The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-12-21

to remember II you nave gone mum ouNeN
the great world. Flavian Dion used TO
say 1t was we'll on the way to nowhere.
But Flavian!-well, that man was always
saving and doing queer things. 1t is not
in the way of travel-that is true. But,
living here always. suppose you were TO
go on a journey somewhere-to the fair
at Montreal or to the feast of st. Anne de
Beaupre; it would be fine, certainly, for
a little while, day, perchance; but pres
entity a longing would take hold OF you
and you would be unhappy until you
came again in sight of the shining splre
of the little church of st. Ephrem-the
little church that stands in one corner OF
the garden of the dead-and of the dark
green river flowing gently along. But
vet, it was here that Flavian lived. on,
but he was queer, that Flavian! or all
who have lived here and gone away he
is the only one who has never returned.
But he has thought about 1t; he has tried
to come-oh, you may depend upon that.
Flavian went away; he left his wife and
child. All. but softly. madame! gently
m sieu! have no impatience. Flavian
Dion was the artist born, having the gift
from Heaven.
Well then, behold this Flaviau Dion
aitting at home while the sun is shining.
playing his flute and his violin for him
self, his little daughter, his dog and his
pig-the daughter smiling with tears in
her eyes. the dog whining and the pig
granting with satisfaction. oh, fine: yes;
and his poor wife toiling in the fields. or
lrudging in the house from sunrise to
sunset and later.
That was the din raised about Flavian
Dions ears at home and abroad, and all
over the village of ST. Ephrem. And the
good wife made matters worse by slap
ping the child kicking the dog, beating
the pig. scolding, fretting, worrying with
every waking breath she drew. She had
ause: but could Favian Dion be blamed
for the nature which the good God had
given him? And had there not been days
long ago, when Suzette Desmoulins had
listened to Flavian's music as If 1t came
from Heaven, and laughed at his droller-
les until the tears ran down her cheeks?
Working a little here and there and
ding a great deal, if the invention of
heart breaking melodies is to be called
idling. Flavian Dion allowed the din
about his ears to grow and increase until
Zepherine. the daughter, was old enough
to be placed in the school of the good
Sisters of the Sacred Heart at st. Hy-
acinthe. Then having no one to hearken
to his flute or violin, or to laugh and cry
DN TURNS dl Ills iiC tOph
his flute and his fiddle and his necessary
belongs and went singing along the
road to the States. He disappeared and
was not heard of again until long after
Suzette, his wife, had been laid to rest
in the little churchyard. Then some way
farer returning home, reported that he
had met the wanderer In New Orleans.
1t was queer, the neighbors thought; but
after Flavian went away his wife was
inconsolable. 1t was indeed true that
Suzette was heartbroken. No other ever
was, or could be, as handsome as gentle
and as kind as her Flavian now seemed
to be in the light of her sorrow and re-
morse. She had no thought but of her
Flavian, and with his name on her lips
she died.
And so there was Zepherine, the daugh-
ter of F'lavian, to be looked after. She
was in the hands of Providence in a very
real sense. This was not her view alone;
it was the belief of the good Sisters OF
the Sacred Heart. She was what is
called une file de noel-a child of Christ
mas-that being the day on which she
was born. She grew with the growing
years and was happy with the rest. She
had very vivid memories of her father
and his gentle ways. The melodies he had
called forth from his flute and violin still
fingered in her ears; the wonderful sto-
res he had told were fresh in her mind.
They were a part of her daily life.
She knew where her mother was; yes
FULL well. Many and many time she had
dnelt before the little white cross thai
marked the spot in the garden of the
lead at St. Ephrem, and prayed for the
peace and repose of her mothers soul
AS for her father-well, at the proper time
The good God would take her by the hano
and show her where he was. She had noI
the slightest do lbt of this, and she prayed
that wnen the time should come sh
should be prepared to follow the guidinl
hand. So the years went on until at last
one Christmas Day, it seemed to Zepher-
inc Dion that this unseen hand was beck
oning to her, and she made haste to obey
The summons.
Now. it is to be regretted that Mr.
sanders, of Shady Dale. cannot have tn,
privilege of telling the rest of this stor,
in his own inimitable way. He used
ell it, and tell it well; he gave it a col
ring and a humor all his own, and
Idded to it the eloquence of gesture ar
he appropriate play of his happy
enance. More than that, he was a -
APP upon it the burden of a family al
DRY with which it had only casual con
lection. He would tell about the settle
Eent of Shady Dale by the Cloptons; o
The original deed in the handwriting O
Sen. Alexander McGilHvray, the grea
chieftain and statesman of the Creek Ma
ion; of the antiquity of the Clopton fam
lily; of the genealogical records that may
still be found in the church under which
the bones of Shakespeare repose. In this
way he could account for the rema rka bic
individuality of Sarah Clopton. the eldes,
daughter of Matthew And such was the
art or instinct with which he handled
these apparently burdensome details tina,
mis- hearers never suspected that the
course of the narrative had been inter
rupted
Sometimes he would begin Did any
Of youall knoY that we had Christina,
gal in this neck of the woods?" and Their
again: Did you ever hear the facts
aoout little Miss Johns, our Christmas
gal?" After which he would rub his chin
and say: We'll. the most principal fac
is that they never was no sech person as
little Miss Johns. You see that house
over yander wi the big, long peazzer an
the tall, red chimbleys She lives right
thar, an she's rockin' long purity com
fortubble. considerln' all the ups an
downs an drawbacks she's had to en-
doyre.' The person whose curiosity would
fail TO respond to such a sharp flip as
that, is certainly to be pitied.
Well, first and foremost, there was
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