Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1898-08-24

Through 1t you eau look upon all. Zoo
assist your And the angel closed the door
upon me.
THE road before me was broad one,
but paved and scorching with glowing
embers l staggered rs if l Were drunk
and stumbled at every step. l was all in n
perspration. Every hair on my body had
its separate drop of sweat, and / strangled
and painted with thirst. But, in truth,
thanks to the sandals which st. Peter had
given me / was able to run without bis
tering my feet.
"At last saw upon my left hand a door;
no, a portal, an enormous portal, red and
yawning like tho mouth of great fur
mace. All, my children, what a spectacle!
There they did not ask my name There
was no register, no keeper. They went in
by wide and open door, as on Sunday
you enter the cabaret. I swcated still, with
great drops of sweat, although l was chill
ed and shivering. My hair stood erect
upon my head and l smoled the burning,
roasting flesh, something like the odor
that spreads itself in our Cucugnan when
Eloy, the marechal, burns the hoof of an
old ass for the shore. | lost my breath in
that atmosphere, sinking and Sitting, and
heard u horrible clamur of groanings,
howlings and eursings.
"'Well, 90 in, said a horned devil TO
me, prodding me with his pitchfork. En-
ter, say. Why do you not entcrS
Ill am not going in
'''Thcn what do you come here forf
al cume--ah, butt can scarcely hold
myself on my iegs-I come-from a dis
-humbly--to ask you-if by stroke
OF chance-you should have hcre-any one
-from-from Cucugnany'
Any one from Gu Eternal fires but
you are playing the stupid As if you didn
know that all Cucugnan is herel Look
there, you ugly crow open your eyes and
YOU viii see how we handle them here,
these famous Cucugnanais!'
And there in the midst of whirlwnd
of flame | saw the long Coz -Galine-you
all remember him, my children-Coq=
Galine, who got drunk so often and so OF
ten shook the tleas from his poor Clarion,
and Catarinet, that little beggar with her
nose in the air who slept i'll the barn
you remember her, too, my droles. But
pass on, pass on. l have said enough, and
Pascal Doight dc Polk, he who made his
oil with the olives of NJ Julien-1 saw
him, too and Babet, the CLEANER, who IN
cleaning swelled his sheaves with handouts
from the common stack; Master Grapasl,
who oiled SO well the wheels OF his bar
row; Dauphine, who sold SO dear the wa
ter from her well, and the Tortillard, who,
when he encountered me upon the road
carrying the blessed bread, kept on his
way, his pipe in his mouth, his cap on his
head as If he had met IA dog, and Coulan
with his Zette and Jacques and Pierre
and Toni
Moved and white with fear, the audi
I..I LIZ In,
that opened hell father, mother, Il
grandmother or n sister.
You know very well, my brethren,
continued the good Able Martin-"you
know very we'll that this cannot 90 on. l
have the charge of your souls, and wish
yes, intend to save you from the abyss
into which you are rolling headfore1nost.
Tomorrow | begin the work, not later
than tomorrow. and the work will not flag.
Behold, how l shall take it in order
that it shall be done thoroughly and with
system. We shall go rank by rank, as ut
.Ionquieres when they dance. Tomorrow,
Monday. | shall confess the aged men and
women of the village; Tuesday tie chill
dren-I shall soon finish; Wednesday the
youths and maidens-this Will doubtless
take me longer; Thursday the men--we
shall cut it short: Friday the women-
No gossip, l shall say to them, No gos-
sip. Saturday the miller-it is not too
much Of a furnace for hln all alone, and
Sunday, If we have finished, we should be
very happy. When the grain is ripe, my
children, it should be cut. When the wine
is drawn, it should be drunk. Behold,
enough Of dirty linen-the question is to
wash it, and to wash it well
TO the mercy Of God l commend you.
Amen
That which was said was done, and
done with I've Since that memorable sun
day the virtues Of Cucugnan have breathod
themselves for ten leagues around. And
the good pastor, NJ. Martin, happy and
full of cheerfulness, dreamed the other
night that, followed by all his flock in re
splendent procession, he climbed the gold
en- road that led to the city of God in the
midst of lighted tapers, a cloud of per
fumed incense and children OF the choir
chanting the TIE Deum. Prom the
French of Alphonse Daudet For Short
Stories.