Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-04-29
A CUNNING REVENGE.

knew its little church, a chiseled jewel, its
old chateau with it's wallis cracked and
NOISY, but above all the location of the vii
lage, which clings to the side of the noun
tain like nest fallen from l know not
where.
In this corner Of the world, not mentioned
In the Biographies. lived some years ago an
old woodcutter and rich farmer Every
body In the country knew old Pierre and
his miserable hut in the edge of the wood,
and when they met him with load Of
fagots ON his back, or with his ak raised
against the trunk of tree. they all gave
him a friendly good day." He was good
man who had never harmed even a fly, so
every one said, and having passed the bet
ter part Of his life in the solitude of the for
ests preserved, in spite of his great age, a
pure and honest heart.
Everybody also knew the rich farmer,
Michael MerieuX, but no one liked him.
he was avaricious and sullen and, more
over, superstitious like those who are not
sure of their reckoning. He loved money
passionately, and every means of increasing
his wealth appeared to him legitimate and
proper. 1t is useless to say that he did not
spend it freely. No one ever saw him at
the wineshop. He never gave sou to the
beggar who held out his hand on Sunday
r. they came out from mass, and his door
was never opened or his heart either, TO the
wayfarer in quest of bit of bread OF cup
Of wine
And yet he was the richest farmer near
Charavelie, having vines, fields of wheat
and meadows yielding rich forage, which
he always sold at the highest price. He was
old, without children or family that any
one knew of, and it was amystery to every
body what he would do with the fortune
which he increased day by day.
A strange idea one morning entered the
head of the old woodcutter to go and Dor
row some money from the rich farmer. II
is true that long ago Merieux had said to
Pierre, after service he had rendered him,
when you have need of me do not hest
tate-one good turn deserves anotherW
Well, now lac had need of his help. and not
withstanding the sordid avarice of the old
farmer the woodcutter, with the artless
trust that characterized him, went TO Mer
ieux and said
"You can relieve me of great trouble.
Ny boy writes me that he is III and in need
Of little money. | haven't it now, but in
October when have finished cutting down
the side Of the wood which they have
marked for the new road shall be able to
pay you, if you will lend il to ME today"
81 have no money to lend" said the
farmer. Times are as hard for me as well
as for everybody else"
The woodcutter shrugged his shoulders.
Say, rather, that you will not lend itr'
said he, for you have plenty, You could
save me great deal Of troubled
II repeat to you'll cannotp' said Merieux
grufly.
''Then must remind you Of what you
said TO me one day-'one good turn deserves
another when you have need OF me-"
bah, that is too long ago" said the farm
or. What are you talking aboutt"
Yes" said the woodcutter, ''it was
long time ago; but, all the same, risked
my life to save yours when | carried you
out Of Jacques house which was burning
while you slept. / do not say this TO re
proach you. have never spoken Of it to any
one, would not speak of it now II it were
not to remind you Of your promise, for you
zee my sons sick, and he relies upon me to
help him 1t will be great service to me"
And he added in a low tone, as " ashamed
10 be persistent, you will save his life
perhaps, and risked mine to save yours"
Life, life" growled old Merieux. When
my life"
And old Pierre went away without the
money that he came TO borrow. Another
however, had pity on the old man, who for
the first time in his life felt bitterly toward
q human being.
He sought means of avenging himself
on Merieux without doing him serious
harm. At last, after mature reflection, one
night when the moon shone as bright as
daylight, he went out toward the wheat
fields of the rich farmer. IL was in March;
the grass was just beginning to sprout, and
at the top of the trees were few shivering
buds to show that nature was ready to come
forth radiant and charming at the first call
of spring.
The woodcutter went TO the middle Of a
f3eld, and there, ia the midst of the wheat
which would soon be up, he traced with a
stick some light burrows Of strange and ir-
regular forms, then throwing something
into the burrows he covered them with
earth and quietly returned to his hut. The
following night he did the same thing in
another field of wheat, and for several
nights following that until he had been in
all of Merieux's fields.
And in the morning, being very sure that
he had not been seen by anything but the
stars, nor heard by anything but the crick-
cts, he would 20 TO his work in the woods
where the little nestlings were just begin
ming to chatter.
Time passed, and the warm season made
the wheat and the flowers grow One morn
ing great caravan Of people came from
Charavelle and the surrounding villages To
see strange phenomenon in the fields of
Farmer Merieux, who had been i'll for some
time and knew nothing about it.
What was his surprise, his terror, TO see
when he went out for the first time the
word "Miser" traced in gigantic letters Of
flowers in the midst of his wheatl Yes,
marguerites, those beautiful blossoms
which speak so sweetly to lovers, rose up
on their stems in thick clusters accusing
the old skinAint. "Miser," again the blue
cornHowers in another field; "Miser," re
peated the crimson peoples in another. and
n l. 20 oorfN