La Junta tribune., 1899-01-21
CLOCHETTE.


persistently that one cannot get rid of
them. This all happened so long ago, SO
far back in the past, that l cannot under
stand how it is that 1t should remain so
clearly fixed in my mind.
have seen 50 many terrible things since
then and had SO many sad experiences
that IL seems strange indeed that not
single day should pass without my seeing
poor Mere Clochetto's face just ms she wns
when / was u mere child of 10 or l2 years
old
She was sewing woman who used 20
come to US every Tuesday, for the whole
day. to mend the linen. Our home was
one of those old country places which peo-
Pile call u chateau. but which was In rcali-
ty Just an old fashioned house with a
pointed roof and with four or five little
cottages grouped round 1t.
Tho village was just . few hundred
yards away from our house, q number of
little houses built around the red brick
church, which was nearly black with Rge
Every Tuesday morning Mere Clochette
arrived Mt our house between $3.50 and T.
She always went straight up stairs into
the sewing room and commenced work mt
once. She was tall, spare woman, while
her eyebrows were SO long and bushy that
they looked like mustaches over her eyes
She limped in walking. but not In tho
same way as an ordinary cripple. She was
more like y boat at anchor, for when her
long bony body was resting on her sound
leg she looked rs though she were just
about to make n plunge, in order to reach
the top Of some huge wave. and then sud
denly she would descend as though an
abyss had opened under her feet She al
ways reminded me OF u storm at sen when
she walked, AZ she seemed to rock about,
L.. "A. -
float about with every movement she made.
simply adored Mere Clochctte, and as
soon as wns dressed In the morning
always went strnight up to the sewing
room. where l found her busy at work.
comfortably installed with foot warmer.
She would make me sit down on the foot
warmer, 40 that should not take cold in
the large room. a. 1t was just under the
roof and very chilly in winter.
She used to tell me stories while she
darned the linen with her long. bent I'm
gers. which moved so quickly backward
and forward. Her cyes, which only saw
TO be enormous. and they always looked
20 deep and full Of expression. From
what I can remember Of the things abe
used to tell me and which interested me
90 much at the time she must have been u
simple minded, kind hearted woman. She
would tell me all the events Of the village,
the story Of a COW which had got out of It's
shed, and which had been found In the
morning standing In front of Prosper
Malet' . windmill watching the sails going
round Then remember story she told
me about . hens egg which had been
found in the church stceple, and no one
had over discovered what hen could have
got up there. Then there was the history
Of tho faithful dog owned by Jean Pilas.
His master 3 trousers had been stolen. and
the dog had traced the thief and brought
back the trousers, which tho guilty man
had hung on to the handle of his door to
dry during the night after having bsen
caught In thunderstorm.
She told me these absurd stories In such
an impressive way that they fixed them
selves on my memory like veritable
dramas and mysterious poems. The clever
stories invented by celebrated authors
which my mother used to tell me in the
evenings did not seem to me anything like
20 thrilling and wonderful a. those relat-
Cd by the poor peasant woman.
One Tuesday, after spending all the
morning listening to Mere Clochette's
tales, l had been with one of the servants
to the woods just near the Noirpre farm.
We had been gathering nuts, and can re-
member everything as clearly as though 1t
n00 011 u6RpCocu Jc0NbIUby.
AZ soon a. ! reached home l ran up
stairs to the sewing room. and, to my hor-
ror, on opening the door, saw poor old
Nero Clochette lying full length on the
floor, her face downward, her arms stretch
ed ont holding her needle clinched between
the fingers of one hand and little gar
ment Of mine In the other. can remem-
Der now noticing her blue stockings and
her spectacies, which had rolled against
the wall as She fell.
rushed down stairs, shrieking as
went, and my mother and the servants
were soon with my poor old friend. Pres
emily heard them saying that she was
dead, and shall never forget the terrible,
heartrending grief I felt. child though
was l ran away quietly into the big
drawing room, and, hiding In dark cor
nor, l knelt down by low armchair and.
burying my head In cushion, cried bit
terly until was tired out with my emo
tion. must have been there . long time.
for It began 20 get quite dark.
Presently the door opened, and some
one came in with . lamp, and just after
my father and mother entered the room
with the doctor. They did not see me and
70 continued their conversation. He was
explaining TO my parents what had caused
the poor old woman's death did not
understand anything about IL, but lis-
tened TO hio words all the same. Some re-
frsshmenos were brought in, and tho doc-
tor took glass Of wine and . biscuit. He
went on talking al the time, and whaS
he aid hAve never forgotten and mover
shall forgse 70 ny dying day. believe
oan remsmbsr the very words be used.
Poor old woman, hs aid, "she was
Tho frss patient had heae. 6he broke hee
leg the vssy day Of my arrival, and I lad
only Just had tinns 10 waah my hands
sftsr my journey IN Tie ooach whom was
fetched 70 bss. = II was curious cass,
most sesious, IN fAcA 6he was Just II
then, and . Why pretty girl, vsry pretty
IL ght \ posaible. would you, A. 4