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

for her younger son, q child OF iour,
was stricken with one of the cruel COM
rplaints that are so often found in Nor
mandy, malady which wastes their
flesh, saps their forces and at last kills
them, the local name of which is car
reau.
One evening, as little Jehan, pale,
weak, his yisage shrunken with pain, lay
moaning in the cradle, while Clotilda
and little Ludwig wers straining at the
bar that turned the milestone, an old
man approached, walkingwith difficulty,
and seated himself at the stone bench at
the door. He was sheltered but indiffer-
entity from the sharp breeze of evening
in the folds of the remnant of Torn
CLOAK, and his bare feet were dusty and
bleeding. He did not speak, but his as
pect spoke for him.
ClotiIda ceased her labor at the mill,
and approaching him said: My fath-
er, you are tired and doubtless hungry (;
God knows there is little enough for the
children and me, but what there ia, ] be-
seech you, come and share with US"
"Be blessed, my daughter" said the
old man, in gentle voice; "you alone
of the whole countryside have opened
your door to me-" And entering the
cottage he sat down to meat, not without
having cast searching and pitying
glance at tine humble surroundings.
Noticing the cradle OF little Jehan, the
old man went to it, took the child in mis-
arms, and laying his hand on its hard
and swollen stomach, pronounced brief
prayer. "There woman" he said,
giving her tine little one, on Whose cheek
the rose of health had suddenly bloomed,
"your child is cured. This work is too
hard for you; hereafter let the water
which runs before your door do the work
for you. 1t will enrich you and they so
long as you and they remain as have
found you, pious, compassionate, auccor-
ing the poor and trusting in God"
At that moment line mean novel shone
with celestial light. The old man was
transformed and became young 8 golden
helmet glittered on his head +; his breaats
plate glowed like flame; he mounted a
white horse that an angel, clad in white,
held al the door; on his shoulders he
wore the same fragment OF cloak the
needy wayfarer had wrapped himself in.
Ciotilda, pressing her two children to
her breast, fell upon her knees, Tor ahe
recognized the great Saint Martini who
often appearedi in Normandy, where still
dwelt descendants of his family.
Saint Martin stretched his hand to-
ward the streanl--toward the hut; his
horse sprang forward, and the vision
vanished in q luminous ray.
Next morning, when Olotilda and the
children awakened they could not be-
lieve their eyes. The little rill had be.
come broad creek and tine shed great
STONE building. Adam stretched across
thes stream, whose pent-up waters drove
hinge wheel that filled the air with its
harmonious tic,tac and turned ak beau
.tiful eets of millst0nes--stones that gave
afnnr 80 fine and white that never had
there been seen its like in all Normandy.
Besides this, the stream watered and
iatteDed tine land through which it
flowed the ieldsit watered yielded triple
crops, and the cattle that paatnret there
throye as none uthers did.
Tine mill of Etretat became famous
Throughout the country. There wss no
farmer 30 far of but he sent mis- grist TO
ii, and aeon Ciotilda's poverty gave place
10 wealth, and she and nsr children died
rich, happy and iull of days, after having
dome great good upon the earth and
neyer having CLOSED their tioors 10 the
po0r.
Long, long afterwards the lpossessor of
the lannon's mill, naturally q descendant
OF tClotilda, was one William tloquin
He Was sich, as none of his ioreiathars
had been, but ne had inherited none OF
their good qualities, being hard TO his
servants, greedy OF gain, naughty
wards his Interiors and pitiless iior the
poOrand unfortunate. "1t,they suffer"
be would cry, cit is because they de-
serve to suffer" Unhappily, all tine
followed his sad and esne
example, 90 prosperous and independent
had EEreIat become. Il
One evening William COguin was en-