Evening journal., 1910-03-26
Which Parish?
BY HELOIsE BRoGION
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.

deed. there was a point where he
could stand on corner Of four par
ishes. Jules was a sly dog and II
pressed by the bailiff to pay for things
he had bought from the stores in the |
village near by would keep them in a
state of uncertainty as to which par |
fish bad Jurisdiction in his case. He |
knew them all and knew which parish |
20 stand on to avoid arrest when he |
saw one of them coming for the pur-
pose.
His daughter, Anita. was a very pret- |
ty girl Of eighteen whose short peas
ant skirt displayed a well turned an
kle and whose black eye was full Of
mischief. Her father employed a
farm hand during the harvesting. and
Anita got all the fun she desired by
coquetting with this person till the
harvest was over and he went else
where. when she would tell him that
she was very sorry. but she could not
possibly love him well enough to mar
~ him. This was very amusing to
Anita and very hard on the farm hand.
One day just as the harvest was
commencing a fine looking young fel-
low. Antoine Perrine. came along and
was hired. as usual. by the farmer.
Ann surveyed him from a window
while be was talking near the barn
with her father and thought that she
would have a better time dirting with
him than any one she had ever tao
kled. SO the next day. when Antoine
was moving, she went out TO him
with a biscuit and a glass Of wine for
his refreshment. She saw at once by
the way he looked at her that she had
impressed him. and after sympathizing
with him for being obliged to work in
the hot sun she went back TO the
house very much pleased with herself
and him.
Antoine was no fool. He had heard
OF the coquetry of the farmers pretty
daughter and. furthermore. that when
she married she would have a very
snug dot. Indeed. he was the son of
well TO do former living some twenty
leagues away and had hired himself
out with the especial design Of win
ming her in order TO take revenge upon
her for the damage she had done his
fellow men. Nevertheless when he
( saw her he thought he would like to
win her for keeps.
The affair went through the usual
course. At the close Of the harvest
season Antoine declared his love, and
Anita replied in the usual way. An
toine accepted her refusal and depart
: IL IL. fhan tho
girl discovered that this was very
different affair from any of the others
and that she had been caught in her
own trap. But unfortunately she did
not discover this till Antoine had gone.
That night she wept bitter tears. be-
cause even IL she were not too proud
to call him back she had no means Of
doing so. for she did not know whittier
he had gone.
The-next morning while dressing
she looked out Of her window and was
Mortified 10 see the body OF a man
hanging from a tree that stood alone
near the intersecting lines Of the four
parishes. Dressing herself. she ran
out TO the tree. but before she got
there a man who was passing stopped
and looked up at the body. When
Anita came up she tainted. The sui
eide was Antoine.
When she came to herself the stran-
ger was administering TO her necessi-
ties.
"Cut him down. she cried in agony.
"No. mademoiselle. To do that
might lead TO serious complications.
have sent a boy to report the fact to
the local guard. There he comes now
The local guard came hurrying up
TO the tree. which was rapidly being
surrounded by a crowd Of people. He
felt Of the body and. finding it warm
said:
"He may be alive"
"Cut him down quickr' again cried
Anita.
IF mistake not" said the guard
'at this point four parishes join. dc
not think the suicide is in my parish
/ will inform the special guard Of the
parish in which he hangs"
He went away for the purpose, anC
Anita implored those standing abou
to take down the suicide in order tina
IL be we're not dead he might he re
suscitated. But no one would take thl
responsibility from the shoulders O
the authorities. Since she was a cir
aud had no means Of doing the worl
she was obliged to wait for the specia
guard Of the proper parish. Afte
awhile he came hurrying along will
the man who had summoned him. Th
two got out a map and began spirit
ed discussion as to which parish ha'
q legal right to attend TO the matter
At last they arrived at the conclusion
that the tree was IN one parish and th
man was hanging over the other. Thi
led to a further discussion as to whicl
Of the two parishes had jurisdiction.
The disputants finally decided tba
they were entirely wrong as to thei
! position and that both tree and bed
we're IN a parish the guard Of whie
had not been summoned.
At this point the corpse gave a kicl
The crowd started back. Then tn
corpse put his hand in his pocke
pulled out a knife and. reaching uI
cut the rope just above his head al
dropped TO the ground. The rope ha
been passed beneath his coat under hi
arms.
Anita on seeing that she had bee
tricked few away to the house. but b
I 1.rs GO,