Show 1 j Ii IiI 11 I I I 1 I m Y and Drane Dane clerks of or high degree and close elo e friends B j z s planned thir annual va vacations I so as S to escape from frou frome fromI Nev e ew York ork at the tt first sign of the hot hotek h t ek which usually descends upon the In lae la e in May perhaps to t I the inhabitants more grateful f ff r the perfect June lune days that are fI Sometimes they journeyed on ott onI th great lakes they went I Hung fishing in the great North Wood Woods but hut huton butI butOut on Out night they and two canoes canON were werI I transported several hundred mites miles m eK eKI I northward Dort h ward to the placid waters of the river in the province of or orbe Que Quebec I bee bec It was an ideal place for men who wished i hed to don boating garments a nent Dve out of doors and be afloat with a preter pre preter ter teri of ot doing something yet make no DO DOat great at exertion for when paddling be beI became I came ame l tires f the current of the i stream woud t keep the little boats ts in InI motion yet so 80 that no bit of ot otI I I effect could be missed ml i Scarcely a mile of the river banks Db was without a village large or Of small I and quaint enough to city eyes to sug suggest gest geat a stop atop and aad a leisurely stroll ashore ashor 1 As a the voyagers oya era had never been abroad the they uld ea easy eHy v imagine themselves them elve in another world so jO o different were the tiny tin houses gardens garrens and nd farms and the th II gentle slow moving peo pee people pie file from th air all of ot newness and aDd the t e activity of suburban towns which were Vete all that either had bad seen near home of or what hat city people are pleased to call f rural TWIlL life lite There were no groups of ot rude blatant mischievous boys in the I street such villagers as they chanced I to meet mft lid did not eye them curiously the th sound cound of saw and hammer peculiar to most American Am rican towns in the spring springtime I time was not there to remind them of I I the man h of improvement When they I aw w native women there wax was no gar hn s of cheap finery to offend their 1 fe tye eyes nor were there any lounger in inthe InI inthe the shops hopI which themselves could be l only after much effort egort I French Canadians have large 8 yet y t no baby cries broke the general quiet and such suh conversation as the visitors tors to hear h ar was soft and andIo slow ilna Io and in a language langua unknown to them though both bets men had studied at school read many French F nth books book and had recently practiced on onI each other so that th they y might he be able I to te converse erse w with ith the natives I To be out of ef f doors and at leisure in su such h a laud laad wat waa so o strange stra and delight delightful II ful that long lOOK bei beire TO the end of the first drat day both men bel bei tEd themselves them for fori i having squandered other vacations by byI I w wandering through miles mUes of ot cold brooks brook and wilderness of undergrowth an anti and f clouds of bloodthirsty flies tHe all for tor the sake Rake of slaughtering sla a few trout and imposing lish t h stories 8 upon on unwilling listeners listener j tene Never again in late spring I would the they go anywhere but to the i Richelieu and when next neit they visited the stream tr rl they would cry carry camera with them so 80 that when they were In at he homo hom the might t pram pr the memory to the many oada l de sights of at the trip Ii In the afternoon as the boats drifted con side by side near the i I eastern bank aid pd d approached a village T of If Chic little was visible from th the water but the spin spire of the church a anew aj anew new liew charm was suddenly imparted to j the i view lew by a young w woman oman w who ho leaned against a tree and gazed across the stream The rho two voyagers descried Cried her herat herat j at almost the same mune instant taut they ley were I perhaps yards yard y distant but the J 4 slanting lanting rays of the t sun through the clear dear air threw the fea lea tures ture and figure re into strong relief Superb pose exclaimed Lovely LoveIl Lo face murmured Draxie Dra Je Dont paddle p dont do Anything or she may take fright and disappear After ritter the manner of country girls N NI I hope she he wont replied toot but we must get nearer shore if poe po sipie af Ie e Paddle softly on the port side Pretend not to see her She yet discovered us UL W When en the boats were within twenty lengths len of ot her the young youn woman turned her face toward them but without changing her general pose Soon she looked again pIn across the river Thank goodness she scare said aid Shed make mak a capital study say eay ay for tor fora tora a Joan loaft of ff Arc listening l for foi her voices I Drane replied We uWe must do something I to prolong the view vie Ill rn venture some of my French cm on oI oIher I her said B res tray Ill rn ask how many miles mil we are from St Denis and how many villages lie between You i must be b ready with another question Meanwhile Ue well approach very genty but make ake no attempt to land Then be