The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1899-01-27
CI.UIiiET"TE.

Tow strange they ere, thoce memories
O. tie rast, which haunt ones brains so
Tci sis:;"tly that one cannot get rid of
them. This all LGrI ertG so lCng ago, so
lar lack iii the asst, that l cannot under
stand Low it is that it should remain SO
clearly fixed in my mind.
have seen 80 many terrible things since
thea ard had So II any sad experiences
that it seems strange indeed that not u
single day should lass without my soeirg
rocr Mere CIochcttcs face just as she WIS
when was {: mere child OF 10 or II years
cid
She was sewing woman who used TO
come to us every Tuesday, for the whole
day, to mend the linen. Our homo was
one of those old country places which poo
pie call chateau, but which was in rca!i-
ty just an cid fashioned house with
pointed roof and with four or five little
cottages grouped round it.
The Village WAS just q few hundred
yards away from our house, number Of
little houses built around tho rcd brick
church, which was nearly black with age.
Every Tuesday morning Mere Clochcttc
arrived at our house between $50 and =
She always went straight up stairs tito
the sewing room and commenced work ut
once. She was u tall, spare woman, while
her eyebrows were so long and bCshy that
they looked like mustaCl:Ci over her eyes.
She limped in walking, but not in tic
same way rs an ordinary cripple. She WIS
more like boat at anchor, for when Ur
long hony body was resting on her sound
leg she looked rs though she were just
about to make a plunge, in order TO reach
the top of some huge wave, and then sCr-
denly she would descend as though an
abyss had opened under her feet She al
ways reminded ire of u storm ut sea wktn
she walked as she seemed TO rock about,
and the strings of her big white cap would
float about with every movement she made.
1 simply adcrcd Mere Clo2hettc, ard as
soon as was dressed in the morning !
always went straight up TO the sewing
room, where / found her busy at work,
comfortably installed with a foot warmer.
She would make inc sit down OH the fcct
warmer, so that l should net take cold in
the large room, as it was just under lie
roof and very chilly in winter.
She used to tell mo stories while s!!e
darned the linen with her long, lent III
gers, which moved so quickly backward
and forward. Her eyes, which only s:;w
through her big srccid2lCs, seemed to E.c
to be enormous, and ttCy always locked
so deep and full Of expression. FROM
what / can remember Of the things she
used 10 tell mo and which interested ZIG
so much ut the time she lEust have been Il
simple minded, kind hearted woman. She
would tell me all the events CT the village,
the story of Il cow which had got cut Of its
shed, and which had been found in tht
morning standing in front Of PROSPER
Mnlntic windmill hiDor I ba calls
round. Then remember story she told
me about hens egg which had been
found in the church stceplc, and no one
had ever discovered what hen could have
got up there. Then there was the history
of the faithful dog owned by Jean Pil:is
His master trousers had been stolen, ard
the dog had traced the thief ard brought
back the trousers, which tho guilty man
had hung on to the EaEdl9 OF his door to
dry during the night after having been
caught in thunderstorm.
She told me these al Surd stories in such
an impressive why that they fixed them
selves on my memory like veritablc
dramas aid 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
SO thrilling and wonderful as those rclat.
cd by the poor peasant woman.
One Tuesday, after spending all the |
morning listening to Mere Clochcttcs |
tales, l had been with one CT the servants |
to the woods just rear tho Noirprc farm!
We had been gathering nuts, ard l can re,
member everything as clearly as though il |
had all happened yesterday.
As soon As l reached home l ran up |
stairs to the sewing room, and, to my hor-
ror, on opening tho door, saw poor old |
Mere Clochette lying full length on the |
floor, her face downward, her arm stretch |
cd out holding her needle clincECd between |
the fingers of che hand and little gcr
mcnt Of mine III the other l can rcmem. |
Der now noticing her blue stockings and |
her spcctacles, which had rolled against |
tho wall as she fell.
rushed down stairs, shricking as ] |
went, and my mother ard the servants !
were soon with my poor old friend. Pres |
emily heard them saying that she was |
dead, and l shall never forget the terrible |
was. l ran away quietly into the big |
her, knelt down by d low armchair and
burying my head in cushion, cried bit
terly until was tired out with my emo
ton. l must have been there u long time
for it began to get quite dark
Presently tho door opened, and some
one came in with IL lamp, and just alter
my father and mother entered tho room
with the doctor. They did not SEQ me and
so continued their conversation. He was
explaining to my parents what had caused
the poor old wOman's DEATH l did not
understand anything about it, bu; lis.
tened to his words all the same. Some re
frcshIEcnts were brought in, and the doc
tor took glass of.wino ard biscuit. He
went on talking all tho time, ana what
he said have never forgotten and never
shall forget to my dying day. / believe |
can remember tho very words he used.
Poor old woman" he said, ''sho was
The first patient l had here. She broke her
leg the very day of my arrival. and had
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