Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-07-16

temper Waxed sharp ana her talk blunt
Her pans and kettles grew dull, but her
eyes had caught their fash She pointed
out to the poet that his neglect was re-
| ducing the flock and bringing woe upon
the household. David hired himself a
| boy to guard the sheep, locked himself in
the little room in the top of the cottage,
and wrote more poems. The boy, being
poet by nature, but not furnished with
an outlet in the way Of writing, spent
his time in slumber. The wolves lost no
time in discovering that poetry and sleep
are practically the same; so the flock
steadily grew smaller. Yvonne's I'll tenn
per increased at an equal rate. Some
times she would stand in the yard and
rail at David through his high window
Then you could hear her as far as the
double chestnut tree above Pere Cru
neaus blacksmith forge
NJ. Papineau, the kind wise, meddling
old notary, saw this, as he saw every
thing at which his nose pointed. He went
to David, fortified himself with a great
pinch of snuff and said
Friend Mgnot l affixed the seal upon
the marriage certificate of your father
1t would distress me to be obliged to
attest a paper signifying the bankruptcy
| of his son. But that is what you are
coming to. I speak as an old friend
Now, listen to what I have to say. You
have your heart set, l perceive, upon
poetry. At Dreux. 1 have a friend, one
| Monsieur Bril-GeOrges Bril-. He lives IN
a little cleared space in a houseful OF
| Paris each year; he himself has written
books. He will tell you when the cata-
! combs were made, how they found out
the names of the stars, and why the
plover has a long bill. The meaning and
the form Of poetry is to him is intelli-
gent as the baa Of a sheep is to you.
/ l will give you letter to him, and you
shall take him your poems and let him
read them. Then you will know If you
shall write more, or give your attention
to your wife and business"
Write the letter" said David, Il am
sorry you did not speak Of this sooner"
/ on the road to Dreux with the precious
roll Of poems under arm. At noon he
| wiped the dust from his feet at the door
Of Monsieur Bril-; That learned man
and sucked up its contents through his
cleaning spectacles as the sun draws
water. He took David inside to his
/ study, and sat him down upon a little
island seat by sea of books.
Monsieur Bril- had a conscience. He
hinched not even at mass of manu-
script the thickness Of finger length
knee and began to read. He sighted
nothing; he bored into lump as a worm
into a nut, seeking for a kernel.
Meanwhile, David sat, marooned trem-
bling in the spray of so much literature
It roared in his ears. He held no chart
/ or compass for vOyaging In that sea-
Haf the world, he thought, must be writ
ing books.
Monsieur Bril- bored to the last page
Of the poems. Then he took off his
spectacles and wiped them with his
/ handkerchief
MY old friend. Papineau. is well?" he
asked.
In the best Of health" said David.
NGignot?"
Three hundred and nine, when
counted them yesterday. The flock has
. had i'll fortune. To that number it has
decreased from $50"
You have wife and a home and lived
in comfort. The sheep brought Won
plenty. You went into the fields with
them and lived in the keen air and ate
the sweet bread Of contentment You
+ mad but to be vigilant and recline there
/ upon natures breast, listening to the
whistle Of the blackbirds in the grove.
Am I right thus far 2"
y. 1T was So said David
I have read all your verses, continued
Monsleur Bril-, his eyes wandering about
his sea Of books as If he conned the hoi-
zon for sail Look y0nder through
that window, Monsieur Mignot: tell me
what you see in that tree"
u see a crow" said David. looking
There is a bird said Monsieur Bril-.
that shall assist ma where I am dis
posed - shirk duty. You know that
bird. Monsieur Mignot. he Ia the DbfI
osopher Of the air He is happv though
submission 10 his lot. None go merry or
fun crawed as he with his whimsical eve
PEd rolickfng step. The fields yield him
what he desires He never grieves that
MS plumage is not gay like the orioles
And you have heard Monsieur Angnot the
notes that nature has given him Is the
nightingale any happier DO you Think"
David rose TO his feet The crow csVad
harshly from his tree
= thank you Monsieur Bril-" he said
Slowly. There was not then, one night
ingale note among all those croaks p
could not have missed It," said Mon
sleur Bril-. with a sigh. Il read every
word. Live your poetry, man; do not
try TO write It any more
! thank you" said David again.
And row will be going back to mr.
sheep"
II you would dine with me" said the
man Of books, 'and overlook the smart
OF It. | will give you reasons at length"
NO. said the poet. Il must be back
in the fields cawing at my sheep"
Back along the road to Vernoy he
trudged with his poems under his arm.
+ When he reached his village he turned
into the shop of one Zeigler, a Jew out of
Armenia. who sold anything that came
to his hand
Friend" said David, wolves from the
forest harass my sheep on the hills |
must purchase firearms to protect them
+ What have yOu?"
a bad day, this, for me. friend Mig
+ NJ ooiu LSiS leI' spIehuluS MS nandS,
. for / perceive that / must sell you a
weapon that will not fetch a tenth Of its
value. Only last week I bought from a
peddler a wagon full of goods that he
procured at a sale by a commissionaire
! of the crown. The, sale was of the cha
teau and belongings Of a great lord-r
! know not his titIe-Who has been BAN
ished for conspiracy against the king.
! There are some choice firearms in the
/ lot This pistol-oh a weapon fit for a
| prince lit shall be only forty francs
to you. friend Mignot--if I lost ten by
the sale. But perhaps an arquebuse-"
This will do" said David. throwing
the money on the counter. rs it
| charged"
Il viii charge it," said Zeigler. And
/ der and ball.
David laid his pistol under his coat
and walked to his cottage. Yvonne was
not there. OF late she had taken to
gaddling much among the neighbors But
a FIRE was glowing in the kitchen stove
/ David opened the door Of il and thrust
/ his poems in upon the Goals. As they
/ blaZed up they made a singing, harsh
sound In the fue.
/ He went up to his attic room and
closed the door. SO quiet was the village
| that a score of people heard the roar Of
/ the great pistol. They hocked thither
| and up the stairs where the smoke issu-
/ ing drew their notice.
! The men laid the body Of the poet upon
/ his bed awkwardly arranging 1t to CON
ceal the torn plumage of the poor black
crow The women chartered in a luxury
of Jealous pity. Some of them ran to
! tell Yvonne
NJ poDinsau whose nose had hrorgh&