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Show "What lottery?" You know very well," he cried, impatiently. "The one you bought with my twenty-sou piece, that I gave" you!" The bride began to laugh stupidly. "Ah, the twenty sous? Listen, Master." "One seldom wins in those lotteries. It was very cold last winter, very cold." "Well, well?" Interrogated Landry, who begun to grow very yellow. "Oh, indeed," she concluded, "1 did not buy the ticket With the money I bought me some good fur-lined fur-lined 8lipier8, which I was sure would do me good, Yes, indeed." Farmer Landry was almost consoled for his forced prodigality, when one morning, in the barber shop, where he went from time to time to read gratis the Gazette, a terrible emotion shook him. He read the result of the lot tery drawing, and at the head these words, like lines of fire flashed before the dazzled daz-zled spectacles of the good man: "The number thirty-four has won the groat prize of 100,000 francs. The old gentleman gave such a sudden cry that the startled barber, in turning towards him, almost clipped a corner from the ear of the schoolmaster, whom he was shaving. "What's the matter," Father Landry," Lan-dry," he asked. "Oh, nothing, nothing," answered the farmer, who quickly recovered his calmness. Rearranging his spectacles, he read again slowly, spelling each syllable to "make assurance doubly sure." There was no mistake; the number 84, Brigitte's ticket, had won. He dropped the journal and started off in great agitation towards his house. Brigitte had prepared her master's frugal breakfast of nuts and cheese. He placed himself at the table, but he could not eat, for his emotion seemed to clinch his throat and prevent him from swallowing. What is the matter. Master?" anxiously anx-iously asked Brigitte. "Nothing at all." "You are not ill?" "No, I tell you," he answered angrily. an-grily. During several days he secretly observed ob-served the poor woman. Did she know that she had won 100,000 francs? No indeed! Entirely ignorant thut she was the object of such close scrutiny, she performed her daily tasks with her usual good humor, while her master was in a fever of unrest. One day ho dared to ask her, trembling tremb-ling while doing so: "Is there anv news, my good girl?" "Nothing, Master, except that one of the hens has the pip." Very good! She knew nothing about her good fortune. As for announcing it to her that was entirely too much for his nature and long life hublt. It seemed to him monstrous that another should profit by this marvellous windfall wind-fall of a hundred thousand francs, produced pro-duced by his piece of twenty sous his own bright, silver bit! Time was lengthened from days to weeks. A notice no-tice In the journal (he really bought a copy of the one containing tho announcement) an-nouncement) formally stated that after a delay of three months the unclaimed prizes would be employed for a new capital. The poor man had no more appetite appe-tite for eating or drinking, or power to sleep; he was dying of uneasiness. Twenty times he was on the point of speaking of the ticket to Brigitte; and twenty times he bit the tip of his toncue. One word only might put his BRIGITTE'S FORTUNE. Short thin, dry and wrinkled as an apple that lay withered during a long winter, such was the good man, Farmer Landry. Indeed, he was one of those close-fisted old peasants of whom it is graphically said that they can shave something from an egg shell. Since the death of his wife he had retired from agriculture and lived alone in a little houso at the end of the village. vil-lage. And yet, not entirely alone. fo? he had with him his old servant Brigitte. But the poor woman counted for so little lit-tle in the household, a little above the dog, but not so much as the donkey, that eoct a hundred and twenty francs. She entered his family nt the age of twelve to guard the cows, and had been there ever since. She knew no other family life than this one, and the exceeding ex-ceeding parsimony of the master seemed to ber entirely natural. She was now . a tall, hale woman of fifty, red-faced, square-shouldered, with feet and hands that might have been the pride of a pugilistic trainer. While exacting very little in the way of compensation, she drudged like a pack horse; for indeed, she could not do otherwise in Farmer Landry's house. Besides in her simple sim-ple mind existed a canine attachment and real admiration for her master, who was not ashamed to take advantage advant-age of her good nature. Of course in the service of this miser Brf itte had not earned a fortune. But the honest creature was amply satisfied when the old peasant in a patronizing tone praised her zeal: "What a good simple creature you are, Brigitte, are you not? Then the good woman's mouth would open into a loud laugh. "He! he! he! muster! You have always your little manner of joking; he! he! heP One day while Farmer Landry was himself replastering his garden wall, so as not to pay the mason, he made a talse step and fell into the pool just over the point where the deepest hole was. He splashed wildly about for a few moments, calling vainly for help with all tho power of his lungs. At last worn out by his efforts, he was about to sink from sight, when Brigitte at last heard him. The devoted creature creat-ure courageously jumped into