The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1898-03-25
STEPHENETTE.

"While was watching the animals
In the Luberon country was alone
whole weeks in the pastures with my
dog Labri and the focks, without see.
ing living soul. From time to time
the hermit of the Mont de lure would
pass by looking for herbs, and occasion.
ally saw the black face of a Piedmont.
csc charcoal burner. But they were sim.
pie folk, silent from habit and from
having lost the taste for talking, and
ignorant Of what was going on below
in the towns and villages. So every two
weeks when heard the mule bells com.
ing up the road which wound up the
mountain was very joyful. Then the
sprightly head Of the little farm boy OF
old Aunt Norade's reddish headdress
would appear over the hill, and with ii
would come my fortnightly provisions.
I always made them tell me the news
Of the country below-about the hap.
tisms, the marriages. But what inter
ested me the most was hearing about
the daughter of my master and mis-
tress, our dear Mile. Stephenette-the
prettiest creature for miles around.
Without seeming to take too much in
terest I found out how often she went
to the fetes, or the evening festivals, OF
if she had any new lovers. If they ask
ed what difference all that made to me,
I replied that 1 was 20 years old and
that Mile. Stephenette was the most
beautiful thing l had seen in all my
life.
"Now, it happened ON one of the Sun.
days the provisions which had expect
ed did not arrive until very late. In
the morning when they did not come ]
said to myself, 1t is on account of high
mass Then toward noon there came a
great storm, and thought that the bad
condition Of the roads must have kept
the mule from starting. But at
o'clock, when the mountain glittered
with the raindrops in the sunshine, I
heard the mule bells mingling with the
sound Of dripping leaves and the roar
of the swollen streams tearing down
their banks-the mule bells as merry
and as gay as the great chimes on an
Easter morning. But it was not the lit
tie farm boy or old Norade.
"It was-guess who-our Mile. Steph-
enette, my friends-our young lady
herself, sitting there among the wicker
bags, all pink from the mountain air,
so refreshing now after the storm.
"The little fellow was i'll. Aunt No.
rade was home with her children for a
holiday. The lovely Stephenette had
told me all this in alighting from the
mule, and also that she was late be.
cause the beast had lost his way. But
to see her so beautifully dressed in her
Sunday clothes, with her Powered rib
bons and her gay skirt and laces, she
seemed to have come home late from a
ball, instead Of having just made her
way through the woods.
"Oh, the dear little creaturel My
eyes could never tire of looking at her.
l had never been so near her before.
After the focks had gone into the val
ley in the winter she would sometimes,
while 1 was eating my supper, cross the
room quickly, rather stifi]y and perhaps
little proudly, scarcely speaking to
the servants. And now she was before
me. All my own Was it not enough to
make man lose his head?
"When she had taken the provisions
out of the basket, she began to look
about her curiously. Lifting her beau
tiful Sunday skirt bit lest it should
be spoiled, she went into the fold. She
asked to see the corner where slept,
with its bed of straw and sheepskin.
She saw my great cape hanging ON the
wall, my crook, my flint. 1t all amused
her.
"'And you live here, my poor shep.
herd? How tired you must grow of liv-
ing alone always. What do you do?
What do you think about?'
81 wanted to say, OF you, mistress,
and l should not have lied. But my en-
barrassment was SO great that I could
not find single word. think she no.
ticed it and took. delight in doubling
my uneaslness' with her mischief.
"'And your very good friend? Does
she come up to see you sometimes? Or
the fairy Esterelle who fits about here
on the top of the mountain
"She might have been the fairy Ester
ellie herself, as she tipped back her head
and laughed merrily. And she made
her visit seem more like an apparition
by her haste to go.
"'Adieu, shepherd
"'Your safety, mistress.
"And she was gone, taking the emp.
ty baskets with her.
"When she disappeared down the
steep path, it seemed as though the peb-
bles rolling under the mule hoofs drop
ped one by one on my heart. / heard
them for long time-a long time. And
all the rest of the day dared not stir,
but sat as though were asleep, for fear
Of awakening from my dream. Toward
evening, as the depths of the valley
grew blue and the animals grew rest
less and bleated in their impatience to
return to the fold, heard some one
all from the slope. Our young mistress
appeared not SO 1aughinglv ms before