Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1884-11-26
Tue POPE's MULE.

OF oil the pretty sayings, proverbs
and adages with which our Provence
peasants embroider their discourse,
know none more picturesque or singu.
lar than this: For fifteen leagues
around my mill, whenever they speak
of vindictive, spiteful man, they say :
"Distrust that man! He is like the
Popes mule, that kept her kick for
seven years."
I have tried for long time to find
out whence this proverb could have
came, what this papal mule and this
kick kept for seven years might be. No
one has been able to give me any infor-
nation on the subject, not even Francet
Mamai, my fifer, who has all the
Provencal legends at the ends OF his
fingers. Francet thinks, as do, that
there must be some old chronicle of the
Avignon country regarding it; but he
never heard anything more than the
proverb.
aYon will And chat nnly In the (irass.
hopper's Library" said the old fifer,
laughing.
The idea seemed good, and as the
Grasshopper's Library is right at my
door. went and shut myself up in it
for q week.
1t is wonderful library, beautifully
arranged, open to poets day and night,
and tended by little librarians with
cymbals, who make music for you all
the time. I passed several delicious
days there; and after week of re,
searches on my back-I ended 10y dis
covering what wished, that is to say,
the history OF my mule, and of this
famous kick which was kept for seven
years. The story is pretty, although q
little simple, and l am going to tell it
to you as / read it yesterday morning
in the manuscript, stained by time,
smelling with the sweet odor of dry
lavender, and with great spiders webs
for book marks.
He has seen nothing who never saw
Avignon IN the time of the Popes.
There never was city like it for
gayety, life, animation, festivals. From
morning to evening there were process
sions, pilgrimages, streets strewn with
flowers and hung with tapestries; car
dinals arriving by the Rhone, banners
floating on the wind, galleys dressed
with flags, the Pope's soldiers singing
in Latin on the squares, the rattles of
the mendicant friars; then from one
end to the other, noisy houses which
crowded around the great papal palace
like bees around hive. There was,
besides, the tic-tac of the makers,
the come-and-go Of shuttles weaving
the gold of the chasubles, the little
hammers of the. silver-smith making
vessels, the trying of sounding boards
at the Observation-Disclosures, the songs of
the loom tenders, from above the sound
of bells, and always from below the
tambourines sounding in the direction
Of the bridge. For with us, when the
people are happy they must dance,
they must dance; and a. at this time
the city streets were too narrow for the
farandole, fifers, and tambourine
players posted themselves on the bridge
Of Avignon, in the fresh breeze of the
Rhone, and day and night the people
danced, the people danced-ah! happy
timel happy city. Halberds which
would not cut, state prisons where they
put the wine to cool! No poverty, no
war! That is the way that the Popes
Of the Comtat governed their people
that is why their people have always SO
regretted them.
There was one aboye all, good old
man called Boniface. All! how many
tears were shed for him in Avignon
ween he died. He was such an amiable,
such handsome prince; he smiled at
you so pleasantly from his mules back,
and when you passed near him--wheth.
or you were poor little madder gath
erer or great city magistrate gave
you his benediction so politely. A
true Pope of Yvetot, and an Yvetot OF
Provence, with something shrewd in
his laugh, sprig Of sweet majorum in
any favoritism. The only favorite the
good father ever had was his vineyard
- little place which he had planted
himself, three leagues from Avignon.
among the myrtles Of Chateauneuf.
Every Sunday, when vespers were
over, the worthy man went to look
After Il, and when ho was up there, seat
cd in the warm sun, his cardinals
stretched about among the tree stumps,
be had . fagon Of new wine opened,
that beautiful ruby wine which has
sver since been called The Pops's Cha
tssunsuf, md hs ifant n u Ettlo sips,
looking tsndsrly II his yinss. Then.
whom the dAgon waS eihptied and the
day declining, he retnrned eheerfully
% the city, followed BY all his chapter,
and when he paasod OYER the bridge Of
Vicnon. q ~ a{6st 81 Il sS bonr.