She had made her quite a
collection of little trousers and vests, which had style, I can
tell you. She had copied, too, from a circus she had seen, an
English clown's costume which was most becoming. Nothing could be
funnier than to watch this tiny dwarf, to see her strut, jump,
dance, coming and going, skipping around suddenly,--one moment
skittish, the next very important.
Petit-Jacques loved to tease her, but not roughly; he would push
her with his foot, and make her jump at him impatiently, looking
perfectly ridiculous in her quaint dress. You could have sworn she
was a miniature clown. Add to all this, the queer inarticulate
sounds she made when she was angry, and even then you can have no
idea how very amusing these pantomimes were.
Soon the fame of Yollande spread far and wide. She became
celebrated throughout the district. Instead of asking Mother
Etienne how _she_ was, people asked:
"How's your hen today, Mother Etienne?"
CHAPTER IV
FATHER GUSSON'S SECRET
One day a peddler, such as often come round to villages, laden
like a mule, and leading by the bridle an ass still more laden,
appeared at the farm. Both looked well but tired and dusty--they
seemed to have had a long journey.
Father Gusson, such was the good man's name, sold all sorts of
things, from tooth-brushes to shoes,--including hardware,
glassware, notions, drugs, and even patent medicines.
Mother Etienne received him kindly and after letting him show her
the things in which she was interested, she offered him
refreshment and suggested that he should take a little rest at the
farm.
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