the water, nt the risk of drowning herself. She succeeded in pulling him to the bank; he was entirely unconscious, but she raised him in her strong arms, as she would a child, put him to bed, and with rubbing and remedies recalled him to life. On seeing him open his eyes, the good Brigitte shed tears of joy- "Ah, good master, how glad I am that you are not drowned and buried in thut hole!" The old peasant was glad of it, too, although he had one lively regret the toss of his trowel, which fell into the water at the same time with himself. However, he had the decency not to ixpress the wish that Brigitte should ;eturn and jump in after that also, jideed, in the first impulse of gratitude, grat-itude, he said to his servant with a (Ouch of emotion: "It is you who pulled me out of the iole; I shall never forget it, my good ,'irl, you may be assured of that. I lm going to make you a present." ' 'Oh, master, indeed there is no need f that!" ' 'But I tell you I will give you flome-ihing; flome-ihing; don't doubt it!" And really, the same evening, after thousand hesitations, he drew forth lis long leather purse and called Jrigitte to him. While making a rimace like one having a tooth drawn, He selected a silver piece of twenty ;ents. servant In the way to learn her good fortune. One morning, after an unusually sleepless night passed in turning and returning in his bed, he arose with a smile on his thin lips. He had found a key to the problem. He commenced by ordering Brigitte to kill the plumpest chicken and to cook it in the oven with a good piece of pork. In the meanwhile, he brought from the cellar, where It was hid behind the fagots, a bottle of old wine. And finally he gave his servant money to buy coffee, sugar and brandy. Brigitte asked herself if her master had gone mad? "Surely some demon has taken possession pos-session of his mind!" she thought with a thrill of fear. It seemed a fearful increase of the malady when tHe old gentleman, after having ordered her to lay the table for two, asked her to take her place as his vis-a-vis. "Oh, Master, I should never, never dare to do that!" "Sit down there, I tell you, you foolish fool-ish woman!" Brigitte had heard that one raiiBt not oppose the wishes of maniacs. So, without answering, she seated herself in great embarrassment on the edge of the chair. "Come, eat and drink, Brigitte, my girl," he said, filling her plate generously. gener-ously. However, this was not the last surprise sur-prise for Brigitte. When the coffee was served the old gentleman suddenly said: Here, Brigitte, is your present It .hall not be counted in your wages, ou know. Oh, no, this is extra out-jlde out-jlde of your wages. Do not bo extravagant ex-travagant with it; that would be a sin. For the service rendered it was not unbridled generosity on the part of the giver, and the former had some dim intimation of the fact, for he added (as if to enhance its value) : It is just the price of a lottery ticket- Buy one, my girl, and you may win twenty thousand dollars." ' It was the first time in his life that the poor man allowed himself to be so liberal, so the thought of it haunted Mm for a long time; he constantly wondered about the fate of his bright silver piece. He often asked the ' servant if she had yet bought her lottery ticket. "Not yet, Master," was hor unvarying unvary-ing answer. But at length she decided to end this constant questioning by pacifying him. So one day she replied: "Yes, Master, I have bought one." "Indeed! What number?" "Oh, the number is 34." "Very good!" said her master, repeating re-peating the number to impress it on his mind. "Be careful not to lose it!" "Never fear, master." "Because if you do fear sometime to lose it" The habits of daily life in the little household, disturbed by these events, eoon settled into their regular course; eating sparely, very temperate drinking, drink-ing, few hours for sleeping and many for work. "You see, my good Brigitte, this means that I am going to get married!" "Indeed, master, it is not yet too late; if you are old, you are still hale and well," answered the simple servant approvingly. "Since that is your view, if you like, we will marry each other. After the roast chicken and pork, the coffee and wine, Brigitte expected to hear almost any strange thing on the part of her master. But that! Oh, not that! "You are joking mo,' master!" "Not at all," answered the old peasant peas-ant He explained that he was growing grow-ing old, was without children or family, and did not wish to die alone like a dog. Besides, he was grateful! He could not forget that Brigitte had saved his life his faithful Brigitte. One must not be forgetful of such a service. Finally, tho worthy woman, whose head was turned by this stroke of good fortune, believed in his sincerity. She, a humble servant, marry her master? Think of it! It was, indeed, something some-thing to turn one's brain. The bans were published, and the marriage followed. The couple were greeted at the church by the good-natured good-natured smiles of the whole village. After the ceremony the new husband hurriedly conducted his wife home. Having crossed the threshold, he hastily demanded in a joyful voice, while energetically nibbing his hands. "Brigitte, my girl, where have you put your ticket?" "What ticket?" "Your lottery ticket, No. 34?" |