Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-06
Drawing by the Author

At the edge of the forest in the Ardennes the
~ winding road skirted high wall: plainly
very old one for the coating of cement or
stucco dropping from it in large patches which
here and there showed the mellow bloom of the
ancient bricks beneath. Above this wall ap- 4
peared the tops of well laden peach trees, III
and here and there tall poplar quivered tx
its silvery leaves in the light breeze. askA 4.
The sky above was filled with float ~ M
ing, 1ambent clouds like unto these Kx3&J
golden atoms which the brothers of the E:@<I
monastery dropped into that fragrant, %7
seductive elixir made.withn its walls zHH2ISsl
with such secrecy, which gave such EkIRlSSss
renown to the valley of the Meuse, to kr~ ;
which the peasants had given the HM<%eNs
name which sounds strange to M
foreign and conventional NHzWSS
The air was and balmy and M iesN
soothing in its somnolence that the III ~. mr.
tones of an organ in the distant chapel V-&<SAA
really added no discor1ant note to the 5.-E,9ks
mellow hum of the bees the flute NJ III i
like notes of the robins nesting in the WIS
beech trees From the wall ~
the occasional soft humping of the ~
ripe peaches falling in the lush grass, and
sweet, warm, subtle incense was waited to
ones nostrils.
Suddenly the listener was startled from his
half somnolent revere by burst of laughter, faint
and far away and very like the merrment of wild spirits,
such as Brother Matthias well believed inhabited the
dim forest glades; but again it sounded
and much louder running along like the tinkng notes
of musica. scale, and the tall pcplars the wall
bent their flexible tops if listening and reckoning to
one another to harken.
The watcher and listener Brother Matthias Of
the monastery, hidden among the thick trees. He
watching the peaches that they be stolen by
the goatherds from the hills. Not that the villagers
would modest the fruit of the @BOns Freres"-no,
indeed! But, you should understand, these goaherds
were strangers, here today, gone tomorrow So good
Brother Matthias had climbed up the branches of
of the great oaks that grew against the wall.
shadowing it, from which vantage point he could
not only the monastery wall the bending, well
laden precious peach trees but also the whole length
of the WALL to the end of the opening and also if he
desired he could make his way along the thick branch
wherein he sat and drop over into the garden upon
the soft, velvety turf.
THERE came to his the scurrying of feet,
and Brother Matthias, to his great amaze, saw
number of girls running and pulling at another
roughly by their bare, extended arms. They seemed
strangely clad too, and they the white caps of
other district Dancing, writing, pulling this way,
that, in their rough game, whatever it was they
flung themselves along their hair escaping from beneath
the snowy caps, hanging in sweet disorder. "a
daous thing that" thought Brother Matthias, remem
berng that good Waloon peasant girls do not allow
their hair show in public Some of the girls
tumbed into the thick grass where they lay painting,
and the Others in seeming WEAKNESS ranged themselves
against the wall leaning heavily their bosoms heavng,
and their breath coming in gasps.
Then all at once appeared man carrying large
square black box in hand and sort of tripod in the
other This he set up, and it placed the black box
and waving his to the girls called out In strange
tongue turning carefully of crank at the side.
@Ah'' thought Brother Matthias. at is hurdygurdy.
They gipsies But, strangely enough, no sound of
music came from the box nothing sort of clicking
whir the man rapidly turned the crank Again the
girls danced about with abandon waving their arms,