time Farette learned that he had his one
true inspiration when he wore mourning at his second marriage.

MATHURIN

The tale was told to me in the little valley beneath Dalgrothe Mountain
one September morning. Far and near one could see the swinging of the
flail, and the laughter of a ripe summer was upon the land. There was a
little Calvary down by the riverside, where the flax-beaters used to
say their prayers in the intervals of their work; and it was just at the
foot of this that Angele Rouvier, having finished her prayer, put her
rosary in her pocket, wiped her eyes with the hem of her petticoat, and
said to me:

"Ah, dat poor Mathurin, I wipe my tears for him!"

"Tell me all about him, won't you, Madame Angele? I want to hear you
tell it," I added hastily, for I saw that she would despise me if I
showed ignorance of Mathurin's story. Her sympathy with Mathurin's
memory was real, but her pleasure at the compliment I paid her was also
real.

"Ah! It was ver' longtime ago--yes. My gran'mudder she remember dat
Mathurin ver' well. He is not ver' big man. He has a face-oh, not ver'
handsome, not so more handsome as yours--non. His clothes, dey hang
on him all loose; his hair, it is all some grey, and it blow about him
head. He is clean to de face, no beard--no, nosing like dat. But his
eye--la, M'sieu', his eye! It is like a coal which you blow in your
hand, whew!--all bright. My gran'mudder, she say, 'Voila, you can light
your pipe with de eyes of dat Mathurin!' She know. She say dat M'sieu'
Mathurin's eyes dey shine in de dark. My gran'fadder he say he not need
any lights on his cariole when Mathurin ride with him in de night.

"Ah, sure! it is ver' true what I tell you all de time. If you cut off
Mathurin at de chin, all de way up, you will say de top of him it is
a priest. All de way down from his neck, oh, he is just no better as
yoursel' or my Jean--non. He is a ver' good man. Only one bad ting he
do. Dat is why I pray for him; dat is why everybody pray for him--only
one bad ting. Sapristi!--if I have only one ting to say God-have-mercy
for, I tink dat ver' good; I do my penance happy. Well, dat Mathurin
him use to teach de school. De Cure he ver' fond of him. All de leetla
children, boys and girls, dey all say: 'C'est bon Mathurin!' He is not
ver' cross--non. He have no wife, no child; jes live by himself all
alone. But he is ver' good friends with everybody in Pontiac. When he
go 'long de street, ev