noon
Her Djack lived ; that was what occupied her mind ; other men were merely men -- even his comrades , Sticky Smith and Kid Glenn , assumed individuality to distinguish them from other men only because they were Djack 's friends . And as for all other muleteers , they seemed to her as alike as Chinamen , leaving upon her young mind a general impression of long , thin legs and necks and the keen eyes of hunting falcons . ------------------ She had washing to do that morning . Very early she climbed up into the ancient belfry , wound the drum so that the bells would play a few bars at the quarters and before each hour struck ; and also in order that the carillon might ring mechanically at noon in case she had not returned to take her place at the keyboard with her wooden gloves . There was a light west wind rippling through the tree tops ; and everywhere sunshine lay brilliant on pasture and meadow under the purest of cobalt skies . In the garden her crippled father , swathed in shawls , dozed in his deep chair beside the river-wall , waking now and then to watch the quill on his long bamboo fish-pole , stemming the sparkling current of the little river Lesse . Sticky Smith , off duty and having filled himself to repletion with café-au-lait at the inn , volunteered to act as nurse , attendant , remover of fish and baiter of hook , while Maryette was absent at the stone-rimmed pool where the washing of all Sainte Lesse laundry had been accomplished for hundreds of years .