St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1895-12-21

hundred sous, A. he insists, abe q last
announces her pretensioQs.
He had . shock Of disappointment
and refused. Therefore. to conyince
him. she began to reason with him upon
the probable duration Of her life.
II have little more thar Ave or sir
years for certain. Here I am nearly
keventy-three, and at that not vigorous
The other night 1 thought 1 was pass.
ing away. 1t seemed to me that they
were obliged to carry me to my bed. .
But Chicot was not to be caught,
"Comc, come, old experienced one, you
are MS solid as the church bell. You will
live at least one hundred and ten years
For certain it will be you who will bury
me-"
The whole day was lost in discussion.
But as the old woman would not con.
cede the innkeeper at last consented to
give the fifty crowns.
The following day they signed the
agreement, and Mother Magloire de-
manded ten crowns for some measures
of wine.
Three years passed. The old woman
was miraculously well. She did not
seem to have aged at all, and Chicot de-
SPARED. It seemed to him that he had
l,een paying this income for half a
century; that he had been deceived,
cheated, ruined. Sometimes he went
to pay visit to the farm. just as one
goes in the fields in July to see if the
wheat is ripe for the fail. She received
him with mischievous look. One would
have said of her that she congratulated
herself on the good joke she had played
ON him, and he remounted his tilbury,
muttering: "You old carcass; you
won't die!"
He did not know what to do. On
seeing her he would like to have choked
her. He hated her with a sulky, fero-
c;ous hatred-with the hatred of a peas.
ant who had been robbed.
Well then he would find the means.
Accordingly. ne came one day to see
her, rubbing his hands as he had done
the first time when he came to propose
the arrangement. Then, after chatting
a few minutes:
"Say. mother, why do you never dine
at my house when you go through
Eperville? People tattle; they say
that we no longer are friends, and that
makes me mourn. You know that at
my house you do not need to pay. lido
not grudge dinner. Any time you
ieel inclined to come, come, without Ger
emony; that will please me-"
Mother Magloire did not wait for
second invitation. Two days after, on
her way to market in her jaunting car,
by Celestin, her groom,
without formality, she put her horse in
Mister Chicot's stable and claimed her
promised dinner.
The innkeeper, radiant, treats her
like lady, serves her with chicken,
meat pudding, leg of mutton, and cab.
bage with bacon. But, being from her
infancy temperate, having always lived
on \ little soup and buttered crust,
she ate scarcely anything. Chicot
insisted. Neither did
she drink. She refused to take coffee.
He asked: "You will accept, OF
a small glass of brandy?"
"Ah: as to that, yes. do not say
no."
And he called across the inn with both
Of his lungs: "Rosalie, bring the
brandy, the superfine, the Eau-de-vie."
The servant appeared, holding long
bottle. decorated with q paper wind
leaf.
He filled two small glasses.
Taste that, mother; it is famous"
And the good woman began to drink,
cry slowly. taking small sips, thereby
making the pleasure last longer. After
her glass she drained it, de-
clearing:
''That, yes-that is the fine cham.
ragne brandy"
She hadn't finished speaking when
chicot poured her out a second dose.
She would have refused, but it was too
ate, and she slowly tasted 1t, n she
had done the first.
He then wanted to make her accept
, third allowance, but she resisted. He
insisted: This, this is milk, do you
zee? drink ten, twelve without harm.
{ goes down liz sugar. Nothing in
he stomach, nothing in the head; one
night say it cvaporated on the tongue.
There is nothing better for the health!"
As she had q desire for more she &C
Iuiesced, but she took only half a glass. |
'hereupon Chicot, with q breath OF |
cried out to her:
''See, since it plcases you, I will give
'ou a small cask; this will let you see
hat we are always pair Of good |
The good woman does not say no. and
he goes away = little tipsy.
The next day the innkeeper entered
lother Nagloire's court, and from
he bottom of his carriage pulled out = |
title barrel encifcled with iron. Then
e wished her to taste its contents to |
'rove that it was the same brandy; and
vhen both drank three glasses on going
way he declared:
And besides, you know, when this ID |
nished there is still more. Do not feel
am not grudging. The
ooner that is finished the more pleased
will be-"
And he remounts his tilbury.
Four days later he returns. The old |
voman was in front Of her door cutting |
read for her soup. He approached
er. wished her good day, talked Gloss |
D her face in order to inhale her breath. |
[e noticed = whiff Of alcohol. Now his |
ace Frightened
You surely will offer me glass of |
randy ?" said he.
They touch glasses two or three
ines.
But soon the news spreads through |
be country that Mother Magloire got |
when alone. One picked |
er up sometimes in her kitchen, some
lines in her court, sometimes in the |
rrnAR v,hAr~ Hh~~, 1890