Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1894-06-22
coundrell If it were not for himl If he

was q custom house officer, from tenn
permanent and instinct 1t was his voca-
ton. Numerous were the tricks that he
invented, the schemes that he devised,
and he was never caught. In the caves
of the mountains were hidden bales Of
tobacco, cloths, skins, Spanish laces and
liquors. In some way or another all this
merchandise was gradually Struggled
into France, but how, no one, not even
Valgenod, knew.
1t was the third day of the epidemic,
just about twilight, that Valgenod,
seeming the winds and looking around,
saw cart, drawn by a broken winded
mule, entering the valley and going
straight toward the gates of the town.
Behind came Meritas and few i'll clad
fellows of his tribe, who were singing
psalms in harsh patois. The cart was
rallied one, and in spite of the approach
ing darkness the sergeant made out the
long shape Of a coffin.
"Ah " he moaned. There is suffer
ing up there too. Honest people are not
the only ones to die, see. -
He drew himself up to let the process
sion pass and gave the military salute
"a corpse deserved such salute even
though it was one Of those reprobates
Before the walls Of the custom house,
Meritas, whose eyes cleaned like two
fires in his pale face, raised his long,
lean arms to heaven and sobbed:
my wife! My wife! My wifep
Poor old man, ;" said Valgenod, and
he drew Il match to light his pipe, for
he felt an unusual tenderness creeping
over him.
Two days later another procession
was seen winding around the mountain
and Meritas was walking behind This
time there were three collins i'll the cart
"Well, now, thought Valgenod,
"these cannot all be his. Perhaps it is
subscription. "
But the old smuggler was tearing his
beard and shrioking i'll broken tones at
the top of his voice:
my sonsl My sonsl Who can give
me back my sons;'
The sergeant saluted three times, and
the entire post, drawn out in line along
the open gratings, uncovered piously
before the litter grief Of the distracted
father
Every evening at the setting of the
sun funeral procession passed through
the town, and Moritas invaribly formed
part Of the cortege. He walked with a
friend on each side supporting him, call
ing aloud on God, blessing the dead and
lamcnting his fate. He buried i'll ord 7
his wife, his sons, his daughters, his
nepEews, his cousins. One day he BE-
sought Valgenod to kill him and end his
suffering.
He is getting silly, and there is
some reason for it, - said the sergeant,
Struggling his shoulders
Finally, so strong is pity, he felt his
former respect grow into love for his Old
enemy
These funerals continued for three
weeks. Then the people i'll the town io-
gan to wonder. Quorterac awoke from
its sturor, and the epidemic seemed to
have Disappeared. The deaths became
fewer ard fewer; the windows were
opened; every one would have regain
ed confidence if it had not been for those
mournful professions that came down
every evening from above, lamentable
proof tat the epidemic was still rag
ing, if not in the city, at any rate in
the outposts.
One eveniLg-it was the last-three
carts as usual, were crossing the city
bridge. One Of them, the foremost,
struck against milestone. The mule
backed, and the cart upset, throwing its
contents, two collins, at the feet Of Val
genod. In the fall the lid Of one Of the
collins fell off. Immediately Meritas
and all the mOurners, spreading out
their arms like the wings of birds, fed
to the mountains. Valgenod was aston
ished to see instead of the corpse, before
which he was already preparing to flee,
rolling between his legs four bales of
merchandise carefully marked.
ITO arms" he cried.
The post ran up, but it was too late.
The smugglcrs had escaped. The other
carts We're seized and the collins opened
They We're all filled with merchandise
Valgenod tore his hair.
This then was the key to the mystery,
the explanation of those numerous
deaths, Of those pious burials, Not one
of those ''rascals up above" had died
from cholera. Meritas had not lost Il
wife or sons, daghters or cousins. All
the collins that had entered Querterac
and had been saluted by the custom
house officers had been loaded with
lace, liquors and tobacco They had
been taken through the deserted streets,
and the contents stored in house at the
gates Of the cemetery. When the house
was searched, it was empty. The mer-
chandise had been sent away every day
to the large towns.
The villagers smiled. Valgenod swore
that III future he would refuse to pass
skeleton unless he turned his pockets
/ inside out. Meritas disappeared. -
/ Translated From the French of Maurice
Montigut For Short Stories.
| Feeding by ClOekwOrk.
We do so many things automatically
in our days that nobody will be sur
! prised to hear that an ingenious mocha