The record-union., 1898-04-24
Yes, sir, that's true" I"


Anu after little pause.
IF this weather lasts for two hours
and the rain does not begin again, and
the wind does not change round to the
north, We will be able to do fine work
with the net, won't we?"
Them
7r.You see, sir, left my native place,
and if | took to drink there We're. rea-
sons so strong that when I think Of
| them now I ask myself sometimes if I
have not been dreaming. But no, /
have not been dreaming. Ny life was
cut in two one fine day, or rather one
| fine night. and when / awoke | was
another man l tell this to you be
cause you are not a peasant like the
other people here. They would all laugh
at me- They would say that l was
drunk. And l know that there are
! times when | am drunk. But WheH all
that / am going to tell you happened
l never touched drop of liquor. nor
even a glass of Armagnac on Sunday.
well, when / was fourteen years of
age / became a servant in the house
hold of NJ. De Buglose. There is no
harm in mentioning his name, the poor
man, for he has been dead these fif-
| teen years, and there is no one now
who bears his name. His daughter is
married in the Gers District, near Mi
rande. His second wife died two years
after him, and then their castle of
Bourdinot was sold. Of course you
know Bourdinot? A one-story house,
with two square towers and a terrace,
on the Tenareze road a. little past
Criere
Here are the folks who were at
Bourdinot in my time: M De Buglose,
who was Widower, his first wife hav-
| ing died some time previously; Mile
Paule, who was just then a little over
fifteen; Pierre, the cCachman; Marie,
the cook. and finally myself, whose
principal duty was to accompany my
master when he went hunting For M.
De Buglose was a great hunter. He
did not care SO much for regular hunt
ing or for shooting, although when the
season came he took some part in the
sport. 1t was the ring dove, however.
that gave him the most amusement
tell you, sir, that when a man gives
| himself up to this sport of trapping
ring doves he is captivated by it just
as one is captivated by drink / have
seen persons who for the sake of this
|
| refused to work any more, and have
let their farms go to the devil A love
for this sport is indeed genuine pas
sion. And truly it is a noble sport,
and one which is unlike any other. M.
De Buglose could we'll afford to indulge
in this sport. At that time. vineyards.
rosin, everything, brought in a revenue.
The rents which he received amounted
to about 20.000 francs. In the North
that would be poor income for land
ell proprietor but in my country a man
with that amount is considered very
rich. Is it not so. sir?'
Quite true, Cesaire''
And | tell you they lived we'll at
Bourdinot, Rich Parisans fancy that
they have a good table when a rascalIy
chef serves them with hodge e-podge din
ners that have been prepared within an
| hour and gives them Bordeaux that has
| been manufactured at Bercy. Give
me our own country. where the ortolan
| is fattened under our own eyes. where
we drink wine from our own vine
yards. and where the round of beef
with its Armagnac sauce, is kept cook
! ing beneath the fire for twenty-four
hours, and being all the time carefully
watched by the housewife. NJ. De
Buglose would never eat a lamb that
was not fattened for a whole month
with the milk of two sheep"
! Cesaire meditated for some moments
| over the period of feasting: then he
went on without any further digres-
sions:
Mile. Paule was a handsome mad
cap, to use vulgar expression. She
was slender and tall, and her complex
ion was more fair than any you can
| find around here. She had fair hair,
so light and curly that it looked just
like a lot of feathers, and she held her
| head high-for all the world like a
ring dove. And didn't she love this
moorland country of ours, In sun
shine. in rain; IN storm, in all kinds of
weather she was out of doors; favor
ite as she was, she knew not the mean
ing of fear. l don't think she took
much interest in her books or her pi-
ano, or in any of those things which are
! intended to interest young ladies. What
could you expect? Her mother died
while she was very young, and it was
her father and the servants who looked
after her education.
| SHe WAS pIOuu all the same, ana II
a man had failed to show her proper
respect I believe she would have killed
| him. And what a passion she could
get into when everything did not go as
she pleased! More than once / have
received blow from her fist and more
than once her little Malacca cane. with
| its silver head, has caressed my calves
and my shoulders when | was not quick
enough in performing "A service for her
Bah, / was glad enough to get blow
from her hands, AS matter of fact
she could not get along without me- 1t
was Cesaire here and Cesaire there
/ 'Cesaire, get me that nest! Cesaire,
there is rat in my room; get turn
spit and kill him 'Cesaire, tie my shoe
lace.' 'Cesafre, look at the doves;
draw the net Quicker, you fool
Indeed she took great delight in
trapping. Day after day, sir, she and
sat side by side, watching for doves
just as you and l are doing now. She
knew how to attract them better than
any one else. She could initiate their
cry, the cry which they make when
they are mating ou-ou-rcu. And
it was SO natural that the birds came
from all sides of the forest to listen to
it, No one had ever taught her. She
had simply invented it herself.
Cesaire stopped. The sound of
whrling wings was heard at a distance
in the moist air
They are coming" murmured Ce-
saire. May we let the decoys loose?"
The decoys are the doves with clipped
wings which the trapDer sends under
cover of the trees to the space where
the net is placed, baited with little
grain.