Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-01-04
TALE OF A MILL.

81 years of age. She was 80. They lived
In Paris and had no children.
Claire was employed in the Bank Of
France, and Charles worked in the Credit
Foncier Their combined salaries amount
ed to 400 francs month and made posi-
bic certain Observation-Disclosures des Batig-
nolles, excursions to Saint Ouen, fried fish
suppers at Auteuil. Sometimes they went
for picnics into tho department Seine-et
Disc.
One day they climbed up the heights of
Montmartre, 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 PyreneesP Your
family came from there, you know, and
you have an aunt at Pau"
Charles soon remembered his aunt there,
even recalled her name, Adele Beyries.
He wrote to her to say they would go to
spend week at Pau during their next
vacation. They at once began to make
preparations for the trip. In order to live
we'll 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 Saturday night.
They arrived in Pau "a hours later and
S1p
was selling bonbons and photographs of
Henry ~ 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 a
southerly direction, where tho 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 Oh their left tho land
began TO rise Ill low Nils.
'There they are!" cried Charles, and his
awestruck eyes began to search for sign
of the everlasting SHOWS.
"You think those are the real Pyrenees?"
said Claire doubtfully.
"Why, 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 shono out, and be-
fore his fierce arrows the vapors rolled to
ono side and fed away like an army OF
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 OIL the sum-
init of the hill Charles was somewhat
surprised.
Did they have windmills on the highest
peaks of the chain2 he thought Perhaps
the people have dancing there as they did
at Montmartre
"Peuh The Pyrcnees don't amount to
much, you know" said Claire, with a
shrug of her shapely shoulders.
Still they kept on climbing, and i'll a
quarter of an hour found themselves at
the foot of the mill. There was not u
cloud in the sky. Claire turned round
suddenly and uttered loud cry
''Oh, Charles look over there"
Charles turned at his wife's words and
stood in amazement. Tho real Pyrcnces
rose up in tho distance with such indie
scribable grandeur 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 moro 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 q sight be-
fore, and their eyes filled with the tears of
enthusiasm.
They waited there several hours, and
tho next day they camo again. And tho
day after they came again. How they
longed to see those mountains close! 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 q
guidcbook and looked up tho names Of tho
peaks with eagerness that was almost pas
sionate.
Charles and Claire enjoyed themselves
more and more as the timo passed, and
when the day came for them to leave they
were almost in tears. Oh, the lovely coun-
try they wero 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 wonders crying
their ware!
Charles especially was sad.
He was q child Of tho Pyrenees, because
his parents had lived there and died there.
1t seemed as if their dust was calling to
him, the exile in great city, to return to
his true home and live again in the pure
air of the mountains and forests.
The last dEy, when he was making his
adieu to the mountains, Charles saw the
miller come out of tho old windmill, and
an extravagant idea came into his head.
GOOD morning my good fellow" he
said to him.
GOOD morning, sir"
ITO whom does this mill belongs''
ITO me-"
do you have any land round its"
Eight hectares.
Are you willing to sell?''
well, that depends" replied tho mill
or, eying his inteflocutor from head to
foot.
How much do you want?"
'How much do 1 wantF Oh, $4,000
francs!'
"Oh, you would let it go for 10, O00s"
sNo, by my soul, no! l could not go
lower than 1a,O00.''
And tho miller went into his mill again
to prove that he would go no lower.
But seeing that the strangers were 90.
ing away he ran after them, caught up