Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1902-08-21
CLOCHETTE
|Is!gEYIs3El'

ITOw strange they are. these old
III memories which haunt Is. and Of
wsich ne are not able TO rid our
.>lvesI
This enc fs 90 old 50 old. that
I cannos comprehend Why it has re-
nained- living and tenacious. m my
mind Since that time have met With 80
many thingS. sinister. Affecting 81
terrible. that a surprises ne 70 And
that . single day cannot pass with
cut the face Of Mother Clorhette re-
trseinx itself before my eyes. Just
as 7 knew her. 90 long ago. when I
was only 10 OF Il years old
She vas an old seznsfresa who
came each week On Tuesday. TO mend
the family HaenL Ny parents in
habited one of those country dwell
fags called chzteaax- which are sin-
ply Old houses with peaked roofs.
with fozr or i've farns grouped
around
he village. . arr- one. almost .
town vas visible some hundred feet
Distant closely s4rrozndEnx the
church an edix<e Of red b<ick. black
ea>d hy time
Every Tuesday. th<n4 No<h.r CIo-
ch>-te arrived between kzIf-ps<s SIX
azd seven in the nSrzinx. azd rping
Up TO the Enea press. cozn<nred
her work
She vas . tail thin WOMAN beard
ed or rather hairy. for unexpected
and surprising tufts Of hair appeared
all over her face
she HmP>d not Ike ordinary Grip
pies. but Ike . vessel At anchor
When she rested her large body.
bony and bent On her o1e good leg.
she seemed as IL about to take a
Lap in order TO ride a huge wave.
thea suddenly she would PEqng-- ss
IL TO disappear IN an abyss. or to
sink into the ground Her gait gave
the impression Of tempest as she
seemed TO swing and balance herself
at the same time. and her head al
ways covered With an enoruaous
white bonnet. the ribbons of which
foate1 down her back. appeared 20
NAE 83AAN84 AE0l4 tLr
north TO south and FROM south to
rortk. With each movement that she
made
I sdoret Mother Clochettr- A.
sooa IA I was cut Of bed ascend
- to the linen press. where I found
her Installed with her se~inx. a foot
warmer at her feet When ap-
p>ar-d she insisted on nv taking the
fSos warmer and seating herself
uP"u it. IN order that I should not
take cold IN the chilly room. which
was directly under the roof
That draws the blood fruu the
threat, she would say.
whiI- he darned the linen With
her Bsng. crooked active fingers. she
told me stories Her eyes behind her
sp>rtzeIes With tseir strangely mag
nTyfng glasses flor age had weak
sa-d her sixhtl- appeared to ne
saormaEs- Strangely deep. and dcGbI-
she had as far ss I car real
frsu the things vhbsh she told ne.
and oy which ny childish heart vas
moved nzxnanimoux soul sac
saw ev-rything great and small She
related 20 ne events Of the town.
the story Of q COW vhirh had e<-
capped from TIE sarn- ard had been
found ou- morning IN front Of Pros
er Nzlet's mill watching the turning
ef the wooden wings. or the story
Of hens egg discovered IN The
ehurvh turrer. where no enc could
ever imagine What creature had
come TO lay IL there or the ac-
count Of the dog Of Jean-Jean PfIax
that had recovered at tea Leagues
distance from the village his mas
te-'s trozSe-x- which had been S-ss-z
ey paszer BY as they were eryinx
before the door. after q shower. she
related these simple evenss IN xueh q
manner that they assumed N nv
mind the Pro7orrioas Of z>ver-so-be-
foryosten dramas, Of xr,nz and uyx
teriocs poems. and the fnxrnioz.s
tales invented BY poets and uarrased
TO ne In the evening. By ny uosh-
-. had not that SAVIOR. that fuE1n-<s.
that power. which the recital. Of the
peasant possessed
One Tuesday. after having passed
the entire morning n 4xseai1x to
Mother Cock>ste- i v<nr- With o.
servant. 20 gather nuts in the HaIIes
woods back Of the Noirpre farm
On my return I went aP 90 re5oia
the old vcmAn- I recall an this ns
dissfnrtiy ~ the evcars Of yes<e--
day
On opening the door of the Inca
room I perceived the old sezmxsrezs
yirg On the foor hessGe her chair. !
her face On the ground her arrs ex-
teaded- stil holdzng her needle IN one /
hand and IN the other one of my shirts
One Of her legs tthe longer enc.
eoubtleszl. IN q blue stocking. was
stretched under kex chair, and her
speetaeiex we're gfisseninx At the end !
ct the roon- having rolled frun her
1 rushed out giving sharp cries Of /
distress The family came 20 nv ezH 4
and sfser some DoDenss Ilaaxned that \
Neither Clochstts vzs danl I ezz-
act describe the Se<p emotion. poiR-
nant AID terrible. which eontractedu NV
chldlsA heart i descended SOFTLY 20 /.
the drzvingreon- kiding myself IN .
dark corner N the depths Of An fn-
nense antique sofa where kneir.
weeping Imuze have remained there
4 long time. for darkness came On