The daily gazette., 1882-04-20
LAO, THE PIPER.
BY W. HUGHES.

Anu nSm Wihu OaAAd tkUEM tuo DUuE~
du side, and the stars appeared in the
sky. The young maidens were mak~
ing their way toward their farms,
wearing on their fingers the leaden
earrings which their lovers had bought
for them at the pardon. The young
men came across the heath. singing
the Les Brfsg | Time passed by. 0ne
heard no more the sOn0rOus voices Of
the young men. Ole saw NO longer
the white dresses of the young girls.
1t had become night.
And yet Lao appears with . joyous
band at the entrance .of the deserted
heath-Lao, the celebrated sonneur,
who came from the mountains to
manage the dance at the pardon Of
Armor. His vlsage Was as red as a
March moro, his black hair floating
at the will of the wind; aud he car
ried under bis arm his bag-pipes, the
sounds of which would urge even the
old women in their sabots TO dance.
They had arrived at a cross-road,
known by the name ofthe "Warniug,"
where there was erected . cross of
granite, covered all over with moss.
The women stopped, and said {:
'Let us take the footpAth which
descends towards the sea-"
But Lao pointed out, at the top Of
the hill, the steeple of Ploujean, and
exclaimed /:
''If 1t is there that we are going,
why cannot we cross the heath 7"
The woman answered
"Because, on the middle Of the
heath, Lao, there is q town Of the
Korigans, and TO pass near it, without
danger, one should be free from SIM"
But Lao burst out laughing.
"By Heavens / have already re.
ceived absolution thirty times ON tax
ing the sacrament at Easter. have
travelled all night over the roads Of
the paTdOHs, and / have never seen
your little, black men counting their
money by the light of the moon, as
they tell you In the chimney corners.
Show me the way which leads to The
town of the Korigane, and / shall 60
and sing to them all the days OF the
week."
But the women all exclaimed awe
must not tempt God, Laol Gcd has
placed some things in this world which
we ought to be ignorant of, and others
which we ought 10 fear. Leave the
Korlgans to dance around their houses
of granite"
"Dance p repeated Lao; ''then the
Korigans have also their pipers.n
ssVery WE'LL" said the m0untaineer,
81 wish them to nave to-day better
music. shall cross the heath playing
the most beautiful JdbGddOs Of Cor
nouaille."
Thus speaking, he took his pipes
and began to make his merry cadences
heard, and followed boldly the path
which showed itself like white line
across the dismal heath. The af-
frighted women made the sign of the
cross upon their persons, and then de.
scended the hill.
Nevertheless Lao walked on without
fear, all the while playing his pipes. As
he advanced, his heart became more
courageous, his blowing much stronger,
and the sound ascended more pieTeingly.
He had already passed over more than
half the heath, when he obssrved before
him the Henhir, which reared itself 10
the night like tall phantom, and fur
ther on the house of the Lorigans.
Lao began TO blow less strongly ; his
eye wandered uneasily from the right
/ to the left of the heath. Ohe would
have said that the clumps of heath were
alive, everything seemed 10 be in
motion, and moved on in the darkness
In the form and shape ofhideous dwarfs;
voices became more distincg. All of q
a sudden the moon arose, and Lao, u,-
II N. III Ioek
right hand, behind, befJre, everywhere
as far as the eye could see, the heath
was covered with Korigans, running
about. Lao disOayed, retreated even to
the Menhir, and supported himself
against 1t, but the Korlgans, having pre-
CeiVed his flight, surrounded him, and
cried with their sbrill voice: "It Is the
splendid piper Of Cornouaille who has
come to make the Korigsus dance.
Hurrabl hurrahl hurrahp
Lao resisted In vain; ruled by q magic
power, he felt the pipes approaching his
lips, he played the dance in spite Of him
self; the Korigans surrounded him IN
their rounds, and.at the end of each tune,
when he wished TO stay and take rest, all
Joined again In chorus.
"Plpe, splendid pipe, pipel and LAID
the dance of the Korlgans. Hurrah
hurrah hurrahp
Lao continued thus the whole night,
but as the stars became paler In the sky,
The sound of the pipes became mol 9
feeble, his feet were lifted up with more
difficulty from the ground; at last the
dawn of day llghtened the eastern hori-
zon; the growing Of the cocks was heard
in the neighboIing farms, and the Kori-
gans disappeared.
Then the piper CT the mountains fell
down without breath at the foot of the
Menhir; the pipes detached themselves
f'om his parched llps;his arms fell upon
his breast, never more to rise again, and
voces repeated In the ali:
"Sleep, splendid piper, sleepl thou
hast led The dance of the Korlgans; thou
shalt never lead again the dance oi
Cbrlsliapsl Hurrah huIrahl"
Jesse James HIurderers.