The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1909-03-06

apprised them of their companions sudden
death, and announced that the unhappy widow.
mother of three little children was i'll and penn-
less. His statement was a model of brevity and
dignity-the rarest of all virtues in France. But
1t suficed. He knew his auditors The host
donated basket of provisions, and the others
contributed according to their means; even the
scullion maid came timidly forward and dropped
a copper coin into the bowl
One man, however, turned his back, gross.
hulking farmer, whose topped boots and great
coat trimmed with fur proclaimed the landed
proprietor rather than the field hand. His name
was Igoulen- Maitre Igoulen- he had been
pointed out to me the first day 1 entered the
village. and now easily understood why he was
at the same time the richest and the most I'M
popular man in the whole valley.
moment after the departure of the priest.
as il conscious of the silent hostility of his less
prosperous but more generous neighbors, Maitre
Igoulen growled a surly adieu and SORTED from
the inn.
'Alors, the great dirty beast has heart of
stone," muttered shepherd, as he dipped his
crust of black bread In bowl of pottage.
"Pooh," responded the landlord, ibid you ex-
pect a simple priest to succeed where Jesus
Christ failed? Not twenty years ago the Blessed
Seigneur Himself descended from Paradise to
teach the avaricious pig lesson and break him
of his misery habits, but it was useless. He was
stingier afterward than before"
The landlord made this declaration in matter
of-fact tones, as if to recall a simple fact with
which the others were already familiar, and the
shepherd who had first broken silence ,contented
himself with responding:
'Qui, c'est vrai."
"a word of explanation is necessary to acquaint
the American reader with the naif sincerity of
these Provencal peasants. who regard Heaven
as a definite geographical division of the uni
verse, and God Almighty as an exalted human
parsonage, who frequently DISCUSSES Himself.
after the manner of the Caliph Haroun Alras-
child, to mingle with His earthly subjects on
terms of easy familiarity. They believe in mira
Giles and marvels, and when their faith is called
in question-most frequently by the priests
they respond: 1.-THE Bon Dieu visited His chill
dren in the olden times, so why not today 2
What does He care for a trifling difference of
two or three thousand years? You believe in
the miraculous draught of fishes because ithap-
pened long time ago. but you refuse to believe
in this or that other miracle because it happened
day before yesterday" And then they smile
pityingly at these learned priests who are con-
tinually trying to save them from the sin of
superstition
But let us return to the tavern, for mine host
was affable and loquacious, and the tale he I'M
folded was not lacking in a certain simple
beauty:
The harvests that fall had ripened prema-
turely, three weeks before the accustomed time
for the arrival of the reapers and the entire val
ley had become sea of waving, golden grain.
Far and wide the fields of wheat cleaned yellow
4, CO nl1or
The farmers were sorely troubled, for labor
was scarce that year, and while they impatiently
awaited the wandering bands of harvesters from
| the South, they feared their crops would be de-
| stroyed by wind or hail.
And VOLTA, in the doorway of mis- bastide q
farmer, a gross. avaricious farmer, who stood
| with folded arms and grimly surveyed his fields
mo-" he was saying, II would not begrudge
| the payment of an ecu per day,a round silver
| ecu and abundant food-alas, laborers cannot be
had at any price,
But as he spoke the day was breaking and he
| beheld three men advancing toward the bastlde
three stalwart reapers, the first with the beard
blond, the second with the beard white, and the
third with the beard black. And they were &C
companied by the dawn.
GOOD morning, Maitre Igoulen," said the
leader, the capoulie, Che of the blond beard). I'VE
are three laborers come from beyond the noun
tains we hear that all your grain is ripe and that
you are in need of reapers. Maitre, if you wish
to hire us by the day or by the task we are ready
to begin"
mo-" responded Maitre Igoulen, my harvest
is not pressing, my wheat is scarcely ripe. do
not like to refuse you work, but can pay you
only twenty cents per day, and, of course,
furnish you your food"
Now. the three reapers were Seigneur Jesu,
Saint Peter and Saint John.
AS breakfast time approached the little varlet
of the farm placed in his basket three loaves of
black bread and three bottles of red wine. sad
died the little white donkey and ambled to the
wheat field. Returning to the farmhouse, his
master spied him and cried:
"Varlet, what of the reapers?'
Master, 1 found them seated on the grass,
sharpening their sickles, but they had not cut a
single blade of wheat"
las ten o'clock approached the little varlet of
the farm prepared the grand boire Ia hard boiled
egg and a morsel of cheese for each laborerJ'
mounted the little white donkey and ambled to
the field. Returning to the farmhouse the
master spied him and cried:
"Varlet, what of the reapers 2"
Master, found them seated on the grass,
sharpening their sickles, but they have not cut
a single blade of wheat"
AS noon approached the little varlet of the
farm prepared the dinner Ia soup of vegetables
and mutton) mounted the little white donkey
and ambled to the field. Returning to the farm
house his master cried to him:
"Varlet, what of the reapers2 ?"
Master, 1 found them seated on the grass,
sharpening their sickles, but they had not cut a
single blade of wheat"
LAS four o'clock approached the little varlet
of the farm prepared the COULTER Ia garlic salad,
mounted the little white donkey and ambled to
the field. Returning to the farmhouse his mas
ter cried:
"Varlet, what of the reapers ?'
Master 1 found them seated on the grass,
sharpening their sckles, but they had not cut a
single blade of wheat"
Thereupon the miser swore a great oath,
stalked from the farmhouse, and disappeared
in the direction of the wheat field. Stealthily
approaching the three reapers, he concealed
himself behind tree and watched them as they
sat idly in the shade. But at that very moment
Seigneur Jesu rose and said
"Peter. strike fre!''
Master, obey" responded Saint Peter, and,
so saying, he took common pebble from the
ground, produced piece of finder, drew from
his vest the key of Paradise and struck fire from
the stone.
Then the Blessed Seigneur turned and said
John, blow!
Master. obey" replied Saint John. and, so
saying raised the finder to his lips and blew the
sparks into the waving, ripened grain. Suddenly
the whole field was enveloped in a whirlwind of
flame and a cloud of dense, black smoke. But
soon the flames fell and when the smoke had
rolled away Maitre Igoulen beheld his wheat cut
and bound in sheaves.
Silently he watched the reapers shoulder their
toward the farm house.
Supper ended, the blond bearded reaper gently
said:
"Maitre, we have finished the first field. do you
wish us to reap tomorrow"
"Capoulie." responded the avaricious farmer.
"I have made the tour of my other fields and
find the grain is not yet ripe enough to harvest
cannot employ you any longer"
So the three celestial reapers departed as they
had come. the Bon Dieu walking in the centre of
the group, with Saint Peter at His right hand
and Saint John at His left. And as they disap
peared behind the distant mountains the golden
rays of the setting sun accompanied them afar,
afar.
Next morning Maitre Igoulen arose in the gray
dawn. Now | know as much as those three
sorcerers," said he. and hastily gulping down a
goblet of wine, he called two of his Varets, who
answered to the names of Peter and John. Ar
irving at the boundary of his largest, richest,