Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1879-09-19
UNCLE JEANS STORY.

Louis Berthold, with his hoe upon his
shoulder, walked slowly down the path
toward the potato field. His Uncle
Jean, who was sitting among the hop
vines, smoking, called to him as he
passed:
Where art thou going, Louis?n
The boy stopped and resting his hoe
upon the ground leaned upon it.
'To hoe potatoes" he replied; "but
| don't want to-"
Don't thoup" said his uncle.
Louis looked at him mournfuI ~.
But my mother said | must.n
That is another matter. T,Io Won
me when my mother said !, nonetp nP pn "
"No, Uncle Jean" ...nkly replied the
BOY. l know very little of what hap
pened to you; anr. often think, when l
grow up and become a soldier, that
when l corAo home again 1 will tell the
ooI3 % Oh a.. that happened to me-"
nu;o l have never been a soldier"
sad nis uncle.
No; but you are a sailor, and you
I nave been in many battles. You must
often think Of them, but you never talk
| of them"
His Uncle Jean looked at him gravely.
1t is not fair, is it? There is Gustave
Ballou-his grandfather has many tale
of his old battles, and thou-thou hast
glum and silent old uncle, who never
pirates of days gone by. Well, if thou
/ wilt finish thy work and come back I'll
tell thee of this time when my mother
laid her order on me-"
Louis shouldered his hoe again, and
marched off. He did not hurry because
of his uncle's promise; but he probably
worked more steady. He did not stop
to watch the robins; and the rabbit that
ran leaping over the field was not chased
by him. He thought of the story, and
Hoped it would be q good one, full of
gunpowder and blazing Ships but he
was not sure. His uncle was the dis
appointment of his life-that was the
truth; and, as Louis said it to himself,
he dug his hoe into the ground and cut
a potato in two. When he was little
chap, he was forever hearing of his
Uncle Jean, who had fought so bravely,
and who, it was said, was thanked by
the queen herself. The farmers all
around the country would ask his father,
"What of Jeanp" and out on the green
in the evening, when the young folks
danced and the old folks sat and talked,
there was many tale told of what Jean
Berthold had done-how he had gone to
sea as q boy of all work, and how he had
been made a captain, and had had a
medal given him for his bravery. He
had fought desperate battles; he had
been prisoner; there was no end of the
glorious things told of him; and Louis
often used to wish that it was he, in
stead of his younger brother who was
named after him, for his brother cared
nothing about heroes.
But one day Louis saw from an old
stone fence where he sat watching the
crows, noting how, as they flew, the
wife carried the burdens, that there was
a commotion of some sort at home, so he
at once got down and ran to see what it
meant.
In the great kitchen, surrounded by
the whole family, weeping and laughing,
stood very fat man with blue eyes, a
rosy, laughing face, and dressed much as
che men in the town were.
This was his Uncle Jean! Louis was
so surprised that he could not look glad.
He had often fancied this coming home,
but in his visions his uncle was tall and
fierce. He had long black beard, and
he wore sword and scarlet and gold
clothes, and walked like a soldier and
not like duck. Whether this was a
good picture of French sailor or not,
Louis never stopped to ask himself, but
he knew that it was the way hero
ought to look
OF one thing he was certain--a hero
was never fat. Then, as time passed on,
his disappointment deepened, for this
uncle of his never talked of his deeds
and seemed to take more interest in
home affairs and farm talk than in scenes
of glory.
When Louis finished his work, ht
stood and looked at it. 1t was very
good work There was no saying more
common in the Berthold family than
"Do it now and do your best" ant
Louis had caught the spirit of it. 81
then he took up the hoe, put it in th'
barn, and started for the hop vines t.
find his uncle.
Hast thou fnishedp" said he.
, all finished" said Louis, sitting