The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1895-10-17

For man in whose life there had
been tragedy he was cheerful. He had
habit Of humming vague notes In
the silence Of converse ton, as if to put
you at ease. His body and face We're
lean and arid, his eyes oblique and
small his hair straight and dry ana
straw-colored; and it flew out crack
ling with electricity to meet his cap as
he put it on. He lived alone in a lit
tie hut near his lime-kiln by the river,
with no near relatives, and few COM
panions save his four dogs and these
he fed sometimes at the expense OF his
own stomach. He had just enough
crude poetry, in his nature to ENJOY MS
surroundings. For he was well placed.
Behind the lime-kiln rose knoll on
knoll, and beyond these the yerdant
hills, all converging to- Dalgroethe
mountain. In front of it was the river
with it's banks dropping forty feet,
and below, the rapids, always troubled
and sportive. On the farther side OF
the river lay peaceful areas of meadow
and corn land, and low rooted, hover
Ing farm houses, with one larger than
the rest, having a wind mill and flag
staff This building was almost large
enough for a manor, and indeed 1T
was said that it had been built for
one Just before the conquest Of 1859,
but the war had destroyed the ambi-
tious owner, and it had become farm
house Garrote always knew the time
of the day, by the way the light fell
on the wind mill. He had owned this
farm once, he and his brother Fabian,
and he had loved it as he loved Fa-
bian, and he loved it now as. he loved
Fabian's memory. And in spite of ALL
they were cheerful memories, both Of
brother and house.
At twenty three they were orphans,
with 200 acres of land, some cash,
horses and cattle, plenty Of credit in
the parish, or in the county for that
matter. Both We're of hearty DISPOSE
tions. but Fabian had a taste for
liquor. and Henri for pretty faces and
shapely ankles. Yet no one thought
the worse Of them for that, especially
at first An old servant kept house
for them and cared for them in her
honest way both physically and NOR
ally. She lectured them when at first
there was little to lecture about. Its
no wonder that when there came a
vast deal to reprove, good Agatha de-
sisted altogether, overwhelmed by the
weight of it
Henri got shock the day before
their father died when he saw Fabian
lift the brandy used to mix with the
milk of the dying man. and pouring
out the third of a tumbler, drink it off
slnaeking his lips as he did SO as
though it were cordial. That gave
him a cue to his future and to Fa
bian's. After their father died Fa
bian gave way to the vice. He drank
in the taverns; he was at once the
despair and the JOY of the parish; fol
wild as he was, he had a gay temper
humorous mind, strong arm anl
was universal lover. u, The cure, who
q did not, of course, know one-fourth OF
his wildness, had a warm spot fol
him in his heart. But there was s
vicious streak in him somewhere, .anG
it came out one day in perilous fash
s. ion.
There was in the hotel of the Louis
Quinze an English servant from thu
west called Nell Barraway. She hat
been in a hotel in Montreal, and it wa,
there Fabian had seen her as sh,
waited on the table. She was a splen
did looking creature, all life and en-
ergy, tall, fair-haired and with charm
above her kind. She was also an ex
cellent servant, could do as much a.
any two women in any house, and wa
capable of more airy diablerie thai
any ten in Pontiac. When Fabian ha,
said to her in Montreal that he wOul,
come he told her where he lived. Sh
came to see him instead, for she Wrot
to the landlord OF the Louis Quinze
enclosed five testimonials and was im
mediately engaged. She came and Fla
bian was stunned when he entered til
Louis Quinze and saw her waiting O
table, alert, busy, good to see. Sh
nodded at him with a quick smile a
he stood bewiIdered Just inside tn
door, then said in English, for he ur
derstood it fairly: ss'"This way, nor
sieur.''
As he sat down he said in Englis