The Arkansaw traveler., 1886-02-13

wisest of your books can tell you. At last, before she died, she succeeded in compromising an elixir distilled from the juices of five or six of the simples we used to go together to pick upon the mountains and in the fields. Oh, such a smell and such taste as the mixture had when fin- ishedl It was like balm. This, as we know, happened many years ago, but I've been thinking that by the aid oi St. Au- gustin, and with your permission, holy fathers, l might be able to find those herbs once more, and succeed in making the elixir. Then there would be only to bottle and pack it, and the sale would enrich our brotherhood, just as it has done our brothers of La Trappe and de la Grande."
 Catcher had hardly got these words out of his mouth when he was surprised by the prior falling affectionately upon his neck, followed in turn by all the can ons. The treasurer, more deeply touched than any of them, kissed the bare spot in the middle of his head. Then the holy fathers returning to their chairs, deliber. ated long and sagely upon the new sug- gestion, ending by issuing decree that to Brother Thrasybule should be in- trusted the care of the convent COWS in order that Brother Catcher might be- stow his exclusive attention upon the im- portant confection of the elixir that was to make their fortunes.
 Exactly by what method the worthy monk succeeded in recovering the recipe taken to her grave by Aunt Begon is no, chrcnicled in history. Certain 1t is, how ever, that by the end of the six months following the elixir of the White Fathers was already in demand. Not a country house of any pretension in all the sur rounding region that could not show up- on the cupboard shelf, side by side with the bottles of homemade wines and of little green olives packed in oil, a small earthenware jug, sealed with the arms of Provence, and having the device oi a monk in religious ecstasy, upon a silver label. Thanks to the instantaneous suc- cess of the elixir, the monastery of Pre- montres grew rich in short order. The tower was rebuilt, the walls strengthened the prior had a new mitre and shining cross, splendid windows of stained glass were put into the chapel, and by the time Easter came around again an entire chime of silver-voiced bells had taken refuge behind the lace work of the carved stone belfry to waken the merry morn into sweet rejoicing.
 As to poor old Brother Catcher, the laughing stock of the chapter, he was known no more within those holy pre- cincts. His place was taken by the Rev. Father Gaucher, a man of weight and wisdom, the nature of whose absorbing occupations kept him of necessity apart from the common round of daily labor. During the day he remained closeted in his laboratory snuffing the sweet smell of luscious distillations while thirty monks of lower degree secured the mountain side to search for herbs. It was an old forsaken chapel at the extreme end of the canon's garden, and the simple credulity of the brotherhood had invested the spot with certain veil of mystery not un- mixed with awe. One little acolyte, bolder than his fellows, succeeded in screwing up his courage SO far as to climb on stout vine that grew around the window, and take peep within; but the spectacle of Father Gaucher, bent over his furnace, measuring glass in hand, while white vapors arose around his ven erable figure, inspired the watcher with sudden terror, which was not lessened at sight of the queer jars of red stoneware, the serpentine tubes of glass, the gigan. tic stills, by which he was surrounded. suggesting sorcerer's retreat.
 At twilight, when the Angelus was sounding, the door of this awful place uyne 10 .L IL father on his way to evening prayers You should have seen the greeti. 2 they gave him in the monastery hall Form ing into two rows to allow him to pass ahead, the brothers looked with admir- ing reverence upon this import ant per sonage, saying to each other, "Hush 1 He only has the secret of our power" Even the treasurer made haste to join Father Catcher, and would walk humbly beside him, talking in an undertone. In the midst of this delightful adulation the worthy father, wiping his brow with q handkerchief of yellow silk, while his large three -cornered hat was set back like an aureole upon his head, looked about him with an air of extreme com. placenoy at the green yard, planted with orange trees; the newly slate roofs above which twirled bran-new weather cocks {: and chiefly at the cloister-now scou, ed to snowy whiteness, where the placid faces of wellfed monks appeared wear ing their fresh habiliments with conscious grace.
 They owe it all to me-" said his rev. erence within himself, and at each repe- tition of the phrase pride arose until it fairly choked his utterance.
 For this sin our poor Gaucher was des. tined to be punished, as you shall see.
 One evening he arrived at vespers after the office had begun in a most extraordi- nary state of agitation-red, breathless, his capuchin awry, and so absent- minded that in touching tho holy water he dipped his hands into 1t to the wrists At first they supposed the good father to be an- noyed because of his failure to appear in time. Bat what was one to think when, shooting across the church like meteor. Father C .urhAr vva a Ja AA>~ aI,s os;.~. .>