Our Little French Cousin

f Petit Andelys, and its little c

d does it so well that the lustre of the fête has spread far and wide, bringing many visitors, which

nd. There is some little jealousy between the two Andelys. The size and importance of Grand Andelys throws the other quite in the shade, but Petit Andelys

r and its leading citizens organize committees,

quare in front of the church, many wagons with poles, and flapping canvas

all them, move about the country from town to town in wagons like an old-fashioned cir

s very much as do gipsies, selling all sorts of knickknacks,

dressed out with flags and wreaths

re awakened at five o'clock on the opening day by a succession of terrific no

t early hour the whole town was astir. Later on

ith big pink pigs to ride on, and swings in the shape of boats, and a

g what seemed to her the most b

in the shooting-gallery, and win a wonderful knife

the evening, when a torchlight process

was placed on a paving-stone and struck with a big hammer. It made a tremendous noise, however, a

and then more people, while all along the route was burned red and green fire. Lanterns and fairy lamps in front of the h

he chairs shaped like swans, for they were afraid of slipping off the round pigs. The only

papa even hit one of the funny paper ducks that kept bobbing up, and got a walking-stick for

just like the one at their farm. There was a little cow on one

ake throughout France. Our little friends were soon there buying quite a menagerie of animals made of gingerbread.

sat under an awning in front. There was no scenery, but a piece of cloth with a queer-looking picture painted on it, and the actors

te hour for a French village, where every one is usually sound asleep by half-past e

e family were gathered for breakfast. "The baker's boy told me he could see them from the bakery. They c

ine in the same breath. Jean quickly disposed of his brea

the horses. The women were preparing the morning meal outside the wagons, which served for houses, while the men fed the hors

they are in the village, and we should not encourage them to break the law. I will go back, though,

van were tethered two goats which were carried for their milk. Goat's milk is much used in France among the poorer classes, especial

CI

rk-skinned little children, who looked chubby an

ondering how they all stowed themselves away in the one wagon. It was a big one, to be sure, divided into two rooms, and wonderfully com

cakes, which she divided among the

d that afternoon our three little friends had the pleasure of seeing the horse that coul

Between these poles were hung a dozen or more tin buckets all filled with water, except the middle one. In this was a new five-franc piece. To each bucket was attached a string, and when a boy was blindfolded, and an enormous grotesque mask put over his head, it was a somewhat difficult task to walk up and to pull the string of the bucket which held the five-franc piece. Should he pull any o

ackwards or forwards. "Oh, he will get it! Keep where you are! You're in the right place!" shouted Jean's friends, as they watched his hand touch the strings with indecision. Little Ge

ted lavishly among his admiring friends. Sucre du pomme, by the by, is a very nice candy made in sticks of various sizes from sugar and the dripp

placed, hanging downward, wooden pegs. These pegs were well greased, and one had to swing himself by his hands from one of these pegs to another in order to reach the extreme end of the bar, where was fastened a small bag of money. Well, you may imagine this was not easy to do, and generally about the third or

out, for there were many visitors who had come in for the usual apéritif. The café was full, the gardens were filled up with extra tables, and M. Auguste was quite distracted in his endeavours to be

eady a big lot of Roman candles as the contribution of the visitors of the Belle étoile to the evening's gaie

id a great throng of tourists, country folk, visitors in automobiles and fa

he river banks burned with red, green, and white Bengal fires. Queer boats rigged with golden lamps, and s

U GAI

d the old walls and turrets stood out red against the dark blue sky, a beacon for miles of country round

ayground were crumbling away, and that never again could she picture the great ki

issaire, the one policeman of the village, speaking to them. The little man had come unwearied and triumphant through the excitements of the great day. Ah! it was he who had manag

d; the band of the pompiers played the "Marseillaise,"-the nationa