Nevada County picayune., 1891-04-23

Short, thin, dry and wrinkled a.
an apple that lay withered during ;
long winter, such was the good man
Farmer Landry. Indeed, he wa'
one of those close-iisted old peasants
of whom it is graphically said tina
they can shave something from al
/ egg shell.
Since the death of his wife he hat
retired from agriculture and llveo
alone in a little house at the end oi
the village.
And yet, not entirely alone, for he
had with hlm his old servant, Bright
te. But the poor woman counted
for SO little in the household, little
above the dog, but not so much a:
the donkey, that cost a hundred and
twenty francs. She entered his fam.
lily at the age of twelve to guard the
cows, and had been there ever since.
She knew no other family life than
this one, and the exceeding parslmo.
ny of the master seemed to her en-.
t,rel Y natural. She was now tall
hale woman of fifty, red-faced
square e-shouldcred, with feet and
hands that might have been the pride
Of a pugilistic trainer. While ex-
acting very little in the way of com.
pensation, she drudged like a pack
horse: for, indeed, she could not dc
otherwise in Farmer Landry's house
Besides in her simple mind existed a
canine attachment and real admira.
tion for her master.
OF course in the service of this
miser Brigitte had not earned for
tune. But the honest creature was
amply satisfied when the old peasant
in a patronizing tone praised her
zeal; What good simple creature
YOU are, Brigitte, are you not!
Then the good woman's mouth
would open into a loud laugh.
He! he, he, master. You have
always your little manner of joking ;
he! he! heu'
One day while Farmer Landry was
himself replastering his garden wall,
so as not to pay the mason, he made
a false step and fell into the pool
iast over the point where the deepest
noir was. lie splashed wildly about
for q few minutes. calling vainly for
holp with all the power of his lungs.
At last worn out by his efforts, he
was about to sink from sight, when
Brigitte at last heard him. The
devoted creature courageousiy
jumped into the water at the risk of
drowning herself She succeeded in
pulling him to the bank; he was en-
tirely unconscious, but she raised
him in her strong arms, as she would
a child, put him to bed, and with
rubbing and remedies recalled him
to life. On seeing him open his
eyes, the good Brigitte shed tears Of
JOY
"Ah. good master, how glad | am
that you are not drowned and buried
in that hole :"
The old peasant was glad OF It
too, though he had one lively regret
the loss Of his trQwel, which fell into
the water at the same time Will
himself. However, he had the de
cency not to express the wish thai
Brigttc should return and jump il
after that also Indeed, in the first
impulse of gratitude, he said to hi
servant with a touch of emotion:
1T is you who pulled me out o
the hole; | shall never forget it, M
good girl, You may be assured o
that. l am going to make you
present"
"uh, master, there is no need o
that"
.But tell !you / will give Yol
something's don't doubt itl'
Aud really, the same evening at
ter a thousand hesitations, he drev
forth bis long leather purse ant
called Bigitto TO hjm. WA.'2 m1~
Jag a grimace like one having a toojl
dtawa, he selected q silver piece o
twenty cents.
Here, Brigittc, is your present
II shall not bo oo9nted IN YOUR wages
,ou Euow. Oh, no, this il eXtr
outsile Of your wages. 40 not hl
eXtrayaeant With 1t; that would b'