Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-03-19
FATHER GAU0HER'S ELIXIR.
BIZ ALrHossE DAUDEr.
Drink a dfaught of this, my friend,

Drink draught of this, my friend,
and tell me what you think OF it,
The cure of Graveson began carefully,
as lapidary counts his pearls, to pour
out. drop by drop, thimblefuls of
t'liqueur" of golden green color, spark
ling and most delicious My blood was
all aglow after this delicious draught.
"This drink is Father Gaucher's elixir;
it is the Joy and health of the whole coun-
try Of Provence" continued the honest
fellow triumphantly st is made in the
monastery of the Premontres it is worth
ali the Chartreuses IN the world. And If
you only know how entertaining the story
of this elixir is Listen, / will tell it to
you.
Accordingly he began in the most simple
manner-in the dining room of the rectory,
which was go modest, and calm, and
adorned with the whole history of the
cross. and with curtains starched out ike
surpliees-so tell me the story, which was
somewhat irreverent and skeptical, and
rather IN the Erasmus or d Assomy's style:
Twenty years ago, the order of the Pre-
montres. or I should perhaps call them the
White Fathers, for they were always
termed so amongst the Provencaux, were
IN great poverty and misery. If you had
seen their monastery at that time you
would have been quite sorry for them.
The hign wall and the Pacome tower were
falling to pieces grass growing all around
the monastery the pillars splitting; the
stone SAINTS were topsy turvy in their
hooks; there was not window or door
in decent order. The breezes from the
Rhone blew as bleakly as in the Camargne,
blowing out the tapers and breaking the
leads round the windows, and employing
the shells OF the holy water. But what
was the saddest sight of all was to see the
spire Of the monastery as silent as an
abandoned pigeon house, and the fathers,
having no means of buying a bell, were
reduced to ring their mathis by changing
pieces OF wood gathered from the almond
tree.
Poor White Fathers I can still see
them as they appeared at the procession
for the Fese Dieu, and as they passed along
so sadly with their hoods all patched, al
so pale and thin flor their only food was
pumpkins and watermelons) Bringing up
the rear was the prior. all abashed with
his head down, aud appearing quite ashamed
to show his ungilded crosier and moth
eaten mitre in white wool to the sun. The
ladies who belonged to the association
were actually crying for mere PHYS sake,
and the fat banner-bearers were joking
among themselves and pointing at the poor
monks. ''Starlings are always thin when
they 60 about in bands"
The TACT IS, the unfortunate White
Monks mad more than once discussed
among themselves whether it would not be
better to separate and each start in diff
ferent direction in search of gain. One
day as this very subject was being DIS
cussed IN the chapter house message was
brought TO the prior, to ask him to speak
to Brother Gaucher, who was anxious to
be admitted to the council.
You must know that this same Brother
Gaucher was the cow-herd of the monas.
terry that Is to say he spent his days in
driving before him, through the arches of
the monastery, two thin COWS, who sought
their food IL the chinks of the pavement.
He himself had been brought up by an old
woman Who was quite mad, in the country
OF Baux, and she was known by the name
of Aunt Begor afterward he had been
picked up By the White Fathers. The I'M
fortunate cow-herd had never been able to
learn anything more than to recite his
Pater Noster land that he could only recite
IN the Proyeneal tongue), and look after
the COWS, for he was unusually thick
headed and as sharp as wooden beetle"
1t is q true saying that empty casks have
the best sound.
He was fervent christian, although
somewhat dreamy he wore the sackcloth
@oheerfully, and gave himself the discipline
with a full assurance of its efficiency, and
with such force When he made his
appearance IN the chapter-room, in sim
pie awkward manner, bowling to the assem-
oily with one leg behind, the prior, the
canons, the treasurer, all burst out laugh
ing. This always happened when he ap-
peared with his good old face, and with
his goat-hke beard and his foolish eyes so
being accustomed to this hilarity, Brother
Gaucher was not troubled. Reverend
fathers" he began, while ne was twisting
5n his fingers rosary made of olive.stones,
would you believe that by dint of rack
ing my poor head, which ia usually very
empty, think I have discovered way
out of our difficulties? You all know my
Aunt Begon-that honest woman who
cared for me when l was quite a child
God preserve her soul the old sinner, she
used to sing shocking songs when she was
drunkl must tell you, reverend fathers.
that my Aunt Begon was very learned in
mountain herbs, as much so as any cunning
fellow IN Corsica. In order to prove it,
she concoeted, when she was dying, an ad-
mirable elixir composed of five or six kinds
of herbs, which we used to go and pick up
together on the Applies. 1t Is a very long
time ago, but l believe with the help of
ST. Augustine and with the help of the
prior, | could after a diligent search find
this mysterious elixir, We could then
bottle it; and by selling it at good price,
our monastery would become rich, by de-
grees, ike our brethren of the Trappe and
of the GraDde-
He could not finish his sentence, for the
prior had got up and had thrown himself
on his neck. The monks seized him by
the hands; the treasurer, more enthusi-
astic even than the others, kissed with
reverence the tattered border of his robe;
then each one returned to his seat to dis
cuss the matter, and the chapter decided
that Brother Thrasybule was in future to
look after the COWS, in order that Brother
Gaucher might give up all his time to the
connection Of his famous elixir.
How our good brother succeeded in find
ing the recipe belonging to his Aunt Begon,
at what expense of time and trouble, his
tory does not tell US only one thing was
quite certain, and that was that the White
Fathers in few months were quite popu-
lar again. In all the country Of the Com
tat, and also about Aries, there was not a
granary or a wine vault which did not In
Guide among their bottles of old wine, and
bottles of olives Ia picholine, small
brown bottle sealed with the arms of Pro
vence, and with the picture Of monk in
.ecstacies on the silver ticket. Thanks to
the sale of the elixir, the monastery of the
Premontres became rapidly very rich the
monks were able to have the new Pacome
tower raised; the prior bought new
mitre; the church was ornamented with
pretty carved windows and in the finely
lace.sculptured steeple peal of bells,
both small and large, rang out glad sound
on Easter morning.