The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1866-09-28


and she strings thcm-so She makes
these crosses. too. She is very feeble, but
she does all that for me-
land then you come and sell them,
Christine?' he said, quickly "Do you
know, l have mother, too. and ! work for
her. We are not very rich, and make
drawings and sell them
"God bless you. then, monsieur" she
answered, fervently, "you will never be
sorry for doing that
He was touched by her genuine tone Of
sympathy.
"No, know shall not Iwould rather
help her than do anything else in the
world" he said, aud the color rose up to his
check
She smiled, looking in his face as he
spoke. After moments silence she said,
simply and earnestly:
% 1t is sometimes hard to me to earn a
living-harder than | hope it will ever be to
you, monsieur: but | would rather be just
a poor girl as am, and have my mother
with me, than be the greatest lady i'll Reuen
without her" And then she glanced up
with a sunny look that cleared away the
tears which had risen for moment to her
eyes, and said: "But even me-the world
does not treat me very badly. 1t is only a
little hard to me now and then, and when it
is, in there and pray to the dear Virgin,
and before long the sunshine comes back
again. 1t never stays long away. There
are many good people in the world, mon
sieur, to keep the poor from starving"
she had sweet voice, lower and softer
4 than Trenchwomen's voices often are. The
face, too, had sweetness in it. He saw that
now, though he had only noticed its bright,
pleasant honesty before.
| Ruf I am kaenin0 van from ynI1r nir.
ture," she said smilingly, after moments
silence.
That was true: so with few more words
he turned away, and staticning himself in
his place, began 10 work. 1t was . calm,
gray summer day, MINDLESS and sunless. yet
with softened brightness IN il that shone
through the thin clouds. lie sat and
worked, and, as his sketch went on bit by
bit, he seized and made q possession fer
hiElself of the loveiiuess before him in the
very joy and lightness Of his heart he could
have sung aloud. He had worked SO we'll
yet upon no other day he had been so
happy upon no other; all life seemed full
of gadness TO him, aud his life especially,
his glorious painters life, so great and
noble. lie had no genius, probably, this
boy Frank Liston: but his cheek could
burn and his heart could beat with the love
Of all noble things. He never made the
world ring with his name, but in his bright
youth there were days-and this was one of
them-when it ALMOST seemed as if the pow
er was given him to cut his way through the
diamond gates.
He worked till it was growing late. All
| day, amongst the many things that had
made him happy, one thing had been the
presence Of Christine. bond of sympa-
thy had sprung up between him and the
| simple, untaught, poor French girl,-real
human sympathy, such ss made even the
sight Of her across the square thing that
kept his young heart warm. He liked to
look up low and then and catch her smile:
it was as good as sunlight to him. The old
! stones had their voices for him and tales to
tell him, noble and sweet and sad, but while
he listened to them it was good also TO lift
his eyes up sometimes and look upon
| friendly, living face. He knew it was; he
knew as he sat at work that his day had
1 been the brighter for Christine
| Nor was it the last, by many one, that
SIZE helped to brighten for him. From this
| time forward she became his one friend and
one companion in Rouen; and no gentler
friendship, no more honest and pure COM
partnership ever existed than that between
those two stray wanderers-the girl, whose
| portion in this world was the selling of her
beads at the church porch and the boy,
whose reckoning beacon light was burning
! on the high hill.
He made his sketch of her. 1t was
feeble little sketch, yet like enough to her,
and true enough to fill them both with
pleasure and pride. She sat to him morn
ing after morning till he had finished it.
He drew her just as she was, in her com
mon dress, with her basket by her side, and
the grey sculptured wall beside her, and he
made her talk to him all the time he worked.
She had tried to begin at first by sitting stiff
aud prim, with her eyes immoyable and her
lips closed, but he had soon laughed her out
Of that.
8. shall never make anything of you un-
less you begin to talk, !" he told her.
''But how can monsieur draw my mouth
if l talk ~ she asked.
"On, never mind that; I'll tell you when
| come to your mouth" he sal !, and by de-
grees he got her to talk and presently she
talked so cheerily and heartily-for by ma
ture she was no lover Of silence, but could
| chatter and chirp like any bird--that she
often altogether forgot that she was sitting
for her picture, which was exactly what he
wanted her to do.
And so at last the little sketch was fin
ished, and they looked at it, holding it be-
tween them, with proud, bright, happy
eyes.
d ..Ah, if my mother could see it !" she
said, with a sigh Of simple delight.
Well, why shouldn't she see it % he
asked. Let US take it to her together,
Christine"
"Would monsieur wish it ?" she said, half
timldly.
81 should like to see your mother, and
she would like to see this, am sure; and
then" he paused and looked at the little
picture tenderly: "Well, you see, don't
J think could exactly give it to her, Chris
tine" he said, "beeausc want SO much to
keep it myself, but will tell you what
will do, if she likes it, will make copy of
it for her."
"Oh, monsieur is too good" But the
color flushed up into her face with pleasure
81 shall like to make copy, and you
know it would be unfair not to give y on one;
SO that's settled. And now will you take
me home with you to see your mother ?"
They had before this had more than one
walk together. She knew the old town we'll,
and on several evenings, after the cathedral
doors were closed, they had rambled side
G ty side for little while about the streets,
seaching out the old houses that he loved,
or had fingered, young and hopeful as they
were, to look in at bright shop windows.
But he never yet had gore home with her.
She had talked about her mother to him
often, but with iEtuiiye delicacy she had
never even limited al q wish that he should