Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1877-04-02
The Tambourine Girl.

one of the houses in Easton Square.
Karl's hand organ was very old fash
ioned one, which his father had brought
from Germany and in the front of it
there were grotesque little figures that
moved on wires. A pert little lady, in
a red skirt and blue bodice, danced a
hOrnpipe with dashing young soldier
in scarlet uniform, with white cockade
in his hat; and a prim-looking old lady
sat in an armchair. constantly taking
pinches of snuff from a painted box in
her hand. Then there was sprightly
little dairymaid, who tripped up and
down with pail of milk poised on her
head, and basket of eggs on her arm !;
and an old grenadier, in blue coat and
yellow breeches. who came nimbly up,
and held out his cockade hat to passers-
by for pennies.
1t was pretty sight to see them
moving altogether; and, whenever Karl
and Bettine stopped to play, crowd of
children were sure to collect around
them. But they put very few pennies
in the old mans hat; and when Karl
and Bettine counted their money at
night, they very rarely found enough to
get their supper, without thinking of
having any breakfast or dinner next day,
except what some kind person at whose
house they played might give them.
Then every week they had to put aside
a little money to pay the rent for the
little, dark, cherries bit of room they
had, in the very dirtiest part of the city,
and they were so afraid of being turned
out of that, that they often went without
their supper, when they had gained very
little money through the day, to save
that little for their landlord.
Now, for more than week, Karl had
been ill this was the first day he had
been out, and they had been obliged to
spend all the money they h~a cor Iood'
and the rer,s ~as due on the next day,
and not penny to pay it with Poor
little Bettine's heart was almost burst
ing with grief, as she looked at Karl, so
pale, and thin, and feeble, and thought
what would become of him when they
were turned out of the miserable little
room, with no shelter, and with no one
to care of them in all the great city.
They had always been poor; but be-
fore their father and mother died, the
poverty had not been so hard to bear,
FOR Jney ala not re0l % l.-.Iy ~~A H..
late then, and their father had been so
hopeful and courageous, cheering them
always with predictions of happier times.
All at once Karl began to play Home,
sweet home" The organ was very old
and out of tune but for all that, the
air was very sweet and touching, and,
though Bettine heard it very often. the
great tears began to roll down her cheeks
and blinded her eyes SO she could moi
see her tambourine, nor the group Of
childish faces that surrounded her. Sht
had no recollection of any home, save
the dreary little attic where they stayed
at night; she could not remember tn,
'Vaterland" for which her mother haC
wept and pined her life away; but tina
tune always made her sad-made he
, think how terrible it was to have no
4 even the memory of home.
: Suddenly the door of the great hous
opened and richly dressed young lad
S came out. She was evidently in haste
: for she did not even glance at the littl
q tambourine girl, nor at the figures i
Karl's wonderful organ, but swept hui
s riedly down the steps, to the elegar
r carriage, with glittering trappings an
e sleek bay horses, that awaited her.
y But. as she passed, something fe
from her arm, at Bettine' feet, droppin
). with metallic ring on the pavemen
e Bettine stopped and picked it up-a gol
t bracelet, set around with stones thi
n glittered and flashed in the sunshine
y that they almost blinded her eyes. 81
turned quickly to look for the lady, b.
:. already the liveried coachman ha
o. sprung to his seat, and the carriage w
er whirling down the street far out of rea'
:! of her voice.
+" Then she glanced at the group gat
y, cred around the organ. All the ey
"a were fixed intently on the moving f
?" ures, and no one had seen her pick it U
1T, Here was relief from all their tro
an bles. She knew the bracelet must
u Us valuable; it would pay the rent, a
buy for Karl-poor, sick, patient X;
the strengthening food, and medicil
,e, and freedom from care, which he
Mt much needed. For one moment fe
Ter temptation ragged in poor Bettine's hea
OF but she thought of her mother, and !
',,o n it back No. she could die of hunger
ave worse than that, could see Karl sui
the for food and for shelter-but she col
ley not keep what was not hers.
Just then rosy-cheeked maid put
'ior head out of basement window of
md great house, to see the hand organ. T
one tine stepped toward her with fast b.
ETY.. ing heart.
nar ur.,, N -,