The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-06-22
Continued from page 81
A VILLAGE TRAGEDY.

a VILLAGE HAGEDY.
never spoken of it before to any one.
He told it to me only because l was
stranger from far country. 1t is out
of respect for his confidence that l
have changed the names here.
| shall not attempt to tell it in his
own words. 1t will be enough to give
the pith of it. He had learned it from
his predecessor and from the late
Baron, who was interested in Madame
Gondars case. She had married, as
young girl, one of the foresters en-
ployed on the estate, and he had died
while their only son, the future SOL
der of Loire, was still child. The
family at the chateau had taken care
of her, found her work, and assisted
her out of charity.
She was quite right in saying that
Pierre had always been fond of ad-
venture. At the village school he was
continually in trouble for playing tru-
ant; for he liked bird-nesting and rab-
bit-snarng better than learning the
D.
sence from school by saying he was
not we'll and needed the open air,
though he was really a young Her.
cules. He always had his own way
at home, and among his comrades he
used his strength and agility to play
the tyrant. He was self-willed, and
had a fierce temper when he met with
the slightest opposition from others.
81 don't mean that there was any,
thing really very wrong in him." said
the cure. IF he had been properly
taken in hand, he might have devel-
oped into a fine fellow. But he was
allowed too much of his own way at
the beginning"
THE Baron" he went on, used to
live at the chateau then, and look
| after his estate: his son wastes his
| time in Paris. When Pierre left
school, Monsieur lie Baron was busy
with a great project for working the
woods here on scientific principles.
He had a manager from school OF
forestry in Belgium, and he was erect
ing sawmills He told Pierre he would
give him trade, and the young fell
low was put on the list of the men at
the new mill For a while he worked
steadily enough. Then he began to
be absent from work, as he had played
from school, or he would come late;
and if the foreman pulled him up
for it, he would reply with volley
of rough language, throw down his
tools and disappear for the day. Then
it was found that he was sometimes
away from his mothers cottage night
after night. She tried to keep this
from the neighbors; but they found
it out, and said he must be after some
mischief or other. One morning he
came home with his head tied up with
blood-stained rags. He told his mother
he had been attacked by footpads
They got the worst of it, he said. I
am all right, but l can't go to the mill
today"
He was not all right There was
a nasty wound under the bandage
and soon he could hardly stand. The
doctor was called in. Then it came
out that there had been a fight the
night before between the Baron's
gamekeepers and a gang of poachers
This explained Pierre's night adven
lures. He might have been sent tt
prison, but the Baron said he would
give him another chance, and wheI
he recovered he went back to work
Things dragged on much the same a:
before for a few months. Then came
the war, the defeats on the frontier
the call for volunteers for the new
armies of the Republic"
THE Baron was raising a company
Pierre wanted to join it, but was TOLD
that it was his duty to stay at home
and work for his mother. All coul(
not go. The only sons of widow!
were especially exempted from thu
first call for recruits. He seemed dis
appointed, and the day the local volun
teers marched off he was in yer.
bad humor. He knocked down on,
young fellow who told him he hat
done fighting enough already, and hat
| distinguished himself in the poacher'I
, battle; so that he ought to have hat
; decoration and free lodgings for ;
; year in a State establishment
Next day he was gone He hat
started off in the night, leaving let
) ter for his mother. She could no
read it, SO she brought it to the cure