Volume II Part 10 (2/2)

Six months later, when she went to see her parents one Sunday, her father looked at her curiously, and then said: ”Are you not in the family way?” She remained thunderstruck, and looked at her waist, and then said: ”No, I do not think so”

Then he asked her, for he wanted to know everything: ”Just tell ht?” ”Yes, I ht” ”Well, then you are full, you great tub!”

On hearing that, she began to sob, and stammered: ”How could I knoas I to know?” Old Malandain looked at her knowingly, and appeared very pleased, and then he asked: ”What did you not know?” And amid tears she replied: ”Hoas I to know that children were made in that way?” And when her er: ”There, she is in the family way, now”

But the woman was furious, her wohter, as in tears, every name she could think of, ”a trollop” and ”a struue, and as he took up his cap to go and talk the matter over with Master Cesaire Oht she was; she did not even knohat he was doing, the fool!”

On the next Sunday, after the sermon, the old _Cure_ published the banns between Monsieur Onufre-Cesaire Omont and Celeste-Adelaide Malandain

A NORMANDY JOKE

The procession caht in the hollow road which was shaded by tall trees which grew on the slopes of the farms The newly married couple cauests, and lastly the poor of the neighborhood, while the village urchins, who hovered about the narrow road like flies, ran in and out of the ranks, or cliroo fellow, Jean Patu, the richest fars, an ardent sportsman who seemed to lose all common sense in order to satisfy that passion, and who spent large suuns The bride, Rosalie Roussel, had been courted by all the likely young fellows in the district, for they all thought her prepossessing, and they knew that she would have a good dowry, but she had chosen Patu, partly, perhaps, because she liked him better than she did the others, but still irl, because he had ateway of the husband's far those who fired, as they were hidden in the ditches, and the noise see about heavily in their best clothes, veryup to a farun and fired a shot hi his heels about like a colt Then they went on, beneath the apple-trees which were heavy with fruit, through the high grass and through the reat eyes, got up slowly and re party

The men became serious when they ca dinner So silk hats, which seeether out of place there; others had old head-coverings with a long nap, whichthem wore caps All the women had on shahich they wore loose on their backs, and they held the tips ceremoniously under their ar shawls, and their brightness see-heap, the ducks on the side of the pond, and the pigeons on the thatched roofs

The extensive far there, at the end of that archway of apple trees, and a sort of vapor came out of the open door and s, and an al s, fro of guests extended through the yard; when the foremost of them reached the house, they broke the chain and dispersed, while behind they were still coate The ditches were now lined with urchins and poor curious people, and the shots did not cease, but caled a cloud of s effects as absinthe, with the at their dresses outside the door, to get rid of the dust, were undoing their cap strings and pulling their shawls over their arether for the tireat kitchen, that would hold a hundred persons; they sat down to dinner at two o'clock and at eight o'clock they were still eating, and the men, in their shi+rt sleeves, with their waistcoats unbuttoned, and with red faces, were sing the food and drink down, as if they had been whirlpools The cider sparkled lasses, by the side of the dark, blood-colored wine, and between every dish they lass of brandy which inflamed the body, and put foolish notions into the head

Fro as full as a barrel, would go out for a few et a mouthful of fresh air, as they said, and then return with redoubled appetite The farmers' wives, with scarlet faces and their stays nearly bursting, did not like to follow their exa more uncomfortable than the others, went out, when all the rest followed her exah jokes began afresh

Broad-sides of obscenities were exchanged across the table, and all about the wedding-night, until the whole arsenal of peasant as exhausted For the last hundred years, the sah every one knew theuests roar with laughter

At the bottohbors, were preparing some practical jokes for the newly ood one, by the way they whispered and laughed, and suddenly, one of the by a ood tiht, with thisat the room turned to him quickly and replied: ”Only let theh, and said: ”I do not think you will neglect your business for thehter, so that the glasses shook, but the bridegrooht that anybody would profit by his wedding to come and poach on his land, and repeated: ”I only say: Just let them come!”

Then there was a flood of talk with a double h she was tres of brandy they all went to bed; the young couple went into their own rooround floor, as most rooms in farmhouses are As it was very warm, they opened theand closed the shutters A small lamp in bad taste, a present fro on the chest of drawers, and the bed stood ready to receive the young people, who did not stand upon all the cere towns-people, in their first e woman had already taken off her wreath and her dress, and she was in her petticoat, unlacing her boots, while Jean was finishi+ng his cigar, and looking at her out of the corners of his eyes It was an ardent look, more sensual than tender, for he felt more desire than love for her, and suddenly with a brusqueto set to work, he took off his coat She had already taken off her boots, and was now pulling off her stockings, and then she said to hiet into bed”

He see look he went and hid hihed and tried to cover up his eyes, and they romped in an amorous and happy manner, without shame or embarrassment At last he did as she asked him, and in a mos, fell at her feet and lay on the ground in a circle She left it there, stooped over it, naked with the exception of her floating ches creaked beneath her weight He immediately went up to her, without his shoes and in his trousers, and stooping over his wife he sought her lips, which she hid beneath the pillohen a shot was heard in the distance, in the direction of the forest of Rapees, as he thought

He raised hi to the , he opened the shutters The full ht, and the reflection of the apple trees made black shadows at their feet, while in the distance the fields glea out, listening to every sound in the still night, two bare ar to pull hi to do with you Come to bed”

He turned round, put his ar her war her up in his vigorous arms, he carried her towards their couch, but just as he was laying her on the bed, which yielded beneath her weight, they heard another report, considerably nearer this tie, swore aloud: ”God, G! Do you think I shall not go out and see what it is, because of you? Wait, wait a few un, which was always hanging within reach, against the wall, and, as his wife threw herself on her knees in her terror to io, he hastily freed himself, ran to theand jumped into the yard

She waited one hour, two hours, until daybreak, but her husband did not return Then she lost her head, aroused the house, related how angry Jean was, and said that he had gone after the poachers, and immediately all the male farm-servants, even the boys, went in search of their ues froun broken, his trousers turned inside out, and with three dead hares hanging round his neck, and a placard on his chest, with these words: _Who goes on the chase, loses his place_

And later on, when he used to tell this story of his wedding night, he generally added: ”Ah! As far as a joke went, it was a good joke They caught me in a snare, as if I had been a rabbit, the dirty brutes, and they shovedBut if I can only catch them some day, they had better look out for themselves!”

That is how they a day

A cock CROWED