Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1893-01-06

had nearly been drowned
The most dreadful thing of all was that
at this Eou of the night she could not
think OF attempting to return to the farm
for our lemoi,elle By herself could nevef
find the way 10y the short cut and ! could
not cave The flock The idea of passinL
the night upon the mountain tormentel her
almost to madness particularly on account
OF the unedsiness net family would feel
A tor me treasured her the best | was
able
In july the nights are short mistress"
SAID |. 1T will hardly seem more than a
wrttcbed moment"
And quickly kindled a toAring ire 10
dry her feet ana her dress all soaked with
the water Of the Sorgue. Afierward
placed before her milk and Sleeps milk
cheese, but the poor demoistlle did not
think either Of warning herself or Of eat
zig, and al TIE sight of the big tears that
gathered 70 her eyes felt like weeping
myself
Meanwhile tie night bad CON, O. apace.
There remained upon the ,fests If the
MOUNTAINS ,niy a sprinkle OF sun, a Vaporv
light toward the west invited our de-
nolselle TO enter the told and sleep lIav.
my spread II handsome new sheepskln over
the clean straw babe her good night and
going out INTO the open air seated myself
before the door. God is my witness that.
despite the fire of love that was scorchinp
my blood, no evil thought came to me
nothing but an overpowering pride mt
thinking that in corner of the fold. close
beside the curious flock tha, stared at her
as she lay asleep, my masters daughter
like sheep more precious and hitter than
all the rest-was reposing, intrusted 90 my
care.
Never had the heavens appeared 10 pos.
sess such depths; never had the ars
seemed so brilliant. Suddenly the door If
the fold opened and pretty Stephanette
made her appearance. She could not
sleep. The animals ratified the straw as
they moved about, or bleated in their
dreams. 81 preferred to come to the fire,
Seeing this cast my sheepskiu over her
shoulders. stirred up the flames and we
sat down : lie by side, remaining thus
without uttering single word.
II you have ever passed a night in the
open air you know that at the hour when
we sleep mysterious world awakes amid
the solitude and the silence Then the
brooks sing in their clearest tones and the
ponds are lighted up with tiny flames All
the spirits of the mountain freely come
and go; there j. "A rustlng in the air; there
heard the tree branches growing and the
grass sprnging up. Day is the life of
creatures, but night is the life of things
When one is not accustomed to this il fills
one with fear. Therefore our demoiselle
was all of culver and chung to me closely
at the slightest noise.
At one time a long melancholy cry arose
from the POI that spark led below us and
came rolling upward to our ears. At the
same instant beautiful shooting stan
gllded over our heads in the same direc.
ton, as If TIA, hmentaton we heard were
bearing "A fla IA of light with it,
what is thaty" asked Stephanette in
whisper
"A soul entering paradise, mistressn' an
swercd |, making the sign of the cross.
She made the same sign. and for IA mo
ment gazed meditatively into the heavens
Then she said to me:
us it true, shepherd, that you people ar,
masicans?"
Not i'll the least our demoiselle. Bur
here we live much nearer the stars than
the people of the plain, and know better
what is taking place among the sparkling
lights of hea emp
She was stlll gazing upward, resting hei
head against one of her hands ana wrapped
in the sheepskin like a little heavenly
shepherd.
"Ah, how beautiful they arer cried she
i never saw so many of them beforel Do
you know their names, shepherd?"
Yes, indeed, mistress! Listen: Right
above us is St. jacques highway. 1t goes
from France straight into Spain II wa,
st. Jacques de Galice who traced it to
show his road to the brave Charemagne
81
Gems. Further away you have the Car
of Souls, with its four resplendent axle
trees. The three stars in front are the
three horses, and that tiny one almost
against the third is the car driver. Do
you see all around that shower of falling
stars? They are the souls the good God
does not want in heaven.
~ little lower is the Hayrack. or the
Three Kings. The stars forming it serve
as our clock. | have only to glance at
them to know that it is now after mid
night. lit;le lower yet, still looking to-
ward the south, shines Jean de Ian, tie
torch Of the stars. Regarding that star
this is what the shepherds relate: 1t an.
pears that enc night Jean de Milan. with
the Three Kings and the Ponciniere. was
invited to the wedding of IA star, one of
their friends. The Ponciniere, more in a
hurry than the rest, started, they say. the
first Of all and took the high road Look
al her up there away in the midst of the
heavens
The Three Kings went by a lower road
ana overlook her, but lazy Jean de Milan.
who had Sic t too late, was left brhind.
ana IN order to stop them, in his fury h.
threw his st.~k at them That is why the
Three Kings re also called Jean de Aiiiau's
stick But the most beautiful of all the
stars, mistress, Il Ours-the Shephtu.'s
Star-that L.shts us at dawn when we
drive fcrth c,.r flock = and also in the e.,.r.
lnS when we bring them back We nave
given it an, ucr MISUNDERSTANDING
beautiful Adsuclonne who runs after
Pierre de Provence and marries him every
seven years
what shepherd? Are there, then. mar
riages among the stars"
Yes, indeed, mistressr
And as ] was striving to explain to her
what these marriages were | lelt some
thing cool AID soft weigh lightly upon nay
shoulder 1t was her head, heavy with
ell. . l,s.F, L..