The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-03-09
WILL sEABRoOK's TRAVELS
* * X X * X X X X y y x X
(Bv W. 3. Seabrook.)

(By W. 3. Seabrook.)
. (Copvright 1909, by ". B. Seabrook.)
! Special to The Herald and News.
Dronze, France. yesterday morn
ng, in the forest north Of Droze, a
boor peasant wood-cutter was crushed
beneath a falling tree. Last night, a
black-robed priest entered the tavern
where I was supping and gravely sa-
luted the company Of shepherds,
= woodmen, farmers and drovers OF the
neighborhood, who were assembled
around the open fire. In simple
words he apprised them Of their com
panion s sudden death, and announced
that the unhappy widow, mother OF
three little children, was i'll and penni-
less. His statement was a model OF
brevity and dignity-the rarest OF all
virtues in France. But it sufflced.
He knew his auditors. The host do
mated basket of provisions, and the
Others contributed according to their
means; even the scullion maid came
timidly forward and dropped a cop
per coin into the bowl. ,
One man, however, turned his back,
gross, hulking farmer, whose top
ped boots and great-eoat trimmed
with fur proclaimed the landed pro-
prietor rather than the field hand.
His name was Igoulen7T; TMaitre Igou-
len-he had been pointed out to me
the first day I entered the village, and
now easily understood why he was
at the same time the richest and the
most unpopular man in the whole val
ley.
A moment after the departure OF
the priest, as if conscious Of the sill
ent hostility of his less prosperous but
more generous neighbors, Maitre Igou-
len growled srrrly adieu and sort
led from the inn.
"Alors, the great dirty beast has a
heart of stone," muttered a shep-
herd, as he dipped his crust of black
bread in bowl of pottage.
"Pooh," responded the landlord,
"did you expect a simple priest to
succeed where Jesus Christ failed?
Not twenty years ago, the Blessed
Seigneur Himself descended from
Paradise to teach the avariclous pig
a lesson and break him Of his mlserly
habits. but it was useless. He was
stingier afterward than before.
The landlord made this declaration
in matter-of-fact tones, as ii to re-
call a simple fact with which the 9TH
ers were already familiar, and the
shepherd who had first broken silence
contented himself with responding,
"Oui, o 'est vrai.'
CA word of explanation is neceS-
sary to acquaint the American reader
with the naif sincerity Of these pro-
vencal peasants, who regard Heaven
as a definite geographical division of
the universe, and God Almighty as an
exalted human parsonage. who ire
quently disguises Himself, after the
manner Of the Caliph Haroun Alras-
child, to mingle with His earthly sub
iects on terms of easy familiarity.
Thev believe in miracles and marvels,
and when their faith is called in ques-
tion-most frequently by the priests
they respond: "The Bon Dieu SIS
tied His children in the olden times,
so why not today? What does He
care for a trifing difference Of two
or three thousand years? You believe
in the miraculous draught of fishes
because it happened long time ago,
but YOU refuse to- believe in this or
that other miracle because it happen
ed dav before Yesterday" And then
they smile pityingly at these learned
priests, who are continually trying to
save them from the sin of "superstl-
tony
But let us return to the tavern, for
mine host was affable and loquacious,
and the tale he unfolded was not lack
ing in certain simple beauty:
The harvests that fall had ripened
prematurely, three weeks before the
accustomed time for the arrival Of the
reapers, and the entire valley had be-
come a sea Of waving, golden grain.
Far and wide the fields of wheat
cleaned yellow beneath the warm
September sun.
The farmers we're sorely troubled.
for labor was scarce that year, and
while they impatiently awaited the
wandering bands Of harvesters from