The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1879-05-10
The MILL OF ETRETAT.

IhE MlllI Ut lii hEIAIs
Etretat was not always the pretty and
coquettieh little nook it is now, where
l0lk bathe and dance, the piano tinkles
and voices sing day and night. There
was time when bathers did not prone
made the beach in oilskin caps and harle-
Guin suits. Indeed, it is barely thirty
years since the shore knew no other fre-
quenteB than stout, hoarse sailors, fish.
ermen and their wives and little ones
tanned by the sun and salty air and
coatsely clad.
i esore that--so long ago that tine
memory of that time survives hut as a
iamt tradition-Etretat had no need OF
city and fashionabies, the strangers who
yearly go there TO barter their money
tor fresh air. They bring water to the
MILL" tine loeal pruverb hath it, and
water is precisely what Etretat stands
eoreiy in mead of. There folk must
drink the water precisely as they find it,
sometimes turbid, sometimes brackiah,
aRd put their Dependence mainly in the
rains, when with infinite Trouble the tar
nlers ill their cisterns. Indeed, 30 scarce
ls water there that majority of the
country folk nave entirely renowned it's
use, and instead shake their thirst with q
particularly fine ciier, or & particularly
Elgonus brandy.
Once npona time there were no scarci.
ty of water at EIretat
linen in the Giidst OF the ioHiant,
between popiarS, WilASMs and lair apple
trees, ran charming brook that bawled
and mnrmured ngsT iEs pehbiss and
among It's crosses, ant n las. aonaiit the
"a Near the SPOT Rhere aintaer AaSyiIle
now selaas mp ayvsry excellent dian of
iresn fish vita s crazu annee which lis
marvellous
There Was t1en \. Airsla. 8 poor wsr
man, fCeqnin by name, 8 widow, with
TWO children. Her husband. Ludwig
r1an-at,arnas in the s=rvies of the Lord
Of Oriqueto., r&s 60 handsome, 40 ne
spienden;, 80 pnoud in ceasqRe and chi
Fsss, that his companions called him
I1ldrig he Cog, 8 name changed 10 Isnd-
wig 'Coqtiin. and OF which tine rwearer
was deservediy proud.
But Ludwig Coquin, vino had followed
nie lord to the second ,cInsatie, after PER
forming prodigies of vaIor and sending
scores of infidels down to the shades, had
at last fallen in the Holy Land npon the
body of his master, the Lord OF Cirque
Stot, and nothing had ever been heard o /
him, and his poor vile, tClotiida, lived
with her two little ones in extreme
poverty, awaiting the retnrn of him who
was never t. come back.
Upon the brink of the brooklet, hard
by the cot sheowed to the generosity of
the Lord of Cfiqnetnt, was q mean shed
IN which WAS q heavy milestone 10 crush
the corn from which the peasants made
their black bread, but the stone had TO
be turned with the same painful labor
spilled to the fishers capstan on The
beach. This was of little consequence
when the stout Ludwig was there 10 an,
psy his broad breast to the bar, but since
ms departure and since the boat ,of
'Olotilda's father had gone down at sea
with all its crew, the task had been
found well nigh leo ,arduons for the poor
woman, although her eldest son, young
Ludwig, brought willingly 10 her assist.
anee the strengthen his small arms. Only
with the utmost difficulty could ahe OBJ
tain by her LABOR enough to satisfy her
daily wants; nevertheless she endured
her haraships With patience, awaiting
hepefnlly the return of her husband and |
tine growing In strength other boys.