The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1878-11-12

In tue e0ge OF great forest lived
wood-cutter and his wife and thei
little child. . girl Of three years. Blu
they we're 20 poor that at last they ha'
no longer even any black bread, an
knew not what they should give be
to eat.
One morning the wood-cutter wen
to his work in the forest, filed wit
care and sorrow; and - be worked
suddenly there stood before him
beautiful woman crowned with shinin,
stars, who said to him: Il am th
guardian angel of good children tho,
art poor and needy. bring thy littl'
child to me, and will take her Will
me to the land Of happiness and vii
be to her like mother"
The wood-cutter obeyed, and thu
angel carried the child to the land o
happiness. There she ate sweet breaC
and drank sweet milk her clothe.
were gold, and good children were hel
playmates. Thus the time passeG
quickly and pleasantly until she va
fourteen wears old.
Then the guardian angel called hel
and said: MY dear child. am going
on long journey. Take in thy
charge these thirteen keys, which un
lock the doors Of heaven. Twelve Of
them thou mays't open, and see the
loveliness therein. But the small key
belongeth to the thirteenth door,
which may not be opened. Take care
that thou dOst not unlock it, or thou
wilt be unhappy.
The girl promised to obey. and
when the angel went she began heI
promised pleasure. Every day she
opened one door. and saw therein q
saint surrounded with radiant hight,
and she, and the children who were
with her, were filed with wonder and
amazement.
At last only the forbidden door re-
NAMED. and she felt a great curiosity
to see what was hidden behind it.
81 will not quite open it, she said
to the children, II will just unlock it. "
"Oh, no." said they. "that would
be doing wrong. The angel has for.
hidden it and it might bring misfor-
tune"
The girl was silent then, but her curl.
osity was not Quoted. On the contrary.
it was gnawed and fretted continually
and gave her no peace, until she could
bear it no longer, and, when the
children left her. she thought, "Now
l am alone. and can look in once.
Certainly no one will ever know it."
She took the small key and placed
it in the lock and turned it. Then the
door sprung open and she saw three
angels in the midst Of q great and
brightness. She gazed as
tonished. then she put out her hand
and the light fell upon q finger and it
became golden. The she felt q great
fear, and shut the door hastily and
ran away. The fear did not leave her,
do what she would, her heart beat
quickly and would not be quiet again.
The gold remained ON her finger
though she washed and rubbed it with
all her might.
1t was not long before the angel re-
turned from her journey. She called
the girl to her and asked her for the
keys, and when she gave them to her,
The angel said, looking in her eyes:
Hast thou not opened the forbidden
door ?"
mo" answered the girl.
The angel laid her hand on the
girls heart and felt its throbbing, and
knew that she had opened the door.
Then she said again, Hast thou
surely not done it ?"
mo" answered the girl the second
lime.
Then the angel saw the golden
niger and knew without doubt that
he had disObeyed.
Again she said: "Hast thou done
The third time the girl answered
No"
Then said the angel: Thou hast
rot obeyed me, and hast moreover
led. Thou art no longer worthy to
,e in the land Of happiness"
Then the girl sank into q deep sleep
md when she awoke she found herself|
ying on the gound in the midst of al
crest, and when she wished to cry
,ut she could make no sound. She
prang to her feet to run away, bot
which ever way she turned she Was
,eld back by a thick hedge Of thorns
which she could not break through.
Within the hedge stood an old hollow |
rec which she made her dwelling |
,lace, and found shelter from the rain |
md snow. When she thought of the |
land Of happiness and Of the |
,ood children who had played with |
Ter there, she wept bitterly.
In the autumn she collected the
allen leaves and carried them into the
rec. and when the snow and ice came
he crept in among them like . little
lnimal that she might not freeze.
nuts and wild berries were her only |
God and she sought for them ~ far - |
he could reach. Before long her |
.lothes became 80 torn that they fell |
rom her in pieces, and when the SUN
hone warmly she would sit before the |
rec, wrapped in her long hair - in . |
Mantle. So she passed one year after
mother, and was one Of the most
vretched and distressed of the world. |
One day when the trees were again
resh and green, the king hunted in
he forest. And because . deer fed |
rom him into the thicket which !
urrounded the tree, he dismountsd
md with his sword he cut . path
Trough the briars /; and when he had |
l xl.~-A L. Al