The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1903-09-19
CHAPTER I.
UNDER THE CHERRY TREE.

of NlncenneS on the WABASH, the ue-
caying remnant Of an old and curlousy
gnarled Cherry tree known as the
Roussilon tree. le cerisier de Monsieur
Roussilon. ms the French inhabitants
n>called il. which as long as 1t lived bore
Rult remarkable for richness OF flavor
and peculiar dark ruby depth of color.
The exact spot where this noble old
Seeding from In belle France Hourishcd,
declined~a and died cannot be certainly
ps1At for in the rapid ana happy
growth on Vincennes many landmarks
once notable, among them le cerisier
dc Monsieur Roussiilon, have been de-
stroyed and the spots where they stood,
once familiar To every eye in old Vim
cennes. are now lost i'm the pleasant
confusion Of the new town.
The old twisted gum embossed
cherry tree survived every other dis
tinguishug feature 81 what was once
the most picturesque aud rommue
place IN Ninccnnes Just north of t.
stood h early French days low.
yerandas overgrown with gapeylHcs.
This was the Roussillon place, the most
pretcntious home III all die Wabash
country lis owner was Gaspald Rous
slllon, d successful truder with the In
dlans. He was rich Tor the time and
the place influential to Il degree q
man Of some education, who had
brought with him To the wilderness q
bundle of books and Il taste for read
ing.
Ii ~ not known just when Ninccnnes
was first founded, but most historians
make the probable date very carly in
the eighteenth century, somewhere be-
tween 1910 and 1870. In 1910 the
Roussillon cherry tree was thought by
a distinguished botanical letter writer
to De at least fifty years old, which
would make tie date OF It's planting
about 100. 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. It's branches
loaded 10 dropping with luscious fruit.
So low did the dark red clusters hang
at one point that a tall young girl
standing ON the ground easily reached
the best ones and made her Hips purple
with their juice while she ate them,
That was long ago, measured by
what has come 10 pass ON the gentle
swell Of rich country from which Vim
cennes overlooks the Wabash. The
new town nourlshes notably ana It's
appearance marks the latest limit Of
progress Electric ears I'm It's streets
electric lights In It's beautiful homes.
the roar OF railway trains coming ANA
going I'm all directions. bicycles whirl-
Ing hitler and thithcr. the most fash.
ionable styles of equipages from
brougham 10 pony phaeton, make the
days % hintpck guns and bucSskin
trousers seem ages down the past and
yet we are looking back over but a
little more than TO years 20 see Alice
Roussillon standing under CHEEKY
tree ana holding high Il tempting clus-
ter OF fruit willie short humphacked
youth looks M with longing eyes ana
vainly reaches for IL The tabieau Is
not merely rustic II Is primitive.
Jump" the girl Is saying I'm French
Jump, Jean; jump hgh!
Yes, that was very long ago, i'm the
days when women lightly brnvod what
the strongest men would shrink from
now.
Alice Roussillun was tain, lIthe,
strongly knit with ian almost perfect
figure, judging by what che master
sculptors carved for the form OF Venus,
aud her face was comedy aud winning,
If not absolutely beauuful hut the
time and place were vigorously indi.
Gated by her dress which was OF
coarse stuff and simply designed
Plainly She was child OF Tie Amer
lean wilderness, q daughter of ca Vim
ccnnes on the Wabash IN tie time that
tried mems souls.
Jump. jean" sire cried her face
laughing with show Of check dim
pies. an arIhing pr ilnely skotched
brows and N twinSllng Of large blue
gray eyes.
Jump high and get them"
While she waved her sun Drowned
hand holding le cherries aloft. the
breeze blow III r>rcsh from the south
west tossed hair 30 that some loose
strands shonc like rimplcd flames.
The sturdy little hunchback did leap
with 'rurprslng activity. but the
trcacherous brown hand went higher,
SO high that the ctSbined altitude OF
his jump and the reach or his unnat-
urally long arms was overcome. Again
and again he sprang vainly into the
air comically. like long legged. squat
bodied frog.
sand you brsy Of your agility ami
strength. Jean she laughlngly re-
marked. but you cant take cherries
when they are offered to you. what n
clumsy bungier you nre!"
II can climb and get some" Nc said.
with hideously happy grin. and i'm
medlately embraced the bole of the
tree. M which he began scramblIng al.
most as fast as n squirrel
wheD he had mounted high enough