The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-02-13
Breton ParsimOny.

Breton ParsimOny.
Jean, our farmer, is worth at least
10000 francs, or G8OO, no mean sum
for workingman even in England,
yet his one desire is to increase his
| store and he never dreams of pro-
curing any winter comforts. His is
not at all special case, although he
is dying in a rapid consumption.
Two years ago the doctor told him
that he must give up exposing him.
self to cold and damp or he would
soon die; yet he has not given up,
and as a consequence he is dying. A
few days ago heard that he was
very i'll in bed, splitting blood, SO !
paid him visit, and found him very
bad indeed. His room was wet as
wet could be; it had no curtains, the
front door was wide open, the fire a
| few hot Goals of wood, which were
kept there to be blown into fame
when needed for cooking or farm
purposes. He had no medicine, no
special food, but was living like the
others on black rye bread and buck
wheat galettes or pancakes. told
him how i'll I thought him in the
presence of his wife, and in the night
he alarmed her by vomiting blood,
so that she came to me in the morn
ing crying, and asking what she
ought TO do for him.
l told her to get him warmth, meat,
soup and other comforts, and she
went just as far as this: she bought
two pounds weight of white bread.
When this white bread came home,
her mother (Jean's mother-in-law), },
who lives with them, went INTO a
passion and sulked all day long, as
she declared that it was wild eXtrav.
agance. You must know that for
days [ had sent him soup. meat and
pastry from my own table, partly
because could not bear to see the
man dying before my eyes from
sheer want, for he could not eat the
ordinary coarse food, and took moth
ing at all. They received all my
gifts almost without thanks, and
never stirred hand or foot to get any
thing for themselves until the day
when Yvonne bought the white
bread. Well, on that day when her
mother was raging, she came crying
into the kitchen, and told my bonnie
how she was tried. The bonnie told
me at once, and protested that I
ought not to keep on sending food to
a rich man, vino was miser and sur
rounded by two miserly women,
while real poor might be stretching
out their hands for help. l replied
that I had never refused to help any
real poor yet, and that l intended to
continue my help to Jean, notwith
standing his miserly behavior, as [
could not see man die of want
while had enough. But l told her
to scold Yvonne we'll, and to tell her
that she ought to do her duty by her
husband, and if necessary turn her
mother out of the house, especially
as she was a rich woman and we'll
able to keep a home of her own.
Now mark Yvonnes reply: 'Ah, I
can't do that, because my husband
may soon die, and then I shall want
my mothers help" Mark, l say,
this reply-its utter selfishness, and
say is there any real depth, any real
worth in such characters as these ?
think not.
The weather changed, and Jean
has for little moment got better,
but he cannot live many months;
already he has been out in the rain
and in few days will be in bed von,
iting blood again. When very bad
indeed, his wife besought me, as l
was going to the doctor ten miles
away myself, to ask for some remedy
to stop the blood splitting of Jean. /
did SO, and explained also the condi-
tion of the house and family. The
doctor, who is very clever fellow,
told me that he knew them all well,
and that there would be a very evil
day for Yvonne soon. I said, "Will
the man die very soon ?" eyes!
said he, but that is not the evil day
/ mean; there will be a far moro un-
happy day for her when she comes TO
me after he is buried to to pay my
bill."-Ihe CornhiH.
| ExHAUsTING THE SoIL.-There are nc
soils, however rich, that with continuous
cropping not in time wear out.
With some soils It is true, great liber-
ties may be taken IL the cultivation OF
crops without regard to judicious ro-
tation, and even growing the same crop
several years years in succession on
them; but this cannot be kept up con
tinually. A day will surely come when
!! the richest soil under such treatment
will be despoiled of its fertility and fail
to respond to the drafts made upon it.
It is the inexorable penalty that follows
an abused law of nature. It is q lesson
which science long since taught, but
hWhie has to be learned by dear bought
iag1in and again as one gener
another,