168 THE YOUTHS CABINET.

The Widow’s Cottage.

 

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH OF BOUILLY, BY THE EDITOR.

 

x the charming banks of the
river Cher, is the village
of St. Avertin, noted for
the richness of its vine-
yards, the beauty of its

situation, and the tasteful and ele-

gant mansions of many of its inhab-
itants. Among these mansions, the
most beautiful is the castle of Can-
6, built at the summit of the hill, on
the south side of the river. It would
seem almost as if nature had here de-
signed to bring together everything
which is calculated to please the eye,
and gladden the heart. On the right
can be seen the city of Amboise, and the
castle of Blois; on the left, the city of
Tours; farther on, those of Luynes and
Langeais ; and some eight leagues far-
ther, the towers of the fortress of Sau-
mur. Before appear the rich intervales
of the Loire. This river flows but a
short distance from the Cher, and the
two rivers together water an immense
valley, many leagues in length, covered
with scores of villages, all of which can
be distinctly seen with the aid of a good
glass. No wonder the Abbé Barthéle-
my, whom I met there one day, exclaim-
ed, as he did, while gazing on this scene,
~ «Qh! this is a second Eden!”

During my last visit to the castle, I
had the happiness of meeting the vener-
able pastor of the place. His name is
Nivet. He was once my professor in the
royal college of Tours. He related to
me a story, which must, unless I am
much deceived, greatly interest my little
friends.

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

THE PASTORS STORY.

At the foot of the hill of St. Michel,
near the village of St. Avertin, is an
humble cottage, occupied by a poor and
‘nfirm widow, whose husband and two
sons perished in the battle of Moscow.
Alone, without relatives, with no protec-
tor, this poor woman, whose name is
Durand, subsisted by the labor of her
hands. All her time was occupied in
reeling silk, for the manufacturers of
Tours. Working from five o'clock in —
the morning to nine o'clock at night, she
could earn, on an average, from ten to
twelve sous a day. Naturally cheerful,
and resigned to the will of God, Mother
Durand found the means of cultivating a
garden herself ; and from the avails of
her work, she was able to employ @ man
to take care of a little vineyard which
she owned, on the bill-side of St. Mi-
chel, and which yielded the best wine in
the canton. |

But her hard work, coupled with the
gloomy solitude in which she lived, grad-
ually reduced her strength, and made
sad inroads upon her health. At length,
she was seized with paralysis, and her
left arm became useless, so that she was
no longer able to provide for herself ; and
the inhabitants of the village began to
talk about placing her ina poor-house.
Poor woman! the bare idea of quitting
the cottage where she was born—where
she became a bride and a mother—
where, for more than fifty years, she
had enjoyed a sweet independence—that
‘dea overwhelmed her with grief: and