A Lover in Homespun

Lover in Homespun, A

The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Lover in Homespun, by F. Clifford
Smith This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and
with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away
or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: A Lover in Homespun And Other Stories
Author: F. Clifford Smith
Release Date: October 12, 2005 [EBook #16860]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A LOVER
IN HOMESPUN ***

Produced by Early Canadiana Online, Robert Cicconetti, Diane Monico,
and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
http://www.pgdp.net

A LOVER IN HOMESPUN
AND OTHER STORIES
BY

F. CLIFFORD SMITH
SECOND EDITION
TORONTO: WILLIAM BRIGGS 29-33 Richmond St. West
MONTREAL: C.W. COATES. HALIFAX: S.F. HUESTIS.
PHILADELPHIA: HENRY ALTEMUS. 1896

ENTERED, according to Act of the Parliament of Canada, in the year
one thousand eight hundred and ninety-six, by WILLIAM BRIGGS, at
the Department of Agriculture.

To My Mother,
WHO HAS TAKEN SUCH A WARM AND LOVING INTEREST IN
MY LITERARY ENDEAVORS,
I DEDICATE
MY BOOK OF CANADIAN STORIES.

CONTENTS.
Page
A Lover in Homespun 7
The Faith that Removes Mountains 31
A Pair of Boots 50
A Prairie Episode 79
A Daughter of the Church 105

A Perilous Encounter 125
Le Loup-Garou 134
A Christmas Adventure 148
Narcisse's Friend 155
A Strange Presentiment 170
A Memorable Dinner 184
* * * * *

A Lover in Homespun.
Onesime Charest, farmer, of L'Orignal, was a happy man. As he drove
through the quaint little French-Canadian village, on his way to the
railway station, he was saluted by the villagers with much ceremony.
Everyone knew perfectly well just what it was that was taking farmer
Charest to the station this beautiful hazy afternoon. Over a week had
now elapsed since he received the letter from his son Zotique, in the
United States, saying he would be home on September 10th.
Before the important communication had been in the village a day, it
was common property, and had been read and re-read until almost
every soul in the place knew it off by heart.
The wanderer's return was to be made more momentous by Madame
Charest inviting a large number of guests to a party, to be given by her
the evening he returned.
If these worthy people were in a joyous mood the night of the party,
nature appeared equally so; for by the time the first hay-cart, with its
burden of guests, drove up to the scene of the festivities, the moon, as
though specially engaged to do duty on this honored occasion, stood

right over farmer Charest's house, and with jovial countenance beamed
into the faces of the arriving guests, and threw such a kindly light over
the farmer's rough, nondescript garments as to make them look almost
like good, soft broadcloth. It also paid flattering attention to Madame
Charest, and so beautified her thin face and silvered her grey hair, as
she stood in the door and welcomed the arrivals, as to make the
neighbors affirm--and that in a manner that it would have been utterly
useless to try and gainsay--that she looked far younger than she did ten
years ago!
The lion of the hour, of course, was the wanderer Zotique. He stood in
the main room of the house, the kitchen, near the long improvised table,
with its burden of seductive viands, and shook hands with the guests
without even the slightest tinge of the superiority which it was thought
he would, and that justly, assume.
Notwithstanding his graciousness, however, he was looked upon with
no little awe. He had grown so tall, got so broad-shouldered, become
the owner of such a soft, curling moustache, and wore such fine clothes
and white linen as to quite throw in the shade his elder brother Vital,
and the other men present, who wore, as was customary on all
occasions--state or otherwise--the dark woollen suits and grey woollen
shirts, with the long pointed, attached collars.
Had Zotique not been a sensible fellow, he would surely have had his
head turned by the many flattering things said to him.
It so chanced, too, that remarks were passed about him to his parents
and brother, sotto voce, which, strange as it may appear, managed in
some unaccountable manner always to reach his ears.
"He certainly has grown good-looking, very good-looking," thought
Vital, as he hovered about his younger brother. Although he was
sincerely glad to see him, he could not altogether drive away the
shameful wish that he had been less handsome. When he thought of
what it was that gave rise to the wish, he felt ill at ease.