San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-08-30
LOVE AND STARS.


When watched the flock upon the Lu-
heron l remained whole weeks without
seeing a living soul, alone in the pasturage
with my dog I.abri and my sheep. From
time to time the hermit of Mont de PUre
passed there TO look for medicinal herbs,
or saw the black face of some Piedmont
collier; but they were simple souls, silent
by dint of solitude, having lost the taste
for talking and knowing nothing of what
was said down in the villages and towns.
Hence every two weeks, when heard upon
the asco'l ling highway the bells of our
farm mule, OriD .,i0G me my provisions for
the coming fortnight, and saw gradually
appear from below the lively cOuntenance
of the little farm boy or the red locks of
old Aunt Norade, was indeed delighted.
| made the visitor tell me the news of the
country at the loot of the mOuntain-the
baptisms, the marriages, but that which
interested me most of all was what had
happened to my masters daughter, our
Demoselle Stephanette, the prettiest girl
for ten leagues around
Without appearing to be too much bent
upon acquiring this Knowledge gathered
information as to whether she went a great
deal to fetes and evening assemblies;
whether new admirers were still thrOng-
ing about her, and should you ask me
what good those details could do me, a
poor shepherd of the mountain, / will
reply that | was 20 years old, and that
Stephanette was in my eyes the handsom-
est creature on the face Of Gods earth.
Now, one Sunday when / was waiting
for my provisions, it so CHANGED that they
did not arrive until very late. In the
morning said to myself: 1t is the fault
of the high mass" then toward noon a
heavy storm came on and thought that
the mule had been unable to set out be-
cause OF the bad condition of the road. At
last, about o'clock in the afternoon, the
sky having cleared and the mountain be-
ing all of glitter with water and sun
light, heard, amid the droppings from
the leaves and the OVERLOOKING of the
swollen brooks, the bells of the mule, as
gay and brisk as a grand church chime on
Easter day.
But it was neither the little farm boy
nor old Aunt Norade who was urging the
animal along. 1t was-guess whol our
demoiselle, my friends our demoiselle
herself, seated right between the osier
JUS heJS, All TOSJ WIFI JuS ulOuuJdlu dlE
and the GOODNESS brought on by the storm
The little farm boy was sick; Aunt
NOrade was absent on holiday visit to
her children. Pretty Stephanette told me
all this as she sprang down from her mule,
and also that she was late in arriving be-
cause she had lost her way. But to see
her 50 finely dressed, with her Powered
ribbons, her brilliant skirt and her lace,
she had rather the air of having fingered
at some dance than of having sought for
her road among the bushes.
Oh, the delicious creature! My eyes
could not grow weary of gazing at her. 1t
is true that had never seen her so near.
Sometimes during the winter, when the
flock had gone down into the plain and
had returned in the evening to the farm
house to sup, she passed briskly through
the hall, without talking much to the
servants, always bedecked and trife
naughty. Now had her there before me,
for myself alone Was it not enough to
turn my head?
When she had taken the provisions from
the basket StephGnette began to look Gu
riously around her Raising little her
Sunday skirt, that might otherwise have
become stained with mud, she entered the
fold. She wished to see the corner where |
slept, the pile of straw that was my bed,
my sheepskln covering, my big cape hung
against the wall, my crook in my tintlock
gun. All this amused her.
$50 it is here you live, is it, my poor
shepherd" said she, with heavenly smile
How tired you must get of always being
alone. What do you do? What do you
think abOut?"
l had strong desire to reply, about
you, mistress, and should have told the
truth, but my confusion was so great that
could not find single word. think she
noticed this, and that the mischievous
creature took pleasure in redoubling my
embarrassment with her roguery.
And your sweetheart, shepherd?" con-
tinued she. Does she climb up here to see
you sometimes? Surely she must be the
Golden Goat or the Fairy EstarelIc. who