White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1930-03-14
CHAPTER l
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Il
This story Is going to start like
lesson In geography. This Is because
It Is largely chronicle of real events
In human lives. History, whether of
things or people, rests upon the basic
necessity of possessing certain aspects
Of situation which we encompass with
in the terms of latitude and longitude.
The following narrative would quite
profoundly miss its real drama II 1t
were to ignore the points of the com
pass and the manner in which Fate
played with them to bring about an
unusual combination OF ends.
We will begin with Peribonka. Peri
bonka Is quaint little French-Cana
dian village which nestles on the shore
Of the glorious Peribonka river, four
miles above Lac st. Jean. In the prov
ince Of Quebec. It is made up almost
entirely Of single row of thirty or
forty houses, all of which face the
river. Should one adventure little
farther into the wilderness after ha7
ing made the wonderful Saguenay trip
up from Quebec to Ha Ha bay or
Chicoutimi and come to know Peri.
bonka for himself, he will understand
why the houses are situated with no
neighbors or instructions between
them and the river. For the river Is
living, breathing, God-sent thing to the
French-speaking people of the place,
about whose drowsy lives there still
remains, like sweet-scented veil of
old lavender lace, the picturesque sim
plicity Of their great-great-grandfatI.
ers of hundred and fifty years ago.
In contrast to the roaring, passion
ate Mistassini. fifteen miles away, the
PeribOnka Is peculiarly like the men
and women and children who inhabit
few acres Of its shores. It has, /
believe, given to them much Of their
character. for Of all the people In the
habitant country those of Peribonka
are the gentlest and most lovable.
Even in the foodtimcs of spring 1t is
not an angry or menacing river, and
in winter 1t is so genially smooth and
well frozen that the habitant farmers
use 1t for their horse-and- cutter races
or as trail by which to come to
town. In spite Of Its great size and
the vast forces behind it, the kind
ness and gentleness of its nature must
have made it's people What they are
The men are truthful, their morals are
right, they believe in God as well as
in spirits, they are clean and cour.
teous and hospitable. The women are
bright eyed, clear skinned. unrouged
unbobbed, pretty. Tfese people are
always looking toward the river, in the
evening when they go tc, bed. in the
morning when they get up. They have
built their picturesque little church
| facing 1t, and the good Father sleeps
with his bedroom window opening
upon it, The local cemetery occupies
an acre OF hallowed ground within a
hundred feet Of the waters edge. A
venerable monastery is built at the
mouth of it.
Until quite recently the two hap
piest people in the village of Peri.
bonka were Maria Chapdelaine and
her husband Samuel. They are still
happy, although Samuel is bit over
cast at present because of financial
loss which has come to him. For
years Samuel has run his little store
and Maria her Kitchen, in which she
prepares delectable meals for the few
transients who come their way. and
until this recent time to which have
referred, there is good reason to be-
lieye she was the happiest woman in
her little world.
Now there is another. They call
her the Crippled Lady. She is often
seen sitting or the wide yeranda OF
quaint little home In garden OF
flowers just this side of the church
There is road which completely en-
circles Lac St Jean. connecting the
villages end farms in its narrow rim
Of civilization, and during the tourist
season occasional automobiles pass
through Peribonka. Their occupants
always stare at the Crippled Lady Il
she happens to be on her porch. She
Is a vision of loneliness which one
cannot easily forget. Women talk
about her, and men silently bear ava!
picture Of her in their hearts. tiel
beauty. II one has only moments
contemplation of it, strikes almos,
with a shock. It Slayic-thick
dark, shining hair drawn smoothly
back, face clearly white as nuns
unforgettable eyes, slim. beautiful
figure in big chair-and something
else. It is that other thing which
photographs her so wildly and so per
manantly upon ones consciousness
Perhaps 1t is some time before one
realizes that what he has seen IL moi
beauty alone but happiness. The
Crippled Lady, who cannot walk who
cannot stand alone, 10 happy, anu she
covets nothing which God has moi
already given her. Her voice tells you
that
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