The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1869-05-30
JUVENILE COLUMN.
THE GREAT BLACK SPIDER.
A STORY FOE OLD AND YOUNG.

dead, and her step mother was very cruel
to her; never giving her q kind word from i
one weeks end to another; allowing her ,
only the meanest rags to wear, and not
even pair of shoes to cover her poor little
pink feet when the snow and frost came to
bite them. And If the poor child received
O crust Of bread for her supper, she count
ed herself fortunate; for 1t was often that
morsel, though she had worked with all the
strength she had all day.
q Rina, her own daughter, she treated in
quite a different way. There was no little
girl in the village who was dressed more
daintily than she, with her nice warm little
boots, and pretty scarlet cloak and no one
of the cottage children more daintily fed
and cared for. And the chubby, mischiey-
ous little boys, though she scOlded them
continually, were rosy, happy little things
an ugly, ILL tempered girl, whose chief de-
light seemed TO be in tormenting and teas
ing poor little Una, who was younger than
she and thousand times sweeter and pret-
tier, in spite of the contrast in their dress
Una always i'm rags, and Rina smart
enough for q holiday festival. UBa's eyes
were blue as the flax flowers that colored
the field behind the cottage; her little
scarlet month was dimpled and curved SO
prettily, and her little pale cheek was as
| fair and smooth as lilly petal; and she
was every bit as good. as she was pretty;
Never complaining nor fretting, bearing al!
her little griefs with patient meekness, ana
returning good for evil whenever she had
an opportunity to do SO. ,-. 4. ~ --a- l.
Every day the fairies noted some LABOR
of love which those poor little tired hands
had wrought; and every day they drew
nearer the poor girl, and planned how they
should reward her for who was tenderer
of the things they loved than she IL one
of the little singing birds broke its wing,
she bound it up and cared for it until it
Il was strong again. She protected their
nests from the raids of the mischievous vIi-
lage boys, and shared her breakfast with
them every morning. she feseueh reset eha ,ne uae
morseless hands of her little brothers, who
were forever hanging their hats full OF hon
eyed petals for traps in which to catch
3 them; and she spared even the little gauzy-
. winged flies, which every one else tried 10
, kill because they swarmed in such trouble,
some crowds about the cottage and heiped
| themselves at the table without leave OF
, license.
/ But she had no idea that the fairies were
looking all the time; she only did tnese
things because she had such q tender heart
: and it grieved her to see anything suher.
= One morning, while Una was washing
. the breakfast dishes in the cottage kitchen
0 and Rina was teasing the cat, seated in th<
chimney corner, great black SPIDER swani
e thread, and dropped into the middle OF th'
floor.
s "Oh, only see the ugly thing Kill i
Una; kill it quick !" exclaimed Rina, gath
/ ering mp her skirt with an air OF fear ant
|, disgust. :.
>. And the little boys rushed towards il
It and tried to stamp upon it with their club
% by feet. But Una took it carefully int
her hand, and when they did not see, pu
the poor thing out of doors IN ga safe P,aes
the boys, " Where has it gone I" And the
-, ~ scampered over the floor in search of 1T.
y &" Oh, Una has taken it in charge" sal
Rina. " have no doubt but what she ha
- it in her bosom. She fancies all such pre-
,.s ty things as-spiders."
u, "Indeed! ~ said her mother, angrily, s.
IA IA suppose she thinks / haven't enough I
10 10 their dirty webs to brush down from tb
= corners every day. l don't worder th'
ls she ~sympathizes with spiders, for she
Just as ugly, and sly, and cunning as they
so and she belongs to the witches, as I've
"a ways heard people say they do, veri
no believe"
wi Here there came n knock-rap, tap, ia
ie at the cottage door; and when: IL WI ",
in opened, who should stand there but Il
lord of the castle himself Each one ma'
de her curtsey in q somewhat confused al
q awed manner, for he was a very grand
pa bleman, and the castle where he lived w
at like little city of itself
,se lost a very precious diamond from I'll
20 last week, while on hunting excursion
the forest, and have offered TWEEN
pounds to whoever shall find it and resto
ins it to it's owner. Since then, my servan
y have searched the forest through, but fail
pa to find it. BuG 1 thought some of the
= ~ ;, bright eyed children, who know every no
na ~ and corEer in the forest, might be mo
- successful. Let them all go out and t
hiS for a day or two, and 1 will make them
present, whether they succeed or not
eer is hardly y likely that it ever will be fount
OF he added, as he turned to go, but the
SEQ might be such thing"
ar HIndeed,n said the mother, as g
ri watched the lord roll away in his carriat
hat "it's scarcely worth the trouble to seal
ne, for a little sparkling stone, that one cor cor
i'm, scarcely tell from a dew-drop, amid all I
to underground of fern and brake. But y
pa can all of you go, children; it won't do
lks offend the lord-he might turn us out
, 80 doors if we disoheyed him."
But the children were more hopeful, a
Im they danced, and shouted, and sang, at
mo | tbou oht that thew might, gain the rewal