The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1876-01-29
Philemon and Baucis.
FROM THE FRENCH.

bit of % lard, rs they called ii (being
the old Anglo Norman word for bacon
for dinner (helped out with hard bread
and tea, certainly not likely to produce
nervousness by the formidable character
of the brew and stir-a-bout for supper.
They We're aged, and they were abed
with the birds-past seventy Years of
age, both; they were bright. with all
their faculties unimpaired; and they
were as happy as any III the parish. AMI
mayhap. far happier.
Their only general companion was
Keesy, the raven, and a very old draggle
tail he was.
A strange name, it may be said, and
it certainly was keesy was short for
Lachesis. and assuredly the raven had
never received this weird name from old
Phil and old Bess.
Lachesis had been given them by the
only son and heir. if heir he could he
called, of the last lord of the manor.
The Manor House stood not quarter
of - mile away and had been left to the
echoes fully ten years, when, upon one
autumn evening, the last leaves were
drifting off the trees, and the good old
souls We're drawing around their first
fire, for being poor they had done with
ont friendly wood blaze as long as they
could.
The raven was h piping abont looking
out knowingly, first from one side of his
head and then the other, after the man
ner of birds in general. and ravens in
particular.
& 1 l, 4 a1x-
now, dame, said old Phil, tapping his
knees and looking about with that dazed
air which is always a sign of intense yet
patient hope indefinitely deferred.
Little Phil 'ull be five years" said
the old woman, with the sweetest of all
smiles, that of honest, CHEEKY age; ''and
my little Bess will he joost four"
They looked at each other and sighed
whereupon the raven croaked and went
ont. He has evidently had something
on his mind for days.
The old people thought it must he the
pulling down of the ancient Manor
House which depressed Keesy for the
bird had been the oldest inhabitant of
that handsome place for very many
years, when the last Of the Bradnalls
left England forever.
1T be on his mind" had the old man
said.
And, indeed, it was on his and old
Besss mind too, for tho Manor House
had always been their loved nook all
their lives. They had both been born
almost within its shadow: they had pad
died about as baby sweethearts; had
grown up; married; become honestly
proud of two sons; and there they were.
at past seventy, whole and hearty, but
desolate and alone.
Oh, they might have lived better. had
they thought fit; but to understand why
they kept themselves SO "loW," their
history must be told, in as few words as
possible, we promise You.
Ten years before, when they were Just
sixty, their two sons were aged respect
lively nineteen and twenty years of age
for they had not married until they
were thirty, and were childless for eight
or nine years--the last of the Bradnalls
offered the good old people to take their
two sons ont to Australia with them.
Look here" he said; "they are like
my young brothers, for I'm only four
and twenty, and l have often carried
them on my back, and we have fought
and fished together often. England is
no place for poor people. They are
poor, and | am as poor as they-for a
gentleman. Tn thinking that my
family blood wants change. Once we
owned twelve Thousand acres in this
county, and don't own three hundred,
and shall sell them, and, if you like.
your boys can come with me. | shall
leave the old Manor House to look after
itself and You will take care Of kcesy-
poor old keesy! Why he must remem-
Der when we were rich folks. Take care
of keesy. We shall soon make our for
tunes and then we will send over for you
two, and we will all be happy together.
What do yon say?"
What could they say but yes?-for
though but poor cottagers, they were
wise enough to know that it would be
selfish on their parts to keep the two
hardly endured boys from better for
tune.
So il WAS eyes," though hard indeed
it was to part from their two boys just
as they were being useful men. and as
the old people were just turning into the
vale of years.
The three men went away; Bradnall,
the active and last descendant of fine
old house, rightly feeling he had done
good thing in helping two honest fell
lows to better and happier life in one
of the new worlds, than in all proba-
bility they could have led in the old.
The young squireen went out into the
steerage with the two young laborers,
and. therefore, he began well. But
fortune Is proverbially tickle, and it was
eight years before fortune really smiled
upon them as fortune, although the