The Portland daily press., 1895-01-30
TALE OF A MILL.

simple one. Trey lived honestly and loved
each other with all their hearts. He was
35 years of age. iShe was 30. They lived
q Paris and had no children.
Claire was employed in the Bank of
france, and Charles worked in the Credit
Toncier. Their combined salaries amount
cd to 400 francs a month and made posi-
bic certain luxuries-Theatre des Batig
nolles, excursions to Saint Ouen, fried fish
suppers at Auteuil Sometimes they went
for picnies into the department Seine-et
Disc.
One day they climbed up the heights Of
Mont,nartre. and from tho summit they
caught sight of the peaks of Chaumont
Then they went into ecstasies over the
beauties of nature.
'The real mountains must be wonder
full, - declared the husband.
Said his wife: 'What if one day we
were to go and see the Pyrenees? Your
family came from there, you know, and
you have an aunt at Pau"
Charles soon remen bered his aunt there,
even recalled her name, Adele Beyries.
He wrote to her to say they would go to
spend a week at Pau during their next
vacation. They at once began to make
preparations for the trip. In order to live
well in the Pyrenees they deprived them
selves of many things in Paris.
AT length the month of August came
round. Charles and Claire had their vaca-
tions at the same time, and they left Paris
on a Saturday night.
They arrived in Pau "a hours later and
found the aunt without difficulty. She
was selling bonbons and photographs OF
Henry Nv before the gateway of the castle.
She gave her nephew the name OF good
hotel.
1t was raining when they arrived, and
the mountains were not visible. The next
day the sky was still overcast, and the
great mountains were shrouded in heavy
mists.
"Never mind,' said Charles, ''let us go
for walk. The mists arc sure to rise be-
fore long"
Unfortunately instead of going in
seutherly direction, where the Pyrenees
were, they turned their faces toward the
north, where lay the fat lands of Point
Long They walked for two hours with
confidence. Suddenly on their left the land
began to rise in low hills.
'tThere they are!'' cried Charles, and his
awestruek eyes began to search for sign
of the everlasting SHOWS. ...5s,st
ssYou think those are tho real Pyrenees?"
said Claire doubtfully. sg5S g..
sWhy, of course, - was his confident re-
ply.
They attacked the hills bravely, and the
sky began to grow Clear the clouds to
break up Patches of deep blue began to
show themselves through the mist masses.
Presently the sun itself shone out, and be-
fore his fierce arrows the vapors rolled to
one side and fled away like an army or
ghost and specters in rout.
The two Parisians continued to climb.
Suddenly they saw before them wind
mill. an old windmill whose arms were
slowly turning in the wind on the sum-
nit of the hill Charles was somewhat
surprised.
Did they have windmills on the highest
peaks Of the chain? Sc thought. Perhaps
the people have dancing there as they did
at Montmartre.
'sPeuhl The Pyrenees don't amount to
much, you know" said Claire, with a
shrug of her shapely shoulders.
Still they kept on climbing and in a
quarter of an hour found themselves at
the foot Of the mill. There was not
cloud in the sky. Claire turne1 round
suddenly and uttered loud cry.
ooh, Charles, look over therel'
Charles turned at his wifes words and
stood in amazement. The real Pyrenees
rose up in the distance with such inde-
scribable grandeuf that Charles and Claire
were overcome with emotion.
They stretched away in long blue ranges,
rising higher and higher into the sky, ever
more and more indistinct and blue. And
over all were the great slopes of everlast-
ing SHOWS standing out white and grand
against the deep blue skies. Claire and
Charles had never seen such a sight be-
fore, and their eyes filed with the tears of
enthusiasm.
They waited there several hours, and
the next day they came again. And the
day after they came again. How they
ionged to see those mountains closel But
| they were not rich enough. Perhaps next
| year. This time they must be content
with looking at them from distance.
They bought plans, photographs and a
| guidebook and looked up the names of the
| peaks with eagerness that was almost pas
| siona5e.
Charles and Claire enjoyed themselves
| more and more as the time passed, and
when the day came for them to leave they
were almost in tears. Oh, the lovely coun-
try they were going to leave! Why were
they not born there? Oh, to live in the
| open air, away from the madding crowd,
face to face with the big mountains, and
never to hear the street vendors crying
| their ware!
Charles especially was sad.
| He was a child Of the Pyrenees, because
| his parents had lived there and died there.
It seemed as if their dust was calling to
him, the exile in a great city, to return to
| his true home and live again in the pure
| air Of the mountains and forests
The last day, when he was making his
| adieu to the mountains, Charles saw thu
| miller como out of the old windmill, and
an extrayagant idea came into his head.
GOOD morning, my good fellow" he
| said to him.
GOOD morning, sir"
ssTo whom does this mill belong!"
''To me-"
"Do you have any land round itf"
"Eight hectares.
s'Are you willing to sell?"
swell, that depends, f" replied the mill