The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1864-1911, 1868-11-18
LITTLE WHITE THORN.
A Breton Legend.


the world was turned upside down, there
lived in Finisterrc, pious WI low, who had
an only daughter, child of thirteen, with
hair like silk, and blue eyes, and face so
delicate and white in its Transparency that
the country people called her Little White
Thorn. The widows father was a large
farmer owning land OF his own. and feeding
on the moors largo fineks of sheep, and pas
turing in the water -nleadows numerous cat
tie. A sparkling brook that slid down the
purple moor, sides was conducted by him to
a mill he had bni1t in depression on the
fell slope, among some green ash-trees and
Towering elders, and tn re the stream rush
iOaming over the big water-wheel looking
from the distance, in the sun, like a large
wavering white turf Of cotton grass. He
had also built bake house, where his
wheat -four was made into delicious white
cakes, and his barIy loaves were baked
brown, and where. also, his great buck
wheat pancakes were prepafed for the la
b9rers who titled the soil.
Alas! even in those aood old times, be-
fore the world was turned upside down,
people died. The farmer fell i'll, dec ased,
and his property was divided among his
children. He had three sons; his only
daughter was the widow, the mother of
White-thorn The elder took the house,
the land, and the ,nith kinej the second
took the mill and the horses, and the third
took the bake-honse and the sheep. Moth
ing remained to the widow Elizabeth except
an old hovel on the mOors. far away from
the village; where, occasionally, in bad
weather, the shepherds had beeh wont to
take shelter. When the poor woman be-
walled The injustice of her brothers the eld,
est said to her:
Now, Elizabeth, | will prove to you
how tull OF affection am A dear, good
sister You have always beeh to me, and
| when | was i'll ih Fever, you nurscd me with
the utmost care; there fore, | will now make
you handsome present. | have an old
black COW which Yields scarcely p Gu .,iu' OF
milk; you are welcome to it. let Whites
thorn out halter round its neck. and lead
it to your howell
So Eizab,th took stick and beat the
COW brhind. and White-,horn pulled the
halter in front; and Illus; after much trou-
ble, the old black cnw was brought to the
| hut on the mnors, which was all that be-
lOngad to the widow. Every day lIttle
White thorn took the COW otit of its stable
and pastnred it on the moors; there was
little food fur il there except young gorst
tops, and fern shoots and the thin gray
grass tn It spruuted about the marshy spots.
While the COW snuff after heritage the
girl picked fowers-Iittle deep blue gen,
tans, marsh marigolds, the delicate wavtr
ing tufts ot cotton-grass the sparkling sun
dew, and the turquoise blue for get mc-rot;
and tn Sc she made into nosteays, which
she brought TO her mothef at sunduwn, to
adoln the cottage table.
One, day as White thorn was making a
charlet Of daisies, she noticed beautiful
bird percted on whin hush, singing sweet
| ly. The little creature turned its brilliant
eyes on the cnild and ,wittered to her, ex>
actly as If it W. re Speaking.
"What do you with to say?' asked W hlth
thorn, leaning toward it.
The bird tultered its wings, horped
nearer to her, turned its head Oh one side
and bnpan to tirattlr rncn more
II cannot understand you, said the gill
with sigh. ., ..
Then tie bird jumped on her shoulder
aud chirped louder.
at is all in VAIN said White tEorn -
''You must speak Breton if you would
make me comprehend
But as the little bird could not do this it
spfrad It's wings. sinote The air with them,
once. twice, thrice, ami was gone.
The sun had now set; Whitr.thorn look
ed round In the still, green sky hung the
silver spcck OF the evening star, like a gem
dropped on a sunlight lawn. Aud 4 here,
hying in the soft al" Wis the bird, like Il
tiny dark spot, b. coming smaller and small
tf till II had quite disappeared. And oil
that while the star hecame brighter and
brighter, till it ti,brf like a, lamp Of FIRE
Now White-thn,n called the black cow
She could not see the dear animal any
where She ran hithtr aud thi her, but
perceived no traces of it; and the darkness
fell; atid she Would has, lost her way had
not she heard her mothers v, ice calling
loudly. Nv hite-thorn Whte-thorn!'
Here am |, mother But where is the
cow?'
''Fhe COW Is here, my child"
White-tborn hastencd t" her mother, and
found the old oman standing by the mans
glcd remains of the black cow The wolves
had fallen ON it and aevoured it, leaving
only the bones, the horns and the black
tail, with the black tult of hair at its ex-
trenity.
White thorn uttered a cry OF sorrow, and
flung herself on the grass beside the bones
'.Do not lament otcr beast as over a
Christian" said the widow Come With
In, White-thorn; we will have our supper
and then 60 to bed.
The little girl was hardly able to sleep all
night; her heart achea for the COW, and as
soon as the sun rose she started from her
bed, and ran forth in her White night-dress,
with bare feet and arms, upon the moor,
The morning light glstened in the gossa-
mer that was flung over the gorse bushes,
and the long spider. threads, strung with,
dew, were like rosaries of diamonds which
the sun told, winking and flashing in each
And there, perched on d bush Of yellow
broom. was the sweet bird who had sung to
White>thorn the day before. The girl ran
toward 1t, and kneeling besides the broom
listened attentively to its twttering. The
little creature seemed to speak earnestly ia
her, but not word could she understand.
Then, hecdessly, she put her naked loot
up celandine chat ny like cup of gold in
the grass. Now, be it knnwn to I'LL good
children, that whoever touches that flower
with bare feet, and with conscience undefii,
ed. acquires the knowledge of the languages
! oP BIRDS beasts, and fishes. The soul oil
White thorn was transparent, and unstain.
cd as mOuutdlIl uuIut 81, no sooHet Hfu
she touched the little golden blossom, than
all at once, what the bird saiu became in
telligiblo to her.
"White-thorn, White-thorn, dear" were
its words, Il love you well, SO listen te
what say h
"Who are you?" asked the child, astoh
isbed at her newly acquired power.
y am Robin Redbreast," answered th'
, bid "a And have the power Of every
yspr M making one good, poor ,,s6 ehiId I happy
This ao ,r YOU Shn dans a" '1s RoSn ,Sf TS' euoac,
urL;,a.t thorp' .Tbcn shall have n littl