Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-04-16
1870 80
THE PEASANT rANDI4tWHR.
Translated from the French rof Hmile Souvestrc 70
MOore's Rural New orker

Il HellTTInapuIacCurlng or maritime, 1ntell1-
gent or frivolous, they always reveal by
habitapts. Go Through .Rouen, Lyons
IBrfst Or Strasbourg. and hok around you.
Everything which strikes your eve will be
a revelation of tastes and habits; the his
tory of each population will be found, as
one might say, written in the streets. One
is especially struck with. this truth in Wis
ltlng Nennes. 10 see Its grand ediflces,
with their magisterial air, its promenades,
with scarcely here and there some pensiye
reader, YOU recognize at once the capital of
old Breton Duchy, the old seat of Parlia-
ments, the city of study, where all the
thoughtful youths of the province come to
cultivate their minds, for the prevalent air
of Rennes us FgraVity !; the whole city is
calm and severe as judgment hall, and
indeed it is the dwelling place. of the law
There yousfnd its templeI its high priests
and its most fervent worshippers. They
resort hither from the most remote parts of
Brittany to seek, counsel ! To- come to
Rennes without consulting lawyer ap-
pears as impossible TO a Breton as it would
! have been to Greek to pass the temple of
Delphos Notwithstanding the Pytho-
ness.
This was as true towards the end of the.
last century as it is to-day, and especially
of the peasants, a race rendered timid by
experience and accustomed to take pre-
cautions. So then it happened,I one day,
that farmer, having come to Rennes for
some bargain, concluded after his business
WAS finished, that as hesstill had some
bours Of leisure, 1t woultlbe well for fim
| to employ them in consulting a lawyer.
He had often heard M. Potter de la Ger
mondaie spoken of, whose reputation was
so great that cause WAS deemed already
gained, if itWefe. supportedk bya his opin-
ion. The peasant asked his address and
repaired to him in st. George street. The
clients were numerous, and Bernard had
to wait long time at last his turn came
and he was introduced. M. Potter de Ia
Germondaie signed to him to sit down,
laid his spectacles Oh the desk, and asked
WIZ Faith ii SSe Adv said tie farmer,
twisting his hat, 81 have heard so much
talk of you that, as was here, thought
would take the chance of consulting
you." -
81 thank, you for your confidence, my
friend,' said NJ. GermOndaie "but have
some suit, / suppose?
Suit 2 i abominate them, randi Peter
Bernard never fhad7 az word with any
body"
I'll, Then n, it is aettlemsate a. family di-
Excuse me, Mr.. Advocate my family
and myself have never had any division to
make, seeing we eat out of the same cup
board, as they say"
es'It concerns SOME purchase Ter sale,
then ?''
"Oh no indeed / am not rich enough
to be, nor yet poor enought to have to sell
outu
, but what do 70. want with me, then ~
Oh, well! have told you, sir" replied
Bernard, with loud, embarrassed Taught i,
~ want an opinion-for money, under
stand-because am here, at Rennes. and
I must profit by the OCCASION"
NJ. Germondaie smiled, took pen an Id
paper, and asked his uame.
"Peter Bernard" said he, happy to be
understood at last.
"Your age?n - n
s'Your profession ?p
"My profession ?-oh, yes; what l do?
am farmer"
The lawyer wrote two lines, folded the |
paper and handed 1t to his strange client.
'tIs it finished already 2" cried Bernard !;
'oh, well that's lucky Zone has not time
to grow mouldy, as they say. How much
is. it worth, this opinion, Mr. Lawyer?ni |
"Three francs.r
his foot and went out, enchanted with hav-
ing profited by the occasion.
When he reached home it was already |
four o'clock. The trip had tired him, and |
he went in determined to rest.i However,
his hay had been cut two days before, and |
was completely dry. One of his boys |
came to ask if he must bring it In. 'This |
EVENING"" interrupted the farmers wife, |
who had Joined her husband; sit would |
be shame to go to work SO late, when you |
could do it tomorrow without firing your |
self" The boy remarked that the weather |
might change, that the teams were ready |
and the hands unemployed. The wife re- |
piled that the wind was from a good quar- |
ter, and that the night would soon inter |
rupt them.
Bernard, listening to both sides, did not |
know how to decide, when Suddenly he
recollected the lawyers paper. "Stop
ion here; it is from famous man, and
cost me three francs. That ought to settle |
it, Let us See ftThefese, tell us what ftsays, |
you who can read all writing"
The wife took the paper and read, hest
tatingly. these two lines: "Ncuer PIT off
till tomorrow schat you can do to-day,nn
'ThereI it ISL cried Bernard estn6lzsas
with'a ray of light. & COME, get the carts,
quick! Girls, boys, let us get in the hay"
Still bis wife tried to- makeE objections,
but he declared that people did not buy an
"opinion" for three francs for nothing,
and they must follow the lawyers advice.
He himself set the example at the head of
his laborers, worked until 9all the hay
was got in. The event seemed sent on
purpose to prove the wisdom of his con-
duct, for the weather changed during the
night, asudden storm burst over hevflIageJl
and the next day at dawn they, perceived
the river Overlooking the meadows and
carrying off the new cut hay. The harvests
of all the neighboring farmers were COM
.pletelys destroyed r Bernard alo1elslost
nothing. This first experience gave him
such faith in the lawyers opinion that
conduct, and became, thanks to his regu-
laEifya and diligene Zone fof the ri6ljstj
.far11efs Of the country. He never forgot,
either, the service M.-Germondaie had
rendered him, but carried hinl every yeaf
from gratitude, d couple Of his latest fowls,
and was accustomed to say 10 his height