The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1878-05-07

heads with tears. Selling Violet, she
clasped her in her arms exclaiming:
ooh, my little lost Blanchette. my
little lost Banchette!
Violet understood the sorrow of the
tone, but scarcely the meaning Of the
words. Laying her head on mother Ma
rie's shoulder she inquired softly:
"Did Blanchette stray away and lose
herself, so far that you could never find
herr"
"No, petite, she died before the CO.
coons were spun last year. She had
golden hair like yours, and blue eyes,
the color of the summer skies. Oh, my
little lost Blanchettel
Sobbing and rocking Violet, mother
Marie eased her heart, and then began
to make brisk preparations for the chill
dren's comfort. Supper was placed be-
fore them, which they ate with relish,
sitting on either side of the good man,
who helped them beautifully to mugs of
milk and slices of wondrously white
bread.
owe will take care Of them, and they
can help the other children pick the
leaves and feed the worms" he said to
mother Marie when they had finished
supper.
Prissy and Violet wondered much
what he could mean, but said nothing till
they were tucked away in bed under the
cottage caves. Then Violet whispered:
"He talked about the other children
do you suppose he brought us to a real
Home, after alp
81 don't know" said Prissy, greatly
puzzled. "Thcre are no more children
in this house | am sure. IT'S such
tiny one that we should see them if
there were."
"What does he mean by feeding
worms" still questioned Violet.
ppm sure l can't imagine. 'Twould
be the funniest kind of work.
Worms can generally feed themselves
and eat up all before them," responded
Prissy. GOA, Violet! did you hear him
talk about the sparrows? Zone of them
shall not fall to the ground without your
Father Grandma told us that when
she said we'd be Fortunes children, but
if we trusted in God, we would be fed
and taken care Of"
Early in the morning Prissy and Violet
were awakened by lively chattering
below their chamber window, Jumping
out of bed, they saw troop Of children
with baskets in their hands, coming
from a long, low building, between the
cottage and a group of houses whose
gabled roofs gave them a quaint foreign
aspect.
Scattering through the grove of
young, thrifty trees growing all about
the little Sc ttement, the children began
to fill their baskets with the leaves. The
taller boys and girls stood on the ground,
pulling down the branches, while the
smaller climbed the trees, looking like
chattering bIackbirds perched among the
leafy boughs
How they do talk! but | can't I'M
derstand a word they say" said Violet,
listening attentively.
"And what queer little hats and
dresses they have on. | don't believe
they're the same sort Of people that we
are" observed PriSsy, watching them
with curious interest.
"No, dears," explained mother Marie,
entering the chamber; "they are French
children, lately come across the sea.
They haven't learned to speak English,
as could my little Blanchctte, who came
over when baby. This is French
colony, and we raise silkworms, that
spin cocoons, from which bright ribbons
are made, and pretty silk and velvet
dresses"
"Oh, how beautiful!" cried Prissy.
at sounds like Il fairy tile, but it must
be really true"
eyes. it is true" responded mother
Marie, pleased at the little girls delight.
"There are multitudes of baby worms
in there pointing to the long, low
building, that must be fed six times
day on mulberry leaves. The children
attend to the worms, while the Older
people work upon the farm. So you see
there is enough for willing hands to do"
1t was, indeed, precisely like a fairy
tale. Prissy and Violet were care of by
the good man and his wife, who were the
leading spirits in the little colony. And
in return they cheerfully performed the
easy tasks allotted them by their kind
benefactors. They found the French
children to be bri ght and loyabie, and
soon grew accustomed to their foreign
speech and ways They were very hap
Ply through the soft spring weather,
gathering leaves and feeding the hungry
worms that grew and changed with mar
velous rapidity, until they begin to spin
their cocoons among the green boughs set
up for heath.
"We'll have wondrous merry-mak-
ing when the butterflies are paired"
said mother Marie as the little girls
stood looking at the golden prisons into
which the worms had locked themselves
by magic spinning.
The finest cocoons were strung i'll chap
lets, that seed for the coming year
mig hit be obtained. When the butter
flies had all emerged from these the chill
dren crowned cocoon queen.
Violet sat upon the throne, dressed in
silk which mother Marie's grandfather
spun with his own hands in France.
Prissy placed upon her head a golden
chaplet, and wound about her