The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1882-05-25
THE POACHER'S DEATH.
What Happened to Him that Killed
the Deer Under The Greenwood

Il
What Happened to Him that Killed
the Deer Under The Greenwood
Tree.
From the French of Jules MarcAant
My brother and / were passing the lit
tic village of D, on our way to the town
Of R, when the desire seized us to
pay q visit to Maritainc, our good old
nurse, and shake hands with jacques
her husband, who was the first person to
place gun within our hands, and who
taught us to handle it skillfully. I say
this without any vanity. The road we
were pursuing passed within about six
miles of our old friends home; but an
mated by wish to sec these good pco-
pie again, the memory of whom recalled
our happy youth, VIC soon cleared the
distance.
jacques cabin was not one oft},c group
Of houses which composed the village,
but stood alone in the middle of Il large
plain, having (: forest for the horizon,
and nearly surrounded by an arm Of the
river, thus fornlinga peninsula. Wcvcry
soon recognized the tlatchcd roof where
Il few rcd tiles were conspictlously dis
played, while an enormous pear-trec
whose inclining trunk was bl;,ckcncd with
the mildcw Of time, seemed
to threaten it with destruction in
its fall; but there was no
danger, for VIC had often run among its
branches without causing the giant
to bend its body or to
seem disturbed by the violence of our
gymnastic exercises. Our old acluai,,t-
arlcc had not changed III appearance, OK
cept that industrious jacques had built a
pigcon-llousc between IFS two principal
bouglls, and we saw !hc inhabitants of
this aerial dwelling flying through space,
their white feathers glistcning in the sun.
One is never free from apprehension on
returning to Il home Which he has left
some time before. Everything seemed
to be III its ordinary condition. The
smoke was escaping from the chimney in
thin circles, and the tishinytacklc was
hanging up to dry on the branches of the
pc:.r-trce, for jacques was 4 good fisher
man, and what is more, if must say it,
the most skillful and dreaded pOaclcr in
the country.
He WAS 4 man fifty years old, and OF
proud carriage. His closly cropped black
hair showed II rugged brow, where daring
seemed to be written in the deep wink
les. His eyes were SO wonderfully
bright that the peasants believed he pos
scsscd the power Of charming the deer
\ mass of black beard framed his bronze
face, and, finally, he was supple and mus
culur, us all primitive races who arc de-
pendent on their sole efforts to procure
the ncceSSarics Of life
Juytully VIC raised the latch, thinking
OF tho pleasant surprise we were going to
give old Maritalnc, whose dry cough we
heard coming from Il still vigorous chest
On seeing us the poor woman stood still
as it nailed to the spot, and instead oj
the cry of joy which We expected
we were surprised to see two large tears
roll down her emaciatcd cheek.
"Well, mother nursc?" I exclaimed
ARE YOU not clad to sec your two bad
children again?''
The good wo,nan's llcart-brokcn glance
startled us
".Ah, Monsieur Julcs,' she finally sob
bed out: "troublc is in this house. Nv
poor JacIues--'
She could not finish. \ torrent Of tears
.ushcd from her eyes, and sitting down
us if her limbs refused her support, she
leaned her head on her knees, and ut.
tered loud wailings. noticed them that
she held Il strip Of white linen in he,
hand, and glancing round the room, ]
saw a tub III which some bloody clothes
were soaking. \ horrible suspicion
crossed my mind. Was jacques tic vic.
TIM OF one OF those numerous accidents
to which they arc exposed who are in
constant rebellion against the law?
See here, mother" I said. taking the
old woman's hand, IF YOU arc in trouble
perhaps heaven has sent us to YOU al
this moment. But, for PHYS sake sneak
You know you can depend on us rs if we
were your own children."
"Oh, my good boys" she said. at last
Jacques is there, dying, with two bul:
lets>in his body"
.! sprang toward the door to which she
pointed, but she stopped me with an i'm.
plorlng gesture.
"Hc is sleeping Il littlc,' she said soft
~, but when he wakes up I'll tell him
you arc here. Maybe it will do him
some good.'
"But," replied, eff jacques has been
shot, why isn't the doctor here? Per,
liaps the danger is not so great as vo,
think, and with the help of science he
may be saved"
"Monsieur Jules" she said, and t]if
time in a voice in which indignation over
came sorrow, "a dog with /: broken fool
is cared for; but the doctor didn't want
to trouble himself about Jaco,,cs. thf
Poachcr, who has been nearly lnur
dcred."
We were filed with indignation.
Henri l cried, turning to nv broth.
or, run to the village and bring back the
doctor, willing or unwilling. It isn't nos.
sl6lc that a person could be SO cruel as tc
allow one OF Gods creatures to die this
way"
While my brother was executing his
commission with the dispatch of 4 hun
ter twenty-five years old, Maritainc gave
me the following account:
Early IN the morning Of the preceding
day Jacques had gone out us usual to in:
Spect the numerous snares he had set in
the woods. Beside large linen sack. in
which he concealed his prize, he carried
his game-bag and his gun, which never
left him any more than his shadow. The
harvest was only moderate. All the trans
were inspiring except one in which q
fine cock-pheasant was caught jacques
penetrated further into the woods, hoping
to get shot at a buck ora boar. The
night had been rai my, so the wet branch
es Tapped in his face, and his feet were
continually immersed in water. but the
bold hunter cared little for these discom-
forts, and pushed on, keeping his eve on
a little terrier whose w;lgginy tail an
n0unced the recent passage of some kind
81 game; B1bl scents something,
thought Jacques, encouraging him with a
silent jesture,. as, with excessive pru.
dencc. he never, even by chance, raised
his voice in these solitudes whose echoes
would have betrayed his presence. The
frlsky movements of Bibi's tail became
more violent, and he seemed to want to
devour, the grass, plunging his nostrils in.
to 1t: Suddenly JACQUES stopped, and
his dog followed his example. The faint
sound ola hunting horn was borne on the
breeze through the woods.
1.-THE devil! The marquise and his
pack! m4ttered Jacques. ~ don't know
why, but | have a presentiment that bad
luck will follow me to-day" He glanced
at his trusty fowling-piece, and his eyes
frightened. "Forwardv' he said. in a
low voice to Bib. *'The game that God
has made belongs to everybody" ~
Bib recommended the hunt. but not