The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-26
A LITTLE DOMESTIC
PRETTY DESCRIPTION OF HOME
LIFE IN PROVINCIAL FRANCE.
Mrs. Mary Hartweu Catherwood
SKETCHES n BIT Of Her Foreign Ex-
perfence-Odd French Ways.
Atlantic Monthly.


farm-wife's shadow and helper that l
thought him the young OF the house
until she explained he was only pitt
domestique.''
His elder brother, larger image OF him
self. went out to the fields. and was 10 be
seen only with the other laborers- In past
summers he had probably taken his turn
as madames hand-boy. while Rene. too
young for anything but a goose herd. found
employment nearer home. But Rene's sat
isfaction in his present degree of advance
ment shone all over his face. l heard
madame scolding him in the milk cellar.
particularly when her cheek was swollen
diagonally out of shape with the toothache.
The notice her ledger took OF this affiiction
was deferentially received, and replied to
with the resigned plant, "Je sour mar
tyre" AT the little domestic. however. she
let loose the distorted jaw. And
Rene minded ii not a bit His wide
smile was unfailing. He took his seedlings
as part Of his rearing. which madame.
doubtless. avoiding sentiment and sticking
to her duty, intended them TO be. You
never heard his thin treble raised in excuse
or self-defense. Rene belonged to a class
OF children-never seen in our new world
who are brought up in wholesome subJec-
ton.
wooden sound. He had tow hair. and very
blue eyes, and small white teeth which
daily lowered the pail OF baked pears pears, he
most from shoulder to heel, on his nigh
blue trousers. Altogether. Rene had the
look OF a blond brownie. and his chores
were those which were once believed 10
fall to the brownies share.
Short conversations. chiefly on my side.
and writing materials. Rene thumped
along, grinning shyly with amiable desire
to please; but he was too well taught 10
omen his mouth to his betters unless IL
became necessary to answer questions. or
himself he had nothing at all TO tell. With
pleased interest IN the tarm ana ms ,s, ~noe
what caused the throbbing, rumbling noise
In the stone stables: La batterle; on pat
for each days life it grew out OF the
days life preceding IL.
Rene and his brother We're sons OF the
convent man servant, who had seven chill
dren. 1t is the custom In Marine when q
peasant has a large family of boys to hire
Summer or months mont Each boy gets his food
and lodging and forty francs for the entire
season Of his service; He thus earns half half
and clothe himself with in winter when he
goes to school. Eight dollars might easily
and clad in coarse wool. In this way the
overburdened father brings up good labor
ers, and their religious s sdnSS.lS9 ,h as
may pick up what they can. The French
are great newspaper readers Everywhere
depths of the country or at shop doors or
s sorts sA Of lands The Petit Journal is read
much I'm the north. In Paris IL Is lie
Soliel and Figaro, while many others are
"'1eSp' BOY PROMOTED
A lad very unlike Rene, probably vine
yard worker, brown and lean. once came
I'D from the valley and crossed the path
aft.Hy He
with a rabbits questioning shyness as the
parting boughs showed him a trespasser;
but lifting his cap with muttered Bon
Jour-" he bolted through as IL he were the
culprit.
| In the still heats Of noon you could hear
| the cawing OF crows The sultriness which
seems to melt human flesh under our own
skies can never have been known in
France. For there the cooling rain is con-
stantly at hide-and-seek with the sun.
Of the prairie While sne AND ya Ilee
basked in sunshine.
Blackberry brambles and tall wild flowers
Wherever you looked the land was beaiitf-
full. except at the fortress-iike front OF Les
Buissons. Cows tramped past the door. and
a favorite scratching place of chickens was
the pear-strewn ground. The usual gush or
bloom which adorns most French dorniciles
was missing here. Madame had her patch
of inclosed garden where she raised salads
and herbs. From my woods study / could
see Rene or one of the men come out OF
the kitchen door and swing the wire salad
basket, having been set by madame TO wash
and prepare lettuce for my dinner. But the
only flowers about Les Buisson ms were vol
them when sat outdoors. until there came
days when they would have made bright
sky. Elsewhere In the world II may be as
bleak in early September; but am certain
nothing drives heat out of the blood like a
stone house centuries old. IL was at this
time that madame and II engaged
stubborn struggle about the chimney. She
lighted no fire. but she brought I'm to me a
little iron thing with a handle and open
scroled lid which she called convert"
full of glowing Goals and ashes. She sat II
for y IN rT sbn on me
might have thrown off some charcoal gas
but it retained heat long time. and she
constantly opened the door to nod her tri-
umphant head at me and take credit to
herseH because / was so well warmed.
spurts of chill rain drove in lines against
vember world. The laborers were under
shelter, and madame had a steaming kettle
on her fire to regale them with hot soup,
while huddled over a convert.
A GENTLE PEOPLE
Before these depressing autumn GAYS.
which drove me untimely away from the
farm, / often came in and found Rene
keeping house alone in the kitchen II no
task OF securing tiuware had been set for
him he carved baked pears with a pocket
knife and dstended' himself with them.
When such dignifed labor as churning was
to be done, a grown man turned the crank
Of the barrel churn. and madame measured
out drink OF brandy for the service So
gentle and harmless are the people OF Marna
there was no terror In finding ones SELF
practically alone in remote farmhouse.
Rene, at such times, was ceputed to MI
the water jug on my toilet stand, which
astonished madame by needing so many
filings, and to serve the dejeuner. He ala
IL with conscientious cheerfulness. bringing
the hot water for my tea, and standing
by to serve For GAZETTE. a kind OF wheat
en- cake, split while hot, buttered, and eat
en- with cream. he had a yearning with
which an American could hardly sympa-
thize.
There were but two evident bedchamberv
I'm the house. the loft under the tiles being
devoted TO the storing OF seed. Rene and
his fellow-servants must have slept some
where in the stables. The happy-go-lucky
housing and feeding Of peasants do not
tend TO divide man severely from his breth-
rem the cattle. Whether the spring m the
woods edge or the pit in the court furnished
water for the additions of these people
IL was impossible for sojourner to de-
termine. They had the clean look OF the
French. whom heaven seems TO excuse from
much purifying OF themselves. Engiishmen
have made their tubing a byword and
Americans consider no house AZ 10 live IN
which Is not piped with abundant water
supply; while Frenchman Is said 10 warn
all his friends ten days before he intends
taking a bath. and 10 bid them farewell
and then TO fail to take the bath. Yet he
looks clean.
Rene's mother once slipped over from the
1...1r .~l@t.