The Bourbon news., 1904-11-18
CHAPTER v.
THE CRADLE SONG.

4
| Eyes, mademoiselle,
| so Jean-Renaud says"
An English gentleman?"
"Jeau-Renaud thinks so, because he
certainly is not French"
But what did he look like?"
Handsome! Helm! His hair curls,
It's very blOnd-and his eyes! Ciel!
Blue, blue like the sea, mademoiselle,
and his cheeks red"
"Mon Dieu! Quel, beau chevalier!
You must be in love with him, Jo-
sette!''
mo, mademoiselle! Nay, it's not for
the likes of me"
True, true," said the young chate-
laine gravely. ..He is noble knight,
doubtless. He had red cheeks, you
say?"
| eyes, mademoiselle."
mot like my pale ones, l suppose;
but then the. English always were
gross and red in the cheek"
'But, mademoiselle-"
THAT will do, Josette, you weary
me with this stranger. Did you bring
| the new dOllS!"
Here they are, mademoiselle," said
the faithful Josette, producing two
elaborately dressed Partisan dolls from
beneath her apron. "They came by
special messenger from Paris last night
after you had retired
"Oh," exclaimed the young girl,
rapturously, "how beautiful they arei
I thought had about done with dolls,
but these are so lovely. What grand
danes they are! Give them to me, Jo-
sette.''
"How kind of Monsieur lie Marquis,
mademoiselle," answered the maid,
who was also the foster sister and
youthful confidante of the countess. as
she handed her the two dolls.
ooh, do you know" said the capric-
ious little maiden, ''these are beautiful
dolls, but don't believe I like them
| after all as much as old Toto"
Il brought her along, too" returned
Josette, producing her from pocket
in her dress, 81 thought you might
want her. mademoiselle.
''Oh, give her to mel" exclaimed the
| young mother, extending her hand to
take the old rag affair, ''I am tired Of
walking and talking, Josette. You are
so very uninteresting this morning.
You can't speak of anything but that
Englishman! Let's sit down here un-
der this beech-tree and sing the dolls
to sleep. You take the two from
Paris. Well play they're twins, and
4 will take poor old Toto. She shall
not be neglected for the beautiful Ia
dies from the city, shall she? Poor
old Toto! / shall never have any
more dolls, Josette. I certainly am
too old for them. If it we're real
baby, now, or a knight" continued
this small bundle of inconsistencies,
''how would love it! But that is not
to be. Helas, Josette! Come, let us
put them to Sleep"
But, mademoiselle, It's early morn
ing" responded the unimaginative
peasant.
Stupid, we can play It's night,
can't We? Besides, it's always good
/ for children to take nap. Grand
father says, the more sleepy the eye in
the daytime the brighter the eye at
night You sit there and / will sit
here. Now, sing"
The two children, with that delight
full Indifference to rank and station
which constitutes one of the charms
of childhood, sat down on rustic
bench under a handsome old beech
tree. Though both were about the
same age, just entering their teens,
Josette, who was the younger, would
have made two of her young mistress.
She had already reached her growth,
apparently, for she was tall and large,
and her splendid physical develop
ment was we'll set off by the pictur-
esque dress of the Breton peasantry.
Her mistress, on the contrary, was
small, slender, fragile, undeveloped
and physically as much behind her
maid as mentally she was her supe-
rior A greater contrast between them
could not have been imagined.
what shall we sing, mademoi-
seller" asked Josette. .Shall it be
Il The Fox Gallant?" t
NO, we'll sing Toutouie, la, la,"
every well, will you begin?''
mo, you"
Every well. Are you ready?"
eyes"
$50, then
Humming the air for moment, the
two voices broke into the pfaintive
melody of an old Breton cradle song
the refrain of which gave it title
In default of a rocking-chair-n
then indigenous to France-the two
bodies swayed back and forth in time
to the simple lullaby, or berceuse, the
: wooden sabots on one pair of large
though shapely feet patting the ground
; in time with the dainty jewel-buckled
! Louis Quinze slippers upon the other
The words were primitive and childish
} as BELTS folk song at its best, and
more especially at it's beginning in
the cradle song, and the music was
equally so; yet the emphatic word was
!, repeated at the end of each verse with