Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1898-02-18
STEPHEN ETTE.


in the Luberon country l was alone
whole weeks in the pastures with my
dog Labri and the fiocks, without set.
ing a living soul. From time to time
the hermit Of the Mont de l'Ure would
pass by looking for herbs, and occasion.
ally / saw the black face of u Piedmont.
ESQ charcoal burner. But they were sim
pie folk, silent from habit and from
having lost tho 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 il
would come my fortnightly provisions.
l always made them tell mo the news
Of the country below-about the bap-
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 found out how often she went
to the fetes, or the evening festivals. or
il she had any new lovers. If they ask
cd what difference all that made to me,
replied that was 30 years old and
that Mile. Stephenetto was the most
beautiful thing | had seen in all my
life.
Now, it happened on one of tho Sun
days the provisions which had expect
ed did not arrive until very late. In
the morning when they did not come l
said to myself, 1t IL on account Of high
mass. Then toward noon there came u
great storm, and thought that the bad
condition of tho roads must have kept
the mule from starting. But at 8
o'clock, when tho mountain glittered
with the raindrops In the sunshine, l
heard the mule bells mingling with the
sound Of dripping leaves and the roar
Of the swollen streams tearing down
their banks-tho mule bells as merry
and as gay az the great chimes ON an
Easter morning. But it was not the lit
Tie Iarm boy OF ola NOrauo.
1T 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.
1.-The little fellow was i'll. Aunt No
rade was homo 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 SEQ her 30 beautifully dressed in her
Sunday clothes, with her lowered rib
bons and her gay skirt and laces. she
seemed to have come home late from n
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 hocks had gone into the val
Icy in the winter she would sometimes,
while was eating my supper, cross the
room quickly, rather stiffiy and perhaps
"a 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 u sheepskin
She saw my great capo hanging ON the
wall, my crook, my flint. 1t all amused
her.
"'And you 1.-Two here, my poor shep.
herd? How tired you must grow Of liv-
ing alone always. What do you dot
What do you think about?'
II wanted TO say, OF you, mistress.
and should not have lied. But my en-
barrassment was so great that could
not find u single word. think she no
ticed it and took delight in doubling
my uneasiness with her mischief.
And your very good friendf Does
she come up to sec you sometimesl Or
the fairy Esterelle who fits about here
on the top Of the mountain
ala Lapsis n l ,i Doo ' no .% H. A S
ond Ianohnd '""rr; npP'0 Ia A ai'o o- ,,oJ1
49, - "hn ao",, " 49, i,,, anu ano n,
hu har o h.s se' -, ,,n '0'' ''A' u" aquarium
.HsAdiam shonIo.d,
"'YOur safety, mistress.
"And she was gone, taking the emp
ty baskets with her.
"Wben she disappeared down tn,
steep path, it seemed as though tho peb
bles rolling under the mule y hoofs drop
ped one by one on my heart. | hearc
them for long time-a long time. AM
all the rest Of the day dared not stir
but sat az though were asleep, for fea
Of awakening from my dream Toward
evening, as the depths Of the vale,
grew blue and the animals grew rest
less and bleated in their impatience b,
return to the fold, heard some on
call from the slope. Our young nistres