Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-09-14

CHAPTER I.
UNDER THE CHERRY TREE.
~ VIZ to the days of Indiana's early
x l statehood: probably as late as
now the beautiful little city
of Vincennes on the Wabash, the de-
casklg remnant of an old and curiously
gnarled cherry tree known as the
Roussillon tree. lie cerisicr Gle Monsieur
Roussillon. as the French inhabitants
called it, which as long as 1T lived bore
fruit remarkable for richness of flavor
and peculiar dark ruby depth Of color
The exact spot where this noble old
Seeding from Ia belle France flourished,
declined aud died cannot be certainly
pointed oi.t. for III the rapid and happy
growth OF Niacanmes many landmarks
once notable. among them lie cerisicr
de Monsieur Roussillon. have been de-
stroyed and the spots where they stood,
once familiar to every eye in Old Vim
cennes, are now lost in the pleasant
confusion of the new town.
The old, twisted, gum embossed
cherry tree survived every other dis
tinguishing feature of what was once
the most picturesque and romantic
stood, in the early French days, low,
rambling cabin surrounded by rude
yerandas overgrown with grapeyines.
This was the Roussillon place, the most
pretentious home in all the Wabash
country. Its owner was Gaspard Rous-
dams He was rich, for the time and
the place. influential to degree, q
man of some education, who had
brought with him to the wilderness a
bundle OF hooks and u taste for read
ing.
1t is not known just when Nincennes
was first founded, but most historians
make the probable date very early IN
the eighteenth css3,. .iY, somewhere be-
tween Ito ma In 1910 the
Roussiion ciierl.' tree was thought by
distinguished botanical letter writer
to be at least fifty years old, which
would make the date of its planting
about 1850. Certainly, as shown by the
time stained family records upon which
this story Of ours is based, it was
flourishing and wide topped tree in
the early summer Of ITS. its branches
loaded to dropping with luscious fruit.
So low did the dark red clusters hang
at one point that u tall young girl
standing on the ground easily reached
the best ones and made her lips purple
with their juice while she ate them.
That was long ago, measured by
what has come to pass on the gentle
swell Of rich country from which Vim
cennes overlooks the Wabash. Inc
new town tourishes notably and its
appearance marks the latest limit OF
progress. Electric cars in its streets,
electric lights in its beautiful homes,
the roar of railway trains coming and
going in all directions, bicycles whirl-
ing hither and thither, the most fash
ionablc styles of equipages from
brougham to pony phaeton, make the
days of fiintlock guns and buckskin
trousers seem ages down the past. and
yet we are looking back over but a
little more than 100 years to see Alice
Roussillon standing under a CHEEKY
tree and holding high tempting clus-
ter of fruit, while short humpbacked
youth looks up with longing eyes and
yainly reaches for it. The tableau Is
not merely rustic; it is primitive.
Jump the girl is saying in French.
slump, Jean; jump high!'
"Yes, that was very long ago, in the
days when women lightly braved what
the strongest men would shrink from
now
Alice Roussillon was tall. 1.-THE,
strongly knit, with an almost perfect
figure, Judging by what the master
| sculptors carved for the form OF Venus,
and her face was comely and winning,
| il not absolutely beautiful; but the
I-time and place were vigorously ind1-
Gated by her dress, which was OF
coarse stuff and simply designed.
! Plainly she was child Of the Amer
| lean wilderness, daughter OF old Vim
cennes on the Wabash in the time that
| tried mems souls.
Jump, Jeanw she cried, her face
laughing with show Of cheek dim
pies, en- arching of finely sketched
brows and the twinkling Of large blue
/ gray eyes.
Jump high and get them!"
While she waved her sun Drowned
| hand holding the cherries aloft. the
/ breeze blowing fresh from the south
west tossed her hair SO that some loose
| strands shone like rinlp!ed flames.
The sturdy little hunchback did leap
with surprising activity. but the
/ treacherous brown hand went higher
so high that the combined altitude OF
his jump and the reach of his unnat-
urally long arms was overcome. Again
and again he sprang vainly into the
air comicaIly, like long legged, squat
bodied frog.
"And you brag of your agility and
strength, Jean" she laughingly re,
marked, "but you can't take cherries
when they are offered to you. What a
clumsy bungler you are."
II can climb and get some" he said
with hideously happy grin, and I'M
mediately embraced the bole OF the
tree, up which he began scrambling al,
most as fast as squirrel.