Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1891-07-15
THE POPE'S MULE.
FROnTHE FRENCH OF AIPHoxso DAUDET

crate their conversation, / know of
none more picturesque than this one:
Within radius OF fifteen miles about
my mil, whenever they speak of a
spiteful, Wind ctive man, they say:
THAT man! look out for himl He is
like the pope's mule that kept her kick
for seven years!"
1 have endeavored for long time to
find where this saying originated, and
what were the circumstances connected
with this papal mule and the kick of
her heels which she guarded for seven
years. No one here has been able to
inform me upon the subject, not even
Frsncet Mamai, my ffe-player, who,
however, knows all the provencal le-
gends on the tips of his fingers. Fran
Get thought, and so did [, that it was
founded upon some old chronicle of the
country of Avignon, but he has never
heard it spoken of except In the prov
erb. "You will only find that in the
grssshOppers' library the old fellow
laughingly said to me. The idea
struck me as good one, and as the
grasshoppers' library is at my door L
went to shut myself up in 1t for eight
days.
1t is a marvellous library, well pro-
yided, open to the poets night and day,
and having in attendance little libra
rians with cymbals, who give you mu-
sic all the time. passed several days
there delightfully."-, ana after a week of
researches, lying on my back, fin
ished by discovering what 1 was look
ing for; that is, the history of the mule
and that famous kick of her heels
uhI1h gha rrT7ar.laI
The story is pretty, although little in
genious, and shall tell it you just as [
read it yesterday morning In manu-
script tinted like the meadows, all
sweet with the odor of dry lavender
and having blessed lady's threads for
bookmarks.
He who has not seen AvIgnOn in the
time of the popes has not seen any
thing. For gaiety, life, animation and
a succession Of fetes, no other city ever
equaled it. From morning till night.
professions, pilgrImages, the stree.s
strewn with flowers, decorated with
hangings, the arrivals of the cardinals
on the RhOne, banners IN the wind,
galleys adorned with flags, the pope's
soldiers who sang in Latin in the pub.
lie squares, and the IattIe of the beg
ging friars, then all around the houses
pressing about the grand papaI palace
like bees around q hive, the tick tack
OF the lace-makers, the coming and
going of the shuttles weaving the gold
of the chasubles, harmony tables
that were tuned at the lute-mukers, the
canticles of the ourdi.seuses; besides
this the no Sc of the cloc cks. and always
the sound of the tambJuriues AS they
rumblod below at the side Ofthe bridge.
For in our country, where the ople
are content, they dance and they dance;
and as at this time the city streets
were too narrow for the faran iole, the
ffers and the tumbourineers took their
stand on the bridge of AvIgnon, enjoy
ing the fresh wind df,om the Rhone; and
here, day and night, the people danced
aud danced. All, what IA happy time!
What a happy ethyl For the halOerds no
longer cut, and the wire was put in the
prisons of state to keep it fresh. No
more wantl no more war! This is the
way the popes of the Comtat governed
their people; and tins IS why their
people so much regret that they are
gone.
There was, above all, agood old man
named BOniface. Obi the tears that
were shed In AvignOn when he died.
He was such an amiable prince, so pre-
possessing; he smiled 20 graciously
from the height of his mule and when
you passed hear him no matter
whether you were a poor little raga-
muffin or the great nudge of the city
he gave you his bless ng so politely! A
true pope of we OF, but of Yvetot of
Provence, with something cunning in
his laugh, sprig OF marioram in his
beretta and lot the least jetuneton.
The only Jeauneton that he was ever
known to have, this good old father,
was his yiueyard-a little one he had
planted himself, three league from
Avignon, among the myrtle trees OF
Chateau-Neuf.
Every Sunday after vespers the
Forthy man went to court his vineyard.
And when he was there, half-reclining
In the warn sunlight 1t the foot of a
stump. hIs cardinals gathered round,
his mule near by, then he ordered
hagon of wine to be opened-that de-
hclous ruby-colored wine which has
since been called the Chateau Neuf-des-
Pspes-and tasting it in little sips, re-
gzrded 1t with an affectionate air; then,
the hagon empty, he returned at dusk
Joyously to the village, followed by his
whole chapter, and passing over the
bridge at Avignon, between the tam
bourines and the farandoles, his mule,
s1imated by the music, began to trip
gently along until he himself marked
the time of the dance with his beretta
which greatly scandalized the cardi-
mails, though the people all said: "Ahl
the good princel Ali the brave popeI'
That which the pope loved best in
the world, after his vineyard at Cha
fesu-Neuf, was ms mule. The good
man just dotted on it. Every night be-
fore going to bed he went to see that
the sable was well fastened aud that
nothing was lacking in the manger;
never would he rise from the table
without having had prepared, under
his own eyes, large bowl of wine q la
JTdncdtSe with a quantity of sugar and
spices, which be carried to her hirrself,
In spite of the remarks of his cardinals.
must say, too, that the beast Was we'll
worth the trouble. She was u beautI-
tul black mule, speckled with red, with
glossy coat, the Group large aud full,
sure-toOted, aud carrying proudly her
pretty head all decorated with pompons
and bows and silver bells and ribbons,
and, moreover, sweet as an angel, with
an artless eye, and two long ears always S
IN motion, which gave her the air OF a
good child. All Aviguon respected
her, and when she went in the streets
she received great attention, for every
ens knew that that was the surest way
OF finding favor at court; and that with
her innocent air, the ropes mule had
lad many one to fortune. As proof
listen to the story of Uistet Fedine:
Ilstet Vedine was, by principle
shameless rogue, whose father, Guy
Vedlne, the sculptor in gold, had been
obliged to send from home because he
did nothing but entce tine apprentices
from their work. For six months he
spent his time loafing about tne streets
Of Avignon, but principally 10y the side
OF the papal alace, for the scoundrel
for long time had had scheme on
hand about tue pope's n.ule-aud you
nj h.a . Il 4