The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1877-09-06
APPLES.
IHarper's weekly.I

Harper Neekly.l
Madame sat in the sunny window
sewing. The needle twinkled in her
rapid fingers, and the scarlet stuff she
stitched, glittering in the sunlight, shed
a reflected luster on her black hair, her
tintless face, the bitsof coral in her we'll
set ears.
A high window this, into which the
sunlight streaming illumines the sitter
very high-the topmost in the rambling,
jambling, wheezy old tenement.
Madame prefers to be on the top story,
she says. One is there away from the
dust and noise of the street. Also, it
costs less. Also, she will tell you gsyly,
she can see. the tops of the sails, and the
sun-lit masts of the ships that come and
go at the wharYes, toward which this
dingy street looks down. The ships
bring wealth and plenty to somebody.
Some of them come from France. All,
beautiful France! 1t is like being a poet,
or having a fine Imagination, to own a
window one can see the world out of.
Should any one pity Madame or off
ciously offer her sympathy, she will
shrug her shoulders magnifcently, spread
out her hands, and say, "What will
you?" glancing toward her window as
though the world were at her feet. Has
she not her sunshine, her sewing, and
her little Fifne, who fits up and down
the ladder-like stairs like butterfly !?
Fifine has black eyes and dancing
smile. Fifne is Madame's poem, her
princess; she does not know poverty.
They had been poor in Paris, but Fifne
had never gone hungry; they had
wanted many things in Paris, but Fifne
had always her gay frilled dresses and
her tiny polished slippers. Was not her
father professor? was mother mother a
Iady7 Should they, then, associate on
equal terms with that degraded and de-
grading thing called poverty? Nay, in
deed! it light own the house, but it
should not sit at the board.
1t was poverty that had driven this
family, thoughtlessly thoughtful, to
America. Professor Pierre would come
here and teach the people French. 1t
was a wide country, roomy country.
and the peopIe needed education. Pro.
fessor Pierre set sail, and died on the
passage.
All, but he was a scholarp' saws
Madame. signing. "If he have liyen
(Madame's English is not ouite 80 ner-
feet as her French). "we shall by this
time have little maison champetre, the
pretty place in the country, and the
little school, and the garden which we
have talk and dream of so mucb in
Paris. For there is of room in Amer
ica-ah, so much of rooml'
So says Madame, looking down on the
crowded dingy street and the swarminp
tenements.
She looks up, smiling, from her work,
as light footstep comes flying along the
ladder-like stair.
$50 come the angelsp says Madame,
deyoutly, as Fifine dances in. She has
her tiny apron full of red apples, which
tumble out and roll upon the floor. The
sunshine, cleaning on Madame's scarlet
sewing, seems to recognize the ripe
round fruit, and glOws anew as having
met it elsewhere in sweet familiar or
chards and on sunny slopes of far-away
hills.
All for you, maman," cries Fifne,
looking down on the treasure. "And
oh, maman, ne will give me ride in the
greatwagon out to the beautiful country
and the little old motherp
Madame's cheeks tiush, her eyes scin-
tiilate with an angry light.
What is it you say, Fifne? And
who gave you these?
But the child only answered breath
lessly and confusedly. The apples were
delicious, and Fifne was happy, but
Madame did not like strangers nor
strangers gifts. She sat anxiously at
the high window next day, looking down
for Fifne as she came from school.
The street was long and winding,
grimy and decaying; but peopleswarmed
in it as if life was not undesirable. They
throye in the scents and sounds and
sitting air; they laughed, they chatted,
they congregated in the tumble-down
doorways; and looking their poverty
square in the face, shook hands with it,
as it were.
But the street had its pleasures too,
once in while, and its pictures. As at
this instant, when Madame, looking
down from the high window, saw a
wagon-load of apples come iolting along,
ruddy, shining, and mellow. A boy in