The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1874-08-06
IacaueS.

may where the nreclpltouS cllHS give
place to rolling, rocky hills, lies the lit
tie numbering village of Chicoutiml.
Here lives Jacques-happy, frowsy lit
tile Jacques. He does not know but
that it is the incest thing in the world
to live so near the north pole that on the
short summer nights the beautiful au-
rora can spread her cold curtain of
shifting silver over him so near that
in winter old North Pole himself can
drop in a neighborly way and bury the
house in snow drifts. Could anything
be more charming, except living hand
and glove with Jack Frost in his ice
cave at the top of the world? Jacques
and have tender pity fer any one
who does not live in Chicoutimi, though
lately Jacques begins to have misgiv-
ings that perhaps Quebec, where the
wonderful steamers come from, may
possess some points of superiority.
Jacques lives in small square house,
perched on the rocky river bank. Why
the high winds that churn the Sague-
nay to mass of white froth do not
blow it away nobody knows. But, like
a huge birds nest, there it clings to the
top Of the rock. 1t is built of two-inch
planks piled one on the top of the
other, and capped by a steep board roof:
Although it looks as if giant had
played at making dollhouse, and then
clapped wooden tent on it. Though
it only boasts one story and one room,
this fully satisfies Jacques. for he is a
social little fellow, and enjoys sleeping
all in one bed in the corner of the
kitchen. Then too the room is magniti-
cent in his eyes, for its unblinded,
wide awake windows are shaded by
paper curtains, gay with blue castles
and red cavaliers. But his mother
is ambitious, and dreams of lift
ing the house up bodily and
tucking lower story under it, as is
the universal custom in Chicoutimi
when one grows well-to-do IN the world.
This gives all the houses a jaunty, en-
terprising air, as if they had just got
upon their legs and were about to start
off around the town for dish of friend
iy gossip.
JACQUES father earns five dollars a
month by hooking in the logs that float
away from the great saw-mill, a quarter
of mile above. 1t is a mere pittance.
Any one but Frenchman would starve
on it, even in Chicoutimi. But there
the French live con nothing week,
and that uncertain very Fish and
onions form the chief of their diet, with
now and then, by way of luxury, a soup
made of bit of gristle and potato or
two. The children grow round and
rosy, but the grown people have lean
and hungry look. Of course they have
bread for standby ; and every other
morning see little Jacques 60 jump
ing, rollicking, singing by, with an i'm
mense loaf carefully poised on his lows
ly pate, or tightly squeezed against his
dirty shirt.
If you should say to him, as l did ::
''You love that bread don't you!' he
would reply, his brown eyes all aglow ::
''Mais, que ce pain est bon Vous
n'avez jamais WI rien CONNIE ca aux
Etats Unis! On ne Ia MULE part ex-
cepte Chicoutimi. Nest ce pas que
les petits garcons chez vous meurent de
faim sans &C pain - which is his way of
saying: "Isn't this good bread, though!
You won't find such anywhere in the
world except in Chicoutimi. Don't the
little boys in the United States starve
without this bread :" If he were a
Yankee boy, we should say this come a
little too near Dragging. But the inno-
cent ignorance and anxiety Of his last
question quite takes away your breath.
And when he brings you thick chunk
of this remarkable bread, in his little,
grimy fingers, you wonder if it is really
made of musty sawdust, that it has
such queer, oaken color and such a
dry, unpalatable taste.
One afternoon Jacques father went
away to stay ali night. His last words
to Jacques were: BE sure not to 60
near the MILL For the mill was a
very dangerous though very attractive
place to little folks. For while JAG
ques amused himself playing on the
logs that were floating in the water be-
side the house. Lying in the river,
loading with lumber were three ships
one from Norway. one from Provence.
and one from South America. Jacques
played his log was each ship by turns,
and visited each country with his cargo
of chips. But playing alone grew mo-
notonus. AS dusk erept on, the saw
mill on the opposite side of the cove lit
up its long row of windows, thr owing
broad lines of trcmulous light across
the black water. To Jacques it looked
like an enchanted palace, and it attract
ed his idle, disobedient feet with ire
.S;stible force.
Perhaps he did not mean to 90 in.
As he explained afterward, he only
thought he would see if Guillaume were
there, because he had something very
particular to tell him. Guillaume' s ia.
Their was one of the night-workers in
the mill; so Guillaume was often there
in the evening: He had repeatedly said
to Jacques: "Mais que c'est magnif-
que :. Visns done attn que je te le
fdsSe roir." Which is French for
-'How splendid it is! Do come and let
me show you round" This invitation
was a continual spur to Jacques curl.
osity. Once he had been in the mill
with his father in the day time: but ia