The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1875-06-26
PICTURES, CHARACTERS,
N'esCs fS-Osss JMteerG0scm.
BY sU BTERRANEAN. .
[CORtiRued from last ICeek. |

ly engaged every day, and have.not the
time to attend to their wives matters,
they happily do not trouble themselves
with their complicated household and
other affairs.
We take leave of the brick mansion and
the wooden shanty, and pass on to pair
Of plain cottages, built as nearly as posi-
BILE alike, on lots which may be termed
twins as far as their dimensions and form
are concerned. But the difference exist
ing between the two houses and their sur
roundings is not surpassed by the differ
ence existing between Pat. Murphy's
shanty and Robert Living's pressed brick
mansion.
Barney Dougherty's Saints Repose"
does not form so great a contrast with the
" Home Of Sinners" as does the house and
surroundings of Jean La Chdud, with the
house and surroundings Of Johda DercdltH.
In the depth Of winter the property Of
Jean reminds one of the middle of sum
mer it looks lively and gay, and warm
among the frosts and SHOWS. In the mid
die Of summer Johan's property almost
makes you shiver to look at it. Every
thing about it Is suggestive of the coming
of those frosts and SHOWS, and everythin
looks as if the winters ravages had hardly
left it. jeans buildings are so well sur
rounded by lattice-works, gdr1ti de treiLtage,
that the heat Of fierce sun is warded of
the house and its porches by the grape
and other vines they bear. Every path in
the small terraced garden behind the house,
looks like tunnel driven through shrub
berry through which are constantly in
motion cool currents of air. These are
laden with the most delicious Of perfumes
they gather from the flowers that grow in
ever spare corner. Ornamental vases Of
flowers on the porches, and flower bearing
vines planted around the bases Of the
wooden columns which support them, send
forth a combination Of net works which
passes the richest and most beautiful of
colors that nature has yet taken the pains
to produce Those beautiful flowers peep
through the green leaves of the vines and
form an inimitable picture Of life illustra-
ted. The vines and flowers aspiring so
high into the air, take none Of that space
which may be devoted to few trees Of
fruits and few beds of vegetables An
apple tree Ia arbre du pomme ct Ia arbrss
du peche, ct du prtnti, are the only trees
which find room to thrive among the hGri-
cots, oig'sors ct Ldit,e, which compose some
of Jeans most favored and relished dishes.
The fences, too, are lined with the goose
berry and current bush, des groseilLes rouge
ct nOir, with here and there a few more
favored specim ems of the rigne du raisih.
You see more vegetable matter growing
in jeans little garden than ever you have
seen before growing in any one else's gar
den having double the space.
Some say that jeans little estate is a
bdgateUe, or that it forms an unnecessary
display of glaring colors but those ''some"
are people who are much soberer OF have
much less vlvacity than our friend Jean,
who enjoys bright colors. His heart fills
at the sight of those bright flowers God
has vouchsafed him, as a birds does at the
sight of a summers sun rising above a
woodland horizon, The flowers with their
gay colOrs, Jean says, comes from God,
and they burst from their buds and spread
their richly painted leaves and assume the
IS snf
shades and cOlOrs, and says:
Here we are 50 jolly and gay,
Coming TO greet We, Jean, for q day;
Blessings from Heaven soon TO return,
Sent from high thy paths TO adorn.
Come and salute while remain;
Come and salute us Jean "
According to this Jean almost worships
bright flowers, and no wonder that he in
dulges in beautifying his home with the
brightest his means afford.
After the frosts have nipped the flowers
off of the vines and the leaves of the
trees, the close trelliswork Of arbor and
porch, which in summer has nursed the
cool draughts Of air, in winter ward of
the keen blasts which sweep over the cold
mountain region.
Johan Dercdulfs house stands unpro-
tected In his lot. 1t has homely coat Of
drab paint, which is used more to serve as
a protective against the weather than for
the sake Of delighting the eye. The hot
rays of the summers sun pierces every
hole and corner Of Johan's landed estate,
containing about three hundred square
yards. The house is unprotected by any
porch. Johan's garden pets are cabbage
and krout and krout and cabbage, varied
with here and there vine of hops. The
fence rails are dnpainted the solitary
foot path is unadorned by bush or vine or
flower. Johan's patch is hot-bed in sum
mer, and when nothing is left of the
krouts but their stalks to stick above the
SHOWS Of winter, the place looks bleak and
uncomfortable. In the winter you find in
Johans cellar q few barrels Of picked
krout, (sauer krOWt and some few bushels
Of hops, which he would not exchange for
the cask of port wine and some of the
choicest Of cider, and . score or two Of
lars of the excellent jams in his neigh
boris. Johan hates bagatelles and jOnjoUs,
and loves sauer krotIt. JohAn hates the
French in general, and Jean Lachand in
particular. But he is not the man to
tread on his neighDor's toes. He minds
his own "pisness Jean always salutes
his neighbor with kindness, Johan grunts
like a schlCine in acknowledgement.
Both men are industrious, they work
hard and receive good pay. They save
money and invest it in good securities.
Both men are over forty, and could, il
they wished, live on the interest of their
savings. Jeans is wirey enduring con-
stitution his figure is 1.-THE, and his mo-
tions are sprightly. Jehan's actions are
dull, his Thoughts are heavy, his disposi-
ton is cold and phligmatic. Nothing in
this world touches Joh&n's nature 90
much as, in the first place, his wonder
full dog, and in the second place his grown
up son. His frau is kind of q machine
to knit, to sew, to cook, to bake, to brew,
to wash, to sweep, to dust and to patch
mining clothes. The weekly routine oi
| work. in addition to that of cooking. Il