Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1892-07-28

Noiraud; Bon jour, Noiraudr' They
wished TO play with the dog, but he
turned his head disdhinfully with the air
-of dog who has no time for play. who
Is on duty and must earn his thirty sous.
One OF the children cried:
LET him alone. He is taking the gen.
tleman to the Caldron. Bon jour, M'sieu ~
And then they all laughed, repeating the
salutation. / smiled, but awkwardly,
am sure. / felt embarrassed, a little
Inundated even. The animal dominated
me; he was my master: he knew where
he was going and did not. / was in
haste to get out of the village, TO get
alone with Noiraud before the beauties
of nature, which it was his mission TO
make me admire.
| The first of these was frightfully
dusty road, burning under lcaden sun.
The dog went with light step, which it
tired-me to follow, / tried TO moderate
him.
''Noiraudl IIercJ Noiraud, my boy
Not so fast p
But Noiraud turned deaf ear, pushed
along his steady little gait and was seized
with genuine fit of anger when wanted
to sit down at the corner of field under
tree that afforded scant shade. He
set to barking in a little irritated voice,
casting impatient glances at me. Plainly
what was doing was against the rule.
1t wasn't the custom to stop there. And
his yelps were so sharp and exasperating
that arose to resume my walk. Noir-
aud instantly QUOTED down and went
trotting gayly in advance. had COM
pretended him. He was satisfied
Some minutes later we entered on q
delicious road, all flowers, perfume,
shade. all full of GOODNESS and the muir
muir ofsprings Noiraud suddenly slipped
among the trees, took to gallop and
vanished down little path. followed
him out of breath. / had not gone a
hundred steps when found my Noiraud
awaiting me, his head high, his eye
shining in sort of hall of verdure made
gay with the song of dainty waterfall
There was an old rustic bench, and Noir-
aud's glance turned impatiently from
my eyes to the bench, from the bench to
my eyes. was beginning to understand
the language of Noiraud. "Now," it
said to me, there's place to rest. It's
nice here-it's cool. You are stupid.
You wanted to stop in the hot sun.
Come, sit down; you may sit down; l
allow you that"
And l stopped and sat down, and I
lighted cigar. was just on the point
of offering one TO Noiraud. Perhaps he
smoked. But it occurred to me that he
would prefer bit of sugar. He caught
it very adroitly on the fly, crunched it
with zest, lay down and settled himself
at my feet. Evidently here he was used
to little halt and little nap.
He scarcely doZed over ten minutes. /
was now completely at ease. Noiraud
began to inspire me with absolute conf
dence- had made up my mind to obey
him blindly. He rose, stretched, gave
Inc little side-long glance which signi-
fed, Lets start, my friend, let's
start" And away we went, like two old
friends, through the wood at gentler
pace; Noiraud was enjoying the charm,
the silence, the sweetness of the place.
On the road, a while back, in haste to
escape the heat and dust, he had gone on
with little firm, quick gait. And now
refreshed, relaxed, Noiraud was walking
for the pleasure of walking in one of the
prettiest little paths of the Canton of
Vaud.
A road opens to the left. A slight
hesitation on Noiraud's part. Then he
passes by and keeps on his route straight
ahead, but not without some uncertainty,
some trouble in his manner. Now he
stops. He must have made q mistake.
Yes, for he retraces his steps, and we
take the road to the left, which, at the
end of q hundred PAGES, brings us to
sort of amphitheatre, and Noiraud, nose
in air, invites me to contemplate the very
respectable height of the impossible wall
of rocks that forms this amphitheatre
When Noiraud and have contemplated
sufficiently, about facet and we resume
the little path through the wood. MOI
raud had forgotten to show me the rocky
amphitheatre-a slight error quickly re-
paired.
The route soon becomes very steep,
broken, difficult. can only advance
slowly with infinite precaution. Noiraud
leaps lightly from rock to rock, bat does
not desert me. He waits for me, fixing
upon me look of the most touching
solicitude. Finally begin to hear sort
of boiling; Noiraud yelps joyously.
OOuTuge, nc Sdlu 10 me. 'COuTdge.
We are nearing it. You shall see the
Caldron." A stream, modest enough and
from modest height, falls with back
ward jets and rebounds into great rock
slightly followed out. l should hardly
be paid for this laborious ascent by see
ing this mediocre marvel if l had not
had for companion this brave Noiraud,
who is much more interesting and very
much more remarkable than the Cali
dron.
On each side of the stream, in little
Swiss chalets, are placed two milk stands
kept by two little Swiss girls, one blonde,
one brunette, both in the national cos
tune, eagerly watching my arrival from
the threshold of their houselets, veritable
little boxes cut out by machinery.
1t seems to me that the little blonde
has very pretty eyes, and / had already
made three or four steps towards her,
when Noiraud, breaking into furious
barks, resolutely barred my passage. Can
he have preference for the little brunette2
I change my direction. Yes, that was
it. Noiraud's friend enters her little |
playhouse and Noiraud follows at her
heels. Through half opened window |
followed Noiraud with my eyes. The |
wretch. He is being served before me.
1t is he who first has his big bowl of |
milk. He is venal.
Aftar Aeb;ch With Ittlo dro,,s of ,,,;Ilr