Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-10-30
TIE JUDGES WOOING.


slept for twenty-five or thirty years through
the clamors Of the advocates on his circuit,
had obtained the favor of Withdrawing to
his snug villa, situated on the kusnacht
was enjoying himself under the supervis-
ion of his old housekeeper, Therese, de-
voted person with crooked nose and a
chin garnished with thin, grey beard.
These two, full of Indulgence for one
another, respected their reciprocal manias.
Therese looked after the household admir-
ably. ironed the linen, and took care to
renew Monsieurs stock of tobacco, shut up
in large stone jar, after which she was al
liberty 10 attend to her birds, read her
prayer book and go to mass.
Monsieur Zacharias was approaching his
Goth year, wore wig, and had no other
distraction than 10 cultivate few flowers
and read the morning paper. This was
well enough for time, but there came a
mornAg when the world seemed blank.
He said to himself that he needed some
thing more exciting than to watch flower
pots in a window and befog himself in the
mazes of stupid politics. He was very
thoughtful for some days, but one evening,
after supper, bright idea came into his
head. y have it; l will go fishing" he
cried, clapping his hands so loud that
Therese called out from the next room,
What is the matter, monsieur? One
might think you had fit.
The idea thus suddenly born proved to
be stubborn one and the morning on
which Monsieur Seller first set out, pro-
vided with pole, big straw hat, fishing
bag, and other accessories, was a veritable
affair of state. Therese was greatly dis
pleased at this new turn in affairs. She
muttered 10 herself and had moments of
Impotence and was obliged to go to con-
fession twice oftener during a month than
had been her custom. But, for all that,
she was forced to conform to the new order
ofthings.
For example, whenever monsieur was
seized with desire to 90 fishing, the excel.
lent man. who deplored to himself his
feebeness, would look up at the sky, and
say with q melancholy shake of the head
4" It is very fine this morning, Therese.
What weather. Not drop of rain for three
weeks :"
Therese would allow him to languish for
few moments, then, LAYING aside her knit
ting and her prayer book, she would 20 to
find the fishing bag, the waistcoat, and the
big hat OF her master. Then the old Judge
would become animated he would rise up
briskly and say:
This is an excellent idea of yours, The
rese. Yes ! will go fishing
&" Very well, monsieur, but be sure to re-
turn al 7 o'clock. The evenings are cool
now"
One day in the month of July. 1915 to-
ward o'clock in the afternoon, Zacharias
found his fishing bag so full of salmon
trout that be did not wish to take any
J. 10, l., oIf -
necessary 10 leave some for the next day.
After having washed his fish in neighbor-
ing spring, and wrapped them carefully in
so-rel to keep them fresh, he felt so sleepy
that he thought be would take a nap in the
heather and wait until the shadows were
lower to mount the side of Bigelberg.
Then, having broken his crust of bread
and moistened his lips from his little bot
tie he clambered fifteen or twenty steps
below the footpath, and lay down in the
shade OF the fl trees upon the moss, his
eyelids growing heavy.
Never had the old Judge been so sleepy.
The oppressive heat of the sun, darting his
long arrows of gold into the shadow of the
wood, the murmur of insects upon the side
of the hill, in the meadows on the water,
the distant cooling of ring doves squatted
under the sOmber shade of the beech trees,
formed such a grand harmony that the
soul of Zacharias melted away in the uni
yersal concert. He yawned, opened his
ewes, and saw a troop of jaybirds travers-
ing the foliage; then turning he thought
he saw the cork on his line whirl and
descend salmon was caught; he was
pulling il ont; the pole bent in a semi-cir-
Gle. The good man was sleeping pro
foundry. He dreamed and the vast or
Chestra pursued about him its eternal music
as the time passed on.
A thousand animated beings had lived
their life OF an hour when Monsieur the
Judge, awoke at the whistle of some bird
he was not acquainted with. He sat up to
see, and-csnceive his surprise. The strange
bird was a young girl of II or Is years old,
with rosy checks and red lips, her brown
hair floating in long tresses, "a little turned-up
nose, a short petticoat of the color of corn
poppies-a young peasant girl who was de-
scending from above by the sandy foot
path OF Biegelberg, basket poised on her
head and her arms sunburned, but round
and plump, resting on her hips. At sight
of her Zacharias was deeply moved. He
blushed and rising said, Good day. my
beautiful child ~
The young girl stopped, opened her eyes
wide and recognized him, for who in all
the country did not know the worthy Judge?
Hi ~ said she with a smile, - this is
Monsieur Zacharias Seller /"
The old man assembled into the path. He
wanted to speak, but he only stammered
some unintelligible words, like very
young man. so that the young girl appeared
much embarrassed. Finally he made oui
10 say
Where are you going through the wood
at this hour, my child?"
She pointed out 10 him in the distance, al
the bottom OF the valley, the house Of 8
forester.
u am returning to my father, Yer
Monsieur Judge"
So you are the daughter of the worthy
Yeri? You are the little Charlotte o.
whom he often speaks when he brings me
his reports
Yes Monsieur Judge
Every well, | will accompany you home
| should like to see the worthy Forester
again. He must be getting little old ~
II is about your age, Monsieur Judge,
said Charlotte, simply; about 60 year;
old"
This artless response brought the good
man TO his senses. and as he went along be
became very pensive. What were hi:
thoughts? No one knows. But how many
times it has happened that a good ano
worthy man, who imagines himself to have
discharged all his duties, has finished by
discovering that he had neglected the
greatest. the hottest, the most beautiful o
all, that OF marrying in his youth goot
and noble woman, and remaining true anc
loving to her ever after. And what it cos
him to think it was now too late
Soon Zacharias and Charlotte reached
the turn in the valley where the patti
passed over little bridge, and led direc
to the forester's house. That worthy mar
was seated on the stone bench by his door
with a sprig of broom corn in his hat anC
two hunting dogs stretched at his feet, an6
recognizing with his piercing eye the Judge
and his daughter in the distance, he came
to meet them, raising his felt hat i'll saluta
ton.
Good day. Monsieur Judge" said he
with the frank and cordial air of thu
mountaineer. what happy circumstance:
procures me the honor of such visit
Master Yeri, " replied the good man, 90
have tarried in the mountains until il i:
too late to go home. Have you little
corner vacant at your table, and bed a
the disposition of friend?n
Hey ~ cried the forester. if there was
but one bed in the house. should it not bt
for the best, the most honored of our an
Gent magistrates of Stantz? All, Monsieur
Seller, what an honor you do to the hum
-Fr-f