Sons of the Soil

Emile Blondet, originally a provincial but now a Parisian journalist, is visiting a friend from his childhood, Madame de Montcornet and her husband at their country estate. Being neither a farmer nor a sportsman he has ample time to walk abroad and observe the local peasants.
One of the most charming sketches is of the elderly Fourchon and his grandson who con Blondet into hunting otters. Fourchon's son-in-law is head of the Tonsard family, full of varied and interesting individuals. They run a small, rather dingy wine-shop.