The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-11-04

I Ou remember old Renaude who was
here last year? She was a goat! as
strong and as violent as hegoat. She
fought with the wolf for whole night,
and in the morning the wolf devoured
her."
''Pecaire! Poor Renaude! But that
makes no difference, Monsieur Seguin;
let me 60 up the mountain"
my goodness!'' said NJ. Seguin.
.'What can possess my goatsp Here is
another for the wolf to eat. But
won't have it. will save you in spite
of yourself, little jade, and for fear you
should break your cord, l shall shut
you up in the stable, and there you
shall stay"
And thereupon M. Segnin carried the
goat into a dark stable, and shut the
door and locked it. Unfortunately he
forgot the windows, and as soon as his
back was turned the little goat made
her escape.
You laugh, Gringoire? l dare say!
You are on the side of the goats,
against good M. Seguin. We shall see
whether you will laugh presently.
When the white goat reached it, the
mountain was filled with delight. The
old fir trees had never seen any thing
so lovely. They received her like a
little queen. The chestnut trees bent
down to the ground to caress her with
the tips of their branches. The golden
broom parted before her to let her pass,
and sent out its sweetest smell. The
whole mountain rejoiced over her.
You may imagine, Gringoire, wheth-
er our goat was happy. No more
tether, no more stake. Nothing to pre-
vent her gamboling about and brows-
ing at her own sweet will. What
grass there was there! Over the tops
of her horns. Such grasses, thousands
of different kinds, fine and scented and
delicate, very different from the grass
of that field. And what flowers! Great
blue harebells and purple fox-gloves
with long calixes, whole forest of
wild flowers overaowing with intoxi-
eating juices! The white goat, half
drunk, reveled among them, and rolled
down the slopes pellmell with the fallen
leaves and the chestnuts. Then all at
once she would spring to her feet.
Hop! She was off again. through the
bushes and the underwood. now on the
top of point. now at the bottom of a
ravine, up, down, everywhere; you
would have said there were ten NJ
Seguin's goats on the mountain.
And she was afraid of nothing, Blan-
quette. With one bound she sprang
across wide torrents that sprinkled her
with their spray and foam as she
c4y oha
lie down to dry herself in the sun upon
some fiat rock. Once leaning over the
edge of a plateau. with cystisus
flower in her mouth, she caught sight
of NJ. Seguin's house with the field
behind it, far, far down in the plain.
And she laughed till she cried at the
sight of it.
'.How small it is!'' cried she; show
could ever have lived in itp''
Pour little thing! Up there so high,
she fancied she was as big as the whole
world. 1t was splendid day, on the
whole, tor M. Seguin's goat! Toward
the middle of the day as she was run
ming about from one place to another,
she came upon herd of chamois who
were regaling themselves with wild
vine. Our little rover in her white
dress created quite a sensation. They
gave her the best place in the vine,
and the gentlemen were all very polite.
It seems even-but this is between our
selves, Gringoire young black
haired chamois was lucky enough to
please Blanquette. The lovers strolled
| away into the woods for an hour or
two, and if you want to know what
they said to each other, ask the chat
tering spring that run hidden under
| the moss.
| All at once the wind began to fresh
en-. The mountain turned violet; the
evening had come. Already said
the little goat, and she stood still in
surprise. Down below the meadows
were bathed in mist. M. Seguin's field
was lost in the fog and there was moth
ing to be seen of The house but the root
and little smoke; she listened to the
bells of the herds that were being driv-
en- home, and her soul grew sad. A
falcon flying home brushed her with
his wings as he passed. She trembled.
Then she heard long howl upon the
mountain: ''How! Howl"
| She thought OF the wolf; all day long
the foolish creature had never thought
of him. At the same moment trumpet
sounded far away in the valley. Kind
M. Seguin was making last attempt
"How! howl howled the wolf.
''Come back! come back!n cried the
trumpet.
Blanquette had half a mind to &c
home; but when she remembered the
stake, and the cord, and the hedge oi
the inclosure, she thought that she
should never be able to bear that life
now, and that she had better stay
where she was. The trumpet no longer
sounded. The goat heard a rustling in
the leaves behind her. She turned, and
in the shadow she saw two short erect
ears, and two eyes that glittered. Il
was the wolf.
There he was, large, motionless
sitting on his launches, watching the
little white goat and relishing her al
ready. As he knew that he should ea,
her, the wolf was not in any hurry
only when she turned round, he began
to laugh cruelty: s'Ha! ha! M. Seguin'
| l:4A1o 10TH, crl 1n l;oIod bic 40 hbu