The French and the Indians

and

Choices on a Rare Day

Stories from

RARE DAYS IN LOST VALLEY

The Bellwether University Book of Universal Truths

George Perkins

The French and the Indians

“‘Bellwether,’ a term from the French” thinks President AbelBaker. He stands in his office, overlooking the campus of BellwetherUniversity. Before him stretches green grass, clipped hedges, a squareenclosure of paternally smiling classroom buildings and dormitoriesfaced mostly in a grayish stone quarried not far from here. Againstthe buildings the dark trunks and leafy greenery of deciduous treesand the darker green of an occasional spruce or hemlock formcontrasts of shape, color, and texture that strike him as especially pleasing on this June day. Off to his right, Stonewall Manor imposesits regal presence. In the distance, the Huron River gleams in the sun.Beyond it, slightly to the south and west, the small mountain thathelps to make the valley a valley looks gently down. It casts noshadow over the fair scene, except toward nightfall in December onthe darkest night of the year. Which is not now. Off toward the rivera dog is arf arfing and yip yipping with a sound not unattractive tothe President’s ear, which is accustomed to it. Not long since he hasamused himself by beating a drum with the palm of his hand andchanting melodious syllables not easily to be distinguished by theuninitiated from arf arf arf and yip yip yip. Abel Baker would beinsulted by that suggestion, however, for he imagines himself in hisheart of hearts to be continually pumping no small portion of theblood of Indian ancestors.He is a renaissance man, reborn every day.“‘Bellwether,’ a term from the French,” he thinks. To balancehis Indian ancestry, he takes due pride in his European heritage, partof which he believes to be French, and he likes to show off hisfacility with that strange language. But how best to work it into hisspeech? “‘Belle,’” he continues to think, “from the French for‘beautiful’. ‘Wether,’ from the Old English for ‘weather’. ‘Beautiful weather.’ For all of us at Bellwether University the name rings like a

bell calling us to enjoy the weather that welcomes you, ourdistinguished visitors, to this lovely campus. We hope and expect thatduring your stay you will find time to obey the clarion call of thatbeautiful bell and sally forth to enjoy the June belleness, that quality of beauty that shines forth from all the points of the compass in the weather of our green and pleasant campus, and so on and so on. Andso forth and so forth.” He pauses while the wheels of thought turn.“Hmn, hmn. Some of this and some of that. I invite you all to a mostenjoyable stay in our little Eden here in Lost Valley. That’s nice,” hethinks. "Stop right there. Or maybe end with ‘our Lost Valley Eden’.”Gwendolyn frequently tells him it is good to end a speech with thestrongest word. Then wait for the applause. At that point it is good tostep back from the podium, just slightly, and remove the hands fromthe paper. Hint, hint. I have nothing more to say. Applause. He tiltshis head, not quite a bow. And smiles. He has done his thing. Wait.He waves toward Professor Ripley Rollins, who will continue theproceedings. Perhaps he should end where he began with a referenceto beautiful weather. Something like ‘I invite you all to a mostenjoyable stay in our little Lost Valley Eden with all its beautiful weather’.”Nicely done, he congratulates himself. The middle needsfixing, but when he dictates it to Gwendolyn she will take care of that. Possibly, though, when he waves to Ripley Rollins, inviting himto take the podium, he needs to say a few words of introduction.Professor Ripley Rollins, the distinguished Professor Ripley Rollins,start again with the personal touch. My good friend Ripley Rollins,My good friend Professor Ripley Rollins, whose distinguishedpresence has graced these hallowed halls for a long time. How long?It will come to him, and if not Gwendolyn will fix it. Name his book.Underline that for dictation, Name the Rollins book. At whoseinstigation. Following whose initiative. The chief cook and bottle washer. You can’t say that of course, as Gwendolyn will remind him.Unless he leaves it out. Delete chief cook and bottle washer.“Here is the speech. Dr. Baker.”Startled out of his compositional frame of mind, he welcomesthe young lady into his office. Doing so, he notices once again how often his thoughts merge with present events and he pauses to tally the elements of his present pride: (1) Indian and (2) French to be