AN ACADIAN VILLAGE 
to the church, had been lined with balsam fir 
and spruce and birch saplings stuck in the sandy 
soil and tied to fence posts. The day before, 
on looking from the door of our house, I had 
been startled by seeing islands of verdure ad- 
vancing like Birnam wood across the sound. 
The islands were boats so filled with trees that 
the rowers were invisible. Flags and banners 
of all shapes and colours waved gaily in the 
wind along this lane and added to the joy and 
beauty of the scene. 
After an impressive vesper service in the 
church, the whole congregation, which was in- 
deed the entire community, sallied forth on the 
prepared way. First came an acolyte, a sturdy, 
handsome youth, bearing aloft in his strong 
hands the cross, and attended by two smaller 
boys bearing candles. All the acolytes were re- 
splendent in scarlet cassocks and white lace 
cottas. Then followed all the little children of 
the village marshalled into some sort of order 
by two anxious nuns, the boys in one line, the 
girls inanother. The image of the virgin, borne 
on the shoulders of two women and attended 
by little girls in the bridal dresses of their first 
communion, came next. Behind followed the 
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