the foolish laughter which suddenly seized
US in the midst of these stories, to the
great astonishment OF our countryman,
always retaining his impurturbable sang
.troid, and looking at US with open mouth,
unable to comprehend our explosions Of
gayety!
We had hardly been enstalled in our
rustic villa a week, when, one fine morn
ing, as we were making bouquet in
magnificent border of violets framing one
of the green lawns beueath orr windows,
and in the corner Of which figured a well
half hidden by thicket Of laburnums,
my wife said to me -
"Do you know my love, what displeases
NE here, and what certainly would have
removed this very moment if it depended
only upon me 2"
Without being fine lady, my wife is
very impressible in her nature, and has
her little superstitions She believes in
the influence of Friday and of the num-
| ber thirteen an overturned alt-cellar,
two knives crossed affect her; broken
mirror would make her sick at evening,
the murmur of running water, the mys,
terious whispering of the poplars, vivid
lightning, and the noise of the thunder
produce an effect which she cannot avoid !;
adorable weakness, of which, in my opin-
ion, should do very wrong to complain.
"What is it z" asked | of my wife.
That disagreeable weeping willow,
which stands in the corner of the lawn on
the right of the well" replied She
"And Why so 7" returned |.
"You know very well, . said she to me,
'that | cannot endure those trees, even
in painting; an ordinary willow can be
passed by in spite of the romance of
Othello, but these weeping willows-oh,
no [ cannot bear them"
II understand you, dear friend but
we have no occasion for grief, the child
is well, and we are both cheerful enough"
"Coue, you jest when the gravqst sub,
iects are concerned. You undoubtedly
have not forgotten the origin Of my an
tipathy for that hateful tree, which should
never be admitted into pleasure grounds
On passing the shop of Lemonnier, that
famous artist in hair, and examining the
frames exposed in his window, have you
not seen that melancholy shrub figure,
beside yews and expresses, and shading
with its fearful tresSes these mournful
words: He ,oas a good husband and
father. TO our angel! 1t is tree suited
only to cemetery, and standing here on
this turf, it annoys, it worries me-"
"What foolish idea," said | "mean-
while | will promise to say word on the
subject to Gilbert the gardiner we will
see when he comes whether we may not
be able to remove il"
At evening, when Madame Gilbert re-
turned from the fields, bringing on her
shoulder her cows supper, | invited her
to rest moment as she was passing the
garden gate, and informed her, that she
might mention it to her husband, of the
desire expressed by my wife.
MADAME is in the right" said she to
me, "and she is not mistaken in her sup
positions They took very good care not
to tell you when you hired the house the
proprietor, NJ Roux, forbade US to do SO,
but there is indeed scme one buried there,
a-l .uikh kor nhnI.Sinns MI G., u