New-York tribune., 1871-09-28
LIFE IN A FRENCH VILLAGE,
IDLE HOURS AWAY FROM PARIs-A COST oOUA
rRY sEAr-YRENCH WAGES.
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A LACAMPAGNE, Aug. 4-lt was very not !"
Paris and the air. anything but inveoratins though Gun
bslmed In pdor. even In streetA OF no astneeve ~
fsme had general smeIt Of mummt-A sort OF seoo.
hand aavos weary, wSpired air, % though 10 Wv
nimbleness had been brssthed Iout OF Il IL Is mors
than year snoe waa outside the walls. After
month there stewng in own juice" % tne e'esan'
Bismarck phrases It, then frosen seld then ses Ho
Commune fires, after two sieges ana al tho a
racket and jingle 1t Ia pleasant 70 gos ih'o sao
Leaving Paris By the Lyons rail- iends spoci hoa' ~
the pleasure Of escape. Tho last building you pA'"
reseh the station Is the prison OF hasss fou '0e
getting out Of Jail.
ho.natalitv and taste Consequently he bought bt o
country aeat With spare chamber whcn ne gives ino
n yearly dos-dally invitation to occupy IL nos oVo'y
ouet advantage of the lodgeimr Cowper Wisneo W J
vet holds BY twg It were 10 lemons and tne o'h0f
conyenienoes Of civilization
Bertrand is pure French country vliiaeo
some 300 or 90 souls strong no English, no Ameroan'
eroent INV friend no Psrisans. It Is pleasantly STU
ated on the e,ue 30 miles above Paris three miles beioW
Melun and delightfully."- behind the times IL mas no
peyspaper or lawyer public spirit no notei' vi
mention iu the guide books, or-thank neaVen-suy
sights It 10 charmingy unnteresting Tho low houses
are s built of the kind Of stone and mud ana mot
tar rooted with the kind Of brown tiles, the ony
variation being their moss shsdngs There are indoeu.
two great houses that has grounds and ornamental
gardens Those flank tho village north and SOUTH ono
Is fine mansion lately inhabited by Gen. Latour MAUI
bourg one OF that family Of de Fay Latourhsuooure
that has been furnishing generals TO French armies
ever since Charles ks time. The octogenarian whom
saw one last Summer evening, after tho war was DC
clared feebly walking down an alley OF the gsrden'
should have been vcomte Rodophe, second son OF the
ono Who shared for time Lafayetes captivity at Oh
nuts He entered the army Ia 1906 and was for part In
the victory Of Jena. He lived TO see the Prussans
again. and pay their regulations, and 80 died weary WIN
vhrgfging time and its revenges. Afterwards Prussian
officers feasted In his dining and slept In his death
chamber The other big house, on our north wing mas
magnificent alleys Of ipollarded lindens and other
remnants Of staelness dating from the aneien regime
It Is now the property Of old notary, twice retired
from business and quite behind his wife. He seems TO
have reached the "rellct" condition In ad-
vance He hardly "stands the shadow OF
name"-hls name never reaches our ears un-
less by reflection, with tho prenx: Madame
Lainez An active, notable lady che, who does all the
managing and scOlding. and mastery OF the establish
mont. He Is rarely abroad. One conceves him
remote in some upper room fitted up with desk and
pigconholes still writing wills and testaments for his
amusement-aRd trying on his own. 1t Is remarkable
how many fine old places are now possessed by retired no
taes 1t they have such chances In the course OF
their professional sotivity-what with drawing mar
raee settlements and deeds. and wills. and settling
6StateS-t0 know Wn6n anu VIM DoSG ouoo ouu
Just whom they going at the cheapest.
The land Is friendly for fruit l.. sits to smoke with
me--ths conversational putting is as social as talk
ing and less laborious for warm weather-under MS ng
at under vnecovered sulnmer-house
at the other Of the garden The vines or treses
ripen white grape or eating almost equal to the Chas-
seas Of Thornsry Those the soping hills behind the
village bear dark variety, that makes light rcd wne
potable after year barrel. and most agreeable tho
second year. II of good season. t s really pleasanter
ss we'll as wholesomer table drink than highcass Bur
undes or when these last are pure The
Boissette folks two miles above say that the vino OF
their este 10 better-which we deny.
main road goes through the little heart OF Boissse
La Bertrand BY from Melun there walks daily post
with leathern bag which both for distributing
and receiving office Our house stands on ono sdo the
lower end Of the garden is but stones throw from the
rivers leaning the WALL would be astonished to
know how much profitable leaning that wall bears
we peruse the and donkeys they pass along the
bank below led followed by ancient women arrived at
the bakedappe state and by sunburned children Here
morning and evening" learn the news 1t Is our local
item column-how Berlinguets broken leg getting on,
and how there was another street fight between the
Prussan soldiers and citizens at Melun yesterday and
tree struck by lightning up at Beauieu and Madame
Copn's wellrope Is broke We come to know them all
by name and ask after their health Madame Francose,
and Dortdebrut and Blsncnez Pierre, and Grison and
Desir6e and Le Corbeau and TO have kind OF fellow
feeling with them sbipeds, kline, and asses For my
part feeling touched with envy for that ongeared
artless feowcreaure for the plump, sleekhded cows
calmly orunching the clean grass with such healthy
relish and deep-breathed satisacton-free OF meta
physical botheration to future fires they are
to roast In. At the morning rejection. which s the
longest the and older girls st knitting while the
cattle feed Other bring down their washing TO
the bank. Here and there dler boy patiently
nshes-a lively lazy image Of hope and faith.
k.tkl, alaa,
her husband will get well, by Of dream she had,
and by the wonderful skill Of the Raboteur who manpu
stes hsl broken leg. This Rabote properY patcher
putter together Of ends is cross between our nat
ura bone-setter and the oldtme French Soreier. He
has marvellous knowledge Of herbs and when and where
to pluck them and Of bones and things He did not get
1t from books does not pretend that he ddhas been
helped to 1t perhaps. Any way, his medical practice Is
contrary to law, and that gives 1t quality He comes
from Chay In Briere, kilometres away the other
side Of the river, three times week. and is famous.
STILL Madame Berlinguet says to LIS housekeeper this
morning. her is not well yet, and 1t Is late In the
besides and she would rather not let her have
the root Of parsley to plant In our kitchen garden For
you know II woman does give away root OF parsley
and 1t does die why then her husband is nigh upon
TO die after It," mention this in the interest Of Amer
can wives, something worth trying In place OF cO1u
gal poisoning, that seems to be growing fashionable
AS your own correspondent and only reporter for the
American press at Boisssela Bertrand, should be de-
rect not to speak Of the event Of the daynay Of the
season. Which is L., his walls, the building OF them
walls about three sides Of his newly acquired ground now
rising the division wall between 1t and the old purchase
in demolition, and new house walls about to RISE Ten
men are already employed under Master Mason Barbe,
chief OF the works In stone. Since Barbes own house
was constructed the main street. the year after his
marriage there has been other 80 large enterprise in
hand In these parts For the ways, MEANS processes,
other belongings Of its conduct 1t Is solemn and
curious Every step regulated by statute or customary
laws. Thus for tearing down and cleaning away old
wall to Its foundations exactly half metre below the
surface there Is established price, varying accord
ing to regulated circumstances from little more to