Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1881-10-03
How She Told a Lie.

ed still narrower and gloomler In Jne
drizzle of the dull November day; and
the ugly pump in the middle of it, with
still uglier statue on the top. mark
ing the place where Jeanne dare was
burnt, had been sore disappointment
to the children. They had come, en-
thusiastic little pilgrims, to see the spot
where their favotite heroine died and
Cousin Eva could hardly get them to
believe that it was the spot-that the
common-looking market-place, where a
few ordinary market-people were pass
ing and repassing, had actually been the
scene of that cruel deed-that from the
very identical houses, brutal eyes had
watched the maid as she stood, the
flames curling round her, clasping the
rude cross which some charitable soul
pushed towards her hand.
'.Do you remember" Cousin Eva
said, show at the last moment she re-
tracted all the false confession of heresy
and witchcraft which torture had wrung
from her, and exclaimed, Yes, my
voices were of God 2 and how, when
she saw the flames approaching her, she
shut her eyes, called out once Jesus 7
dropped her head upon her breast, and
that was all; till they raked up hand
full of charred bones out of the embers
and threw them into the Seine %
The children looked very grave: AT
last they did realize the whole.
81 wonder what kind of a day it was
whispered Cherry: "dull and gloomy
like to-day, or with bright, blue sun
shiny sky ? Perhaps she looked up at il
before the fire touched her. And per-
haps he stood here just where we stand
the English soldier who cried out,
we have burnt saint 7"
"And so she was," said Ruth, with q
culver passing over the eager little face
''a real saint
"But Cousin Eva added Cherry
s'why did she ever own to being q
witch I? and how could she say hel
voices were not true when she believed
they were true? One way or other she
must have told lie"
Miss Cherry was of an argumenta
tive, rather than sentimental turn
She thought a good deal herself, and
liked to make other people think too
so as to enable her to get to the bottom
of things. She could never overlook
the slightest break in chain of practi
cal reasoning; if she had contempt il
this world, it was for weak person, O
a person who told lie. This flaw, ,evel
in her favorite Maid of Orleans, other
wise so strong and brave, was too mucl
for Cherry to pass over.
''Do you not Think said Cousin Ev
"that it would be possible, under stres
of circumstances, to tell a lie-to con
fess to something one had never done
Bishop Cranmer, for instance-have yo
forgotten how he signed recantation
and then thrust into the flames 'tha
unworthy right hand 2 And Galilec
when forced by the inquisition to dc
clare the earth stood still, muttered al
terward, 81 per So matoue.' Yes, yes,
continued she, "one never knows wha
one may be driven to do till the tim
comes. The force of torture is yer
strong. Once upon time, remembe
l told lie."
'.You told a lie p echoed Cherry
looking with amazement into the brigl
sweet, honest face-rosy-cheeked, blu,
eyed-her little cousins themselves ha
not more innocent eyes than Eva's-;
clear and round as baby's.
"But nobody ever tortured you ?
asked tender-hearted Ruth, clinging
the tender hand, which, indeed, 81
never went far away from, in the.
alarming foreign parts"
"No, my little girl; the thumbscrev
the rack and the maiden belong luck
ly, to that room in the Tower where v
saw them once, and we are in the min
teenth and not the fifteenth centur
Still, even nowadays a good deal
moral torture can be brought to be-
upon one occasionally, especially wht
one is only child, as was then. Ar
| was tried sharply-enough to NAL
me remember it even now, and I fe
quite sure if had been Jeanne dare
should very likely have done exactly
! she did Also | learnt, what l have
/ put in practice ever since, that nothil
S makes people liars like disbelievil
, them"
4 q Ruth gave a little tender pressure
the hand she held, while Cherry sa
proudly, "You never disbelieve US, al
:. you never need to But tell US. Cous
e Eva, about the lie you told. Was
denying something you had done,
e owning to something you were quite
5 nocent of like poor Jeanne dare?
It tell You know how we like a story.
= "What, here, in this pelt of rain
/, answered Cousin Eva, as she proceed
to investigate from under her umbre