St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-10-14

Lurier would experiment with no Stran
gers-but make his way off.
At the worst. it was day spent in a
tree-and Pierre Lurier's time was not
valuable.
At midnight he dropped softly to the
! ground and went in search of food.
He had forgotten nothing about
! the place. he went straight to the
+ pig-sty, and finding a few large
! pieces of bread in the trough, he ate
| two and put the others in his pocket for
| the morrow. He had learned not to be
dainty. At the stable door he listened.
He heard COW within. The beast
moved restleSSly as he opened the door,
| but he pacified her and drank of her
milk. In the garden he plucked little
/ fruit-one here, one there, to avoid the
! suspicion of any theft. Then he went
! back to his tree, and, finding an enor-
nous limb twisted into what the peas
| ants call crutch, he disposed himself |
! to Slumber without fear of fall or dis
| cOveTy, and slept. on the eve of his
! great crime, like Napoleon on the eve
| of AuSterlitz. The sun had gilded the
| cObWebS on the branches over his head
and dried the dew on the leaves before
/ he Enclosed his eyes. The first object |
which greeted them was the figure of
| Pere Berlot in the yard below. The
old man walked backward and forward
calling pion, pion to the chickens. They
| crowded about his feet pecking at the
| grain he threw them from the basket on
| his arm.
The heart of Pierre Lurier beat fast
] for joy.
Pere Berlot threw the last handful of
| grain to the chickens and went into the
| kitchen. In few moments he reap
peared with the breakfast for the pigs.
The heart of Pierre Lurier beat the
faster.
Pere BerlOt attended to the farmyard
| alone? Then, there were no servants
about the place! Where was the old
wife? Perhaps, dead. So much the
/ betterl
But suddenly the heart of Pierre Luz
rier jumped into his throat. Pere BeIlOt.
| on his way TO the pig-sty, had stopped
snort under the great pear tree. He
vas looking upward. He was counting
tie fruit. Pierre Lurier knew that
there were two missing.
'ere BerlOt counted over his pears
| three times. Once he glanced toward
| the garden wall. but the sharp iron
spies and the piles of broken glass
mu: have treasured him. for he smiled
! and shrugged his shoulders, as one who
would say
"-ih yesl But that is impossibler'
TIen he suddenly called-"Pierrem
Tie man who was hiding in the tree
| trembled violently and covered his face
with his hands.
WHAT recoIlections came with that
sudC en-. unexpected cry of ''Pierre!"
| How often had he answered to it, Shak-
| ing il his little wooden shoes, with the
| consciousness of some childish miSde-
meaEor!
"Plerre!" called Pere Berlot. And
Pierre Lurier almost fancied that he
| must answer now.
i But the door of the kitchen opened
! and boy ran out-a boy of ten, rosy
and blOnde-like Pierre Lurier of many
years ago. The man in the tree still
| trem bled, and there was something
viii h hurt him in his throat, and he
! put one of his hands there and with the
! other he grasped the crutch of the tree,
! for he was afraid, for the first time, of
falling.
".'ierre!" said Pere Berlot, "thou
| hast stolen more truit-thOu hast stolen
two pearsI'
But no, Monsieur! swear it!''
"WhO, then, little Tascal?''
monsieur, l cannot say"
! "Ah! Thou goOd-for-naught! Thou
! wOuldst lie to the Holy Virginl Little
pigr' And Pere Berlot tWeaked the
boys ear and drove bin into the house.
IL was II o'clock. The clock in the
| village struck the hour. The warmth
and hush of noontide lay over the place.
The chickens stood about in the shade
and pecked, laZily, at nothing. The
pigs slept in corner of the sly. The
fragrance of the fruits in the garden
filed the warm air. The swallows had
flown, and the tapping of their little
beakS against the ripe fruit had ceased.
The peasant had left the fields for
the midday soup, and one no
longer heard the confused sound Of
their voices as they talked and sang at
their work. Only vague, far humming
reached the cara sound for which one
could find no name, but it was as if the
great, warm earth stirred and sighed in
her MONDAY sleep.
Pierre Lurier lay mOtionless in the
crutch of the great tree. But he did
not sleep. His heart had grown heavy.
How happy the chickens were over
there in the shaded Food in plenty was
provided for them. And the pigs!
Pierre LurieT fOnnd it in his heart to
envy the pigs. And little Pierrel Ali
Little Pierre. What if one were scolded
bit. and pushed about and given
tweak on the ear for what was really no
fault of ones own - What of that?
There were things in life more cruel
than this. And he had found them out
he, Pierre Lurier-wno vas once like
this little, new Pierre, whose other
name he did not know. Why had he
not remained here to work for Pere
BerlOt and the old wife? They might
have left him little something which
could have grown and made him pros
porous like themselyeSi Why had he
not been content to remain?
All. why? Because temptation came
and said:
I'm the great cities there is gold in
plenty for ALL" And when he listened
and followed, and found one must work
for gold in Paris as well as in Cham
payne, temptation came again, and
said:
''Stretch out thy handi Take what is
not thine Own-nOne will be the wiserp'
But alasl Others had been the wiser
and Pierre Lurier had been sent to
priSOn-fOr fifteen long, bitter. hate full
years, which passed over his head and
left him with the stamp of the vaga-
J bond and the thief upon him.
And to-night-who knows? Perhaps
the assassin! And tomorrow? Perhaps
arrested again, and again sent to
prison. But this time hot for theft,
and not for fifteen years. But for
very short time, before he should
be led out and something placed over
J his eyes that he might not see what
} stood between him and the bright SUI
and the gay world and life
, "Ah-h-hi"
, For life was dear and sweet-even to
, Pierre Lurier.
, He had shrieked aloud In horror, and
now he shuddered with fear lest he had
been overheard. The kitchen door
Z opened and Pere Belot stood on the
threshold. Pierre Lurier held his
, breath. But the old man stepped,
= leisurely, out into the garden. After
him trotted the little Pierre. They had
, heard nothing.
J 900 thou, Pierre" said Pere Berlot,
''and move the mothers chair to the
west window that the sun may shine
upon and warm her still"
The child returned to the house, and,
Z presently, Pierre Lurier saw curtain
, 1,uSbad aciso from, tho window lonI-iou