Louis Honoré Fréchette

Christmas in French Canada Louis Honoré Fréchette

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1899. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... RANDMAMMA, tell us a story, please." "A story, a story, grandmamma!" "A Christmas' story." "The story of the Man in the Moon. You promised to tell it." And the pretty heads, fair and dark, with opened mouths and sparkling eyes, gathered around the rockingchair of grandmamma, who, her spectacles on her nose, after treating herself to a pinch of Spanish snuff, took her net-work, threw a glance around, which brought a smile on her wrinkled lips, dropped her woollen ball into the apron of the youngest, began to move her knitting-needles rapidly with her long and slender fingers, and then commenced in a slightly quivering voice: "Once upon a time, my children. . ." At this moment, there was a stir amongst the listeners. Everyone moved in his place; the tallest gave a little cough; the most attentive leaned forward with elbows on knees and chin in hands; then there was a hush, and everyone began to listen with mouth, eyes and ears. "Once upon a time, my children,' repeated the old lady as she went on with her knitting, "there was an old chateau, very old indeed, very gloomy and solitary, standing on the rocky flank of a hill crowned by a forest of large oaks, and named the castle of Kerfoel. "I mean that this was its real name, for it was better known in the country as the Devil's Tower. n "In fact it was said that, in old days, the Devil had built a forge and furnace in one of the highest rooms of the turret, where he made gold for the owners of the domain, who, for his services, belonged to him from generation to generation. "There must have been some evil source for the wealth of these wretched miscreants, for, from the top of their towers, one could make out nothing but barren and dry moors planted here and there with big fairy-stones, standing up like men, which ...