he raised his hat and spoke in the best French at his bis command The face that turned d slowly toward him was as sat satisfactory satisfactory as a its Ito profile it was full fuU an strong with rich olive complexion and great brown eyes A puzzled punted expression sion Blon filled it for a moment then a gen gentle gentle gentIe tle tIe voice replied Does not DOt the gentleman speak Eng English English lish Ush 1 Yes Yes thank you very much How far are we from St Denis Deals About seven Beyen miles was the reply receded preceded by a smile Exquisite murmured Drane then raising railing his voice he asked And will Mam eUe tell teU us how hon many villages es we shall v laaH 1888 aa before reaching St Denis Deals J Another smile this time somewhat conscious prompted to whis whisper whisper per But yet a woman slightly sus susceptible before the reply came caine One two three l Thank you We are very ery glad llad to hear it for your our villages are charming We have hav none like Uke them in our own country The brown eyes opened wider the lips Ups parted slightly before they said The uThe gentlemen are from Lake Champlain perhaps From New York la Lea Les pauvres said the lips Ups as if speaking to to their owner while the face expressed ed pity I beg pardon pard n but I did not under understand understand stand you I did not mean to aay say it ft but out butI outI I am sorry very verT sorry tor you has seen our city then thenOn thenOn On no So far away But I have haven seen n Montreal once So great So big houses hou es So much hurry No o fields no orchards no earth to walk on onno no birds no trees by the tb river rive But t there re is much etee e in n our city at least and undoubtedly at Montreal t tt shops music pictures line fine clothes OthO The TIM young woman looked down an anin antt in tt at her attire a simple brown frock t M ht Me But be c proud almost defiant as she re retH tH Clothes are e but to wear they need not DOt be fine There are two shops in our village Music and pictures are they not in our church chur h and do we not love Jove them m and warm our souls The the theatre atre we want ant it Jt not we like it not notA notA notA A friend mend of mine she went to the the theatre theatre atre sit it t Montreal to work what you caU call act She conies comes no more to her home and she goes not to the church I Too roo bad too bad said akl Bre tray so slowly 17 and tenderly y that the tM young woman Waco l NO is I a sued good man Thank you very viry much But in the city in Montreal Jo for in instance stance there is iii so IiO much mock that hat one can see aee and aDd do doYes doYes doYes Yes but the people except the rich work so 80 hard They see noth nothing nothIng ing lag but their work And do not you Xam the pee peo people peo people pie of your village vU do o you not also work Indeed yes always we work But it is f different We work for fOl our ourselves selves for the fathers and mothers and brothers and end sisters sten fi and little children But not for other people We take not their commands and we receive not their money We work on our lands and in our houses They are small yea yas but Q t our own The gen gentlemen gentlemen tiemen do not work perhaps U Ah but we do For yourselves your elves and your wives and children Unfortunately no We Te are too roo poor I I as yet to marry We work for other I men for salary wages i Again the handsome face looked puzzled puzzled and the full fun lips murmured Len Les Wonder what that means mut muttered muttered muttered from under his incus moustache moustache tache Tin too French for my untrained ear replied Drane in an sit undertone but tie plain to see ee Us not compit complimentary complimentary for pitying us c Can n the he gentlemen not escape e it It is that thai there are ale not villages village with farms far and homes in the States for formen formen formen men that are strong like the gentle gentlemen gentlemen men My Jean is 1 not great but butAs butAs butAs As she paused to check lh k a comparison compari on that seem unkind said again azain under his incus moustache moustache tache and with removable ie Ups lips Tie no wonder h hi he sr f fa facO v Is js so charm charming charming ing lug She loves and is loved loyed Monsieur Jean Is indeed a fortunate man said saM Drane He got for reply a merry laugh which mystified him somewhat uHe He is 1 only very rich rith added Drane but the young woman mistook lila hiss meaning for s she ne said quickly Not rich no Not much land but enough He must mu t work hard but It is not Tor for another man She looked over ov r the heads beads of the voy voyagers VO voyagers agers and there came caine into her face a smile that remained fixed as if she bad had dropped Into reverie and forgotten the presence of visitors Neither man wished to disturb her thoughts what whatever whatever whatever ever they were for both were delighted with the opportunity to gaze admiring admiringly ly without seeming Impertinent Could she realty reatty be as entirely as 8 she seemed they wondered red or might t it Jt not be mat ehat at her beauty had made her so accustomed to admiration that th t she he had bad come to regard it as a tribute that could not be at and must there therefore therefore therefore fore be he accepted as a matter of course like the wind and the rain and the sun sunshine sunshine shine Both men were acquainted with handsome women and knew the signs of consciousness however veiled and indirect but there was wu not an indica indication don tion that the rare v aut Q before them t adorned unless it w ulich ICh grew more bewitching moment by moment perhaps second by second for the gazers gazen took no notice of time Finally the smIle seamed se to reach Its extreme possibility of 0 radiance and its wearer slowly came down the river riverbank riverbank riverbank bank with the grace and dignity of a goddess and approached the waters water edge Not until then were the two ad admirers admirers aware that a boat had bad been ap approaching approaching preaching it was WU w a skiff as old oh and clumsy as asif h If one ODe of the tenders of Noahs ark had bad drifted down through f h age Se a and it i intO quite nook fit ef f the new world Near the bow stood a ayoung young native with light U ht brown face tace and aad light brown browa clothe of f fit he was WS the host boat with a sin Mft single single gle tle oar Or used as a paddle while on n si the tie seat and astern em a tern were ere several children also tight light brown 8 C lace face ace and garb The boat was wag f y beached th man malt rested an Instant tant on his oar looked at the men in the th canoes canoe can lid and nd placed J a 3 finger ln r and thumb thu to the edge ed of ot lila bis hat bat brim Maman cooed the children eels aria iRe ills iR Mes Moe replied the young wo we woman weman man as the brood climbed from the boat and huddled near her gown cown She looked at them proudly then looked at her tier admirers and said The gentleman said my rn Jean JeaR wae ws rich I am richer for I have b ve all sit of these and I have lae Jean too Married said AId looking at t Drome Deane as if tI an ap astounding revelation had mm burst bUrM upon UDOn him Mm Meanwhile the theman theman he hemen man men and woman chatted softly to each other in a language aa which th the roy vey I agers were to believe was though thou they understood under tood not nota a word of it it And mother of four children Drane Drine added I cant believe my eyes and andears ande andears ears e I 1 wish my own ears could translate what those people are saying aay ing though listeners neve ne never heard hard k rd good of themselves themselves them themselves selves See straighten t himself lt and look reproachfully at us What can ean be the mattar m Certainly weve said nothing g that th anyone could construe as offensive la Is U t possible that hes fool feel enough to be he Jealous r I Scarcely No man is so 80 o ignorant as asto asto asto to be he jealous of two men two W o are together True But look took at the divinity pitying us again TIll Tie time thee for forus forus forus us to be going He raised rat ed His hili voice voke and hat and continued A thousand thanks mam pardon n me madame for your information You Ton nave have done us a great kindness Which we shall long leng after we have returned to the city to work for tor our masters The woman smiled As s the canoes were were ere slowly backed Into the stream she said Pardon but my in Jean is sorry for the I gentlemen He say pay two three little 11 tUe farms across the t rIver mer are to be toe maybe very cheap If It the gentlemen I could buy bu they theT be their own masters roasters end and have wives and aDd children R like happy people Ie Your Jean very ery thoughtful and aDd kind We must of his ug sn tion Adieu Mm Madame Adieu Very slow slowly ly the Ule boats worked tack k ward vard for the woman woin was q still looking at the paddles peddles and to turn tuna their beeks to her was The he man maR Jean began to pass paso a Hope ipe pe fn 6 his boat beat to a stake the woman we oma malJ raised hey her head bead a trifle but she extended one ODe hand slightly toward tard her hr brood and f shouted The word was followed by b a laugh lauh that t was wa musical yet dis din distinctly distinctly mook oth th men Instinctive she shouted again aHa and laughed n a exultantly e and long Whet When finally Drane Deane ventured v to cast east a furtive look backward he ex cx exclaimed exclaImed claimed Thank goodness ness hes 80 gone rm Im utterly withered shriveled So 50 am Ifor I for tor Ive out the meaning of those these French Frech words she alae threw at us twice Don Dont you JOU remember ber berLes Les pauvres They signify fT poor things wretched chaps chap devils 9 22 I j jf f I f I t i I S i LN S t j JOHN N L J S HABBERTON AUTHOR OF HElE NS 0 BABIES B JEs r 1 L oci b c 7 9 6 Hm Rm I might have imagined it faana the of her face when n nIn In silence they paddled along side me by side till l t said What will the tire chaps at home hoMeT say esy ret v 5 when we we slaves ten them all aU about it t They wont believe us we cant t tell it all aU without to put in evidence so wed we d better tetter not DOt at tempt it IL 0 But they did They t kelp help It c Copyright l by W R B Hearst t I |