The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1882-03-11

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shade Of an old moss grown tree?'"
Give me your hand,' said Rondeau.
81, too, have hungered for verdure, for
| the open air, and for the warm sun. IF
Won were born on the left bank of the
Seine. I was born on the right. Ny
| long travels have been confined to the
suburbs of the city. Once I went as far
as Versailles. My family accompanied
me to the depot, and our parting was
hsartrending But, by my faith, to-day
that is of no consequence. I have a va
cation, you have vacation. Let Us take
wing, and bless the ministers who have
| given us this leisure"
"Where shall we go? Italy is very
| far
sLet me attend to that. A friend has
| invited me to go and see him. You can
come to Mesangerie with me-.
"But do not know your friend"
81 shall present you and then you can
make his acquaintance.
"Will that sufice?"
"sParbluep Before we were intro
| duced to each other / did not know him
any more than you know him now"
s'That is SO. Where does he liver"
.'In Poitou. Oh, Alphonse Do you
appreciate your good fortune You are
going to behold landscapes which will
not revolve on themselves like the
diorama. We shall roll on the moss and
| in the hay. / shall behold the woods
I, who to this day have seen the elm
| only after being cut into laths."
stLet us start tomorrow" exclaimed
Mesnard, enraptured with this rural
| picture.
row, then, at seven o'clock, at the Or
| leans Station, and may we travel in the
company of charming women, as do the
heroes of romance in the newspapers of
the day"
"Alphonse, forewarn you that I re-
serve the brunette for myself"
''That is fortunate, Gabriel, for love
blondes only"
| commercial drummer, tutor, an army
| officer, and an insurance agent. AS for
charming women, there was not shad-
ow of one. The more beautiful half of
| humanity was represented only by a
venerable gray-haired nun, buried under
| the severe folds of her robe.
| After short stay in the city, the two
| friends intended to proceed to Mosan-
gerie. Between Alphonse and Gabrile
| the following had been agreed upon !:
They would start the next day at five
o'clock in the morning precisely, and the
| first to arouse should awaken the other.
When separating in the evening, Rom
dean said to Mesnard /:
Remember, I depend on your ac-
customed punctuality."
Mesnard answered: ssDon't forget
that I rely on your well-known prompt
| ness"
That is why they did not leave the
next day. The well-known promptness
of the one snored until eleven o'clock.
AS for the accustomed punctuality of the
other, it awakened a little before mid
| day. Taught by experience, they took
| the wise resolution of entrusting to the
servants of the hotel the care of arousing
them at that unreasonable hour wheh
daylight appears and the rag-pickers
skulk away. Thanks to that precaution,
the departure took place on the day
named, and at the minute indicated.
It was beautiful morning in Sep
tember. The air was full of balmy
odors, thousands of little birds few from
branch to branch with lively chirpings
and joyful Tapping of wings, and the
sun, which rose in a sky of purple and
gold, seemed a wonderful topaz taken
from the jewel-boxes of the Almighty.
"How fragrant it is here" said Mes
nard, whose nostrils dilated with pleas
| ure. The fact is, that for two unhappy
noses, condemned to inhale Partisan
dust all the year, this morning odor
was better than all the perfumes OF
Arabia.
"What a beautiful green are the
meadows What rich tints ! What an
endless expanse of emeralds How
pleasant to gaze upon, especially when
one is reduced, like us, in point of ver-
dure, to the olive coat of the head clerk
and the leather cushion of the second
clerk"
miserable man! Why do you speak
of second clerk and head clerk ?" inter
rupted Rondeau. ST am no longer
clerk; am shepherd, and answer to
the pretty name of Nemorin. I would
give the fattest and whitest lamb of my
future flock to hear an air performed on
the flute, the shepherd's-pipe or the bag
pipe. It seems to me that all other
sound would be misplaced in this beau
tiful country. All, heavens p
"What is the matter? %
'sCan believe my eyes?"
"One can always believe his eyes. But
what is the matter with you ?''
ga flock of sheep, of real sheep, is
coming this way. Why, instead of
browsing on the tender grass of the field
do they travel like us, in the dust of the
road Let us ask the shepherd"
Having hastened forward they ap-
preached an individual of wicked mien,
who did not carry crook, but instead,
his left hand was armed with formida-
BILE club.
shepherd Cordyn," said Gabriel,
'slet us rest a moment in this charming
spot. While we are taking shelter in
this old beech tree, your lambs can Craze
on the thyme and towering cytisus, and
then they can quench their thirst in the
stream of pure water"
The shepherd Corydon fastened on his
interlocutor look of suspicion, and
twirled his club menacingly
"What What r said he; ''I have no
time to gabble. They are waiting at the
slaughter house for me and my compan-
ions. / am not Corydon; am butch
er. a couple of fools r he grumbled,
while moving off. sneering at them.
The two men walked on for some time
in silence. Suddenly. and with one ac-
cord, they stopped and listened.
"A thrush" said Mesnard in low
voice.
mo; it is nightingale. What light
ness in its roulades What grace in its
trills r.
ssWhat melodious accents p
Must I acknowledge it to you'll
have meyer seen q nightingale"