The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-11-08


foiuette Marmotte, who has voice IKE
. bird sings a verse or two of the song
,hav call .sAlathurin, the Master OF the
School" To the beat of the hammers
unon the fax, the women pause IN ther
vork. and weep in silly sort or way
without shame or reproof.
uere are two verses of the song WIN
which an toinette used to play upon
their sentimental heart-strings;
"Connaissez-vous Mathurin,
lie maitre d'ecole
Get aimable boute-en-train,
Du plaisir raffole;
A table. en- un gal repas,
Sa langue ne TART pas
Sur la gaudriole,
Oh! que,
Sur la gandrioie!
Ami lecteur, passe-mol
Cette faribole;
LIE gazette me sert de loi,
CONNIE de boussole;
Pour chaser lie sombre ennui,
Je versifie aujourd'hui
Sur la gaudroile.
Oh! que,
Sur la gaudriole.
The tale was told to me in the little
valley one September morning. Far
and near one could see the swinging OF
the fail, and the laughter of ripe sum-
mer was upon the land. There was
little Calvary down by the river side,
where the fiax-beaters used to say their
prayers in the intervals of their work.
and it was just at the foot of this that
Angelo Rouyier, having finished her
prayer. put her rosary in her pocket,
wiped her eyes with the hem of her petit
coat, and said to me:
"Ah, that poor Mathurin!'
could not guess at first why she spoke
so at the moment; but presently it dawn
ed upon me that she had been praying
for the repose of Mathurin's soul; though
he had been at least a hundred years
dead. and she had never known him.
But tradition and memory are sweet to
her race, and perhaps something in her
own life that day had recalled to her
the apoeryphal Scripture according
to Mathurin. For some of these stories
and legends lie as near to the heart OF
the race of Angelo as Job or Israel lie
to your lives and mine; perhaps nearer,
because Angelo and her race are closer to
the honest earth from which good stories
spring.
'Ah, that poor Mathruin! | wipe my
eyes for him. she said to me again.
s~reU me all about him, won't you,
Nine. ANGLER" | want to hear you tell
about it." / added hastily, for | saw
that she would despise me If | showed
ignorance of Mathurin's story. Her
sympathy with Mathurin's memory was
real, but her pleasure at the compliment
conveyed in my request was also read.
"Ah! 1t was YER long time ago-yes,
NV gran-mudder she remember dat
Mathruin YER well. He is not YER big
man, not so bigger as yourself lie mas
n face-oh, not YER handsome, not 50
more handsome as yous-non! Ills clothes
they hang on him all loose, his hair, It Is
all some grey, and it blows about min
head. He is clean of the race, nc
beard. no, nosing like dat. But his eye
oh. M'sieu, his eye! 1t is like coal which
you blow in your hand, whew! Al
bright. My gran mudder, she say, VOL
la! You can light your pipe with the eyes
of that M'sieup She know. She say
that M'sieu' Mathurin's eyes they shine
in the dark. My gran fadder he says
he not need any lights on his carrioie
when Mathurin ride with him IN the
dark.
"Vraiment, it is all YER true what
fell YOU all the time. If you cut off Ma
thurin at the chin, all the way up you
would say the top of him 1t is a priest
All the way down from his neck, II you
let it stan, OH, he is just no better as
yourself or my Jean, non! lie IS yer
good man. Only one bad ting he DO.
That is why pray for him; that is why
everybody pray for him-only one pa0
ting. Sapriel If have only one ting 20
say God haye-mercy for, l tlnk DAT yer
good. do my penance happy. wen, di.'
Mathurin him use to teach the school
The cure he is YER fond of him. All the
Ieetla children, boys and girls, they al
say. 'C'est bon Mathurin." lie Is MOI
YER cross. non! He have no wife-no
child: Just live by himself, all alone. but
ne is YER good friends with everybody u
Pontiac. When he go long the street
everybody say, 'Ah, there go the gooe
Mathurin.'' He laugh, he tell story
lie smoke n eetla, he take leetla Wnlte
wine benin the door-that is nosihg
noDi
He have in the parish five, ten, TWEEN
ty children all call Mathurin; he is goo
father WIN JneIl-yGS. t9O hS 81 49,
with plenty of sugar and sticks of candy
in his pocket He never forget once
the age of every leetla child which cal
him godfather He have brain thai
work like a clock. My gran'fadded he
saw dat Mathurin have machine in his
head. 1t make the words, make the
thoughts. make the fine speech like the
Cure. make the gram poetry-oh, yes!
"When the King of Englan' go 70 81 y
ON the throne, Mathurin write YER nice
verse to him. And bye and bye there
come to Matharin letter-Voila, dat is
letter. It has one, two, three
twenty seals; and the King he say e
Mathurin, 'Merci mile fois Msieu. fol
are YER polite ] thank you. VII
Keep your verses to tell dat ny Fferci
subjects are all loyal like NJ. Mathurin
Dat is YER nice; but he is not proud
non! He write six verses for my gran
mndder-hein! Dat is something. H(
write two verses for the King of Englan
and he write six verses for my gran.