New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-09-06

r,uown to the valley of the Mouse, to win
which the peasants had given the EES&tNa
name which sounds So strange to
foreign and more conventional ears. Myz63j
The air WAS warm and bamv, and 50 EkJ1T fsSS
soothing IN its Somnoleucc that the VII ~ ~,
tones oi an organ in the distant chapel S-S<SSAtZ
really added no diScoriaut note to the \ =, r.
mellow hum Of the bees or the flute y IL
like notes Of the robins nesting in the Nk&&
beech trees From over the wall came N8W
the occasional soft humping of the over ~
ripe peaches falling in the lush grass and "
a sweet warm. subtle incense was waited To V
ones noStrilS.
Suiicnlv the listener was startled from his
half Somnolcnt revere by burst OF laughter, faint
and far away and very like the mcrrmcnt Of wild spirits
such as Brother Matthias well believed inhabited the
dim forest cladcS; but soon again it sounded nearer
and much louder running along like the tnkling notes
Of a musical scale and the tall poplars the wall
bent their flexible tops, As II listening and bcckonng TO
one another 20 harkcn.
The watcher and listener was Brother Matthias Of
the monastery hidden among the thick trees He was
watching over the peaches that they be not stolen by
the coa,hcris from the hills. Not that the villagers
would ever modest the fruit Of the "BonS F6rcS no,
indeed But, You should understand, these goathcrds
were strangers, here today, gone So good
Brother Matthias had climbed up into the branches Of
one IF the great oaks that grew against the wall over
shaloWing il, from which vantage point he could see
no, only over the monastery wall the bending, well
laden precious peach trees but also the whole length
q me wall TO the end OF the opening, and also if he
desired he could make his way along the thick branch
wh, rcon he 81, and drop over into the garden upon
the soft, vclvcty turf.
THERE now came to his ears the Scurryng Of feet
and Brother Matthias, to his great amaze,
number Of girls running and pulling at one another
roughly by their bare, extended arms They seemed
..~,ool,. and they the white caps
other district Dancing, writhing, pulling this way
now that in their rough game, whatever II was, they
flung themselves along their hair escaping from beneath
the snowy caps. hanging in sweet disorder. ~ scan
Jalois thing that thought Brother Matthias, rcncm-
bcring that good Waoon peasant girls do not allow
their hair TO show in public. Some Of the girls were now
t,inhlcd into the thick grass, where they lay painting
and the hers seeming WEAKNESS ranged themselves
against the wall leaning heavily, their bosomS hcaving,
and their breath coming in gaSpS
Then all al once appeared man carrying a large
SQUARE black box in one hand and sort OF tripod IN the
other This he set up. and on II placed the black box
AMI waving his arm the girls called out in strange
tongue turning carefully sort Of crank at the side
Az thought Brother Matthias. At IS a hur1ygurdy
They are IpscS Bot, strangely enough, no sound OF
came from the box nothing a sort Of clicking
uhr as the man rapidly turned the crank Again the
Urls danced about with abandon, waving their arms
and tossing their looscncd hair, making all the time
shun laughter like sweet tinkling bells.
M a, once the man stopped turning thc crank, ana
,no"oncd with his toward the thickness Of the 1'rcSt
across the cleared green space and away hthcr caper'i
the groups, turning twisting and pulling at one an
others arms as before They disappeared beneath the
shade II the great oaks and bccchcS OF the torcst-and
again there was silence.
Brother Matthias. up in the tree, stradding the
thick branch his back against the heavy trunk, fell
to rnu,ing. What meant all this Who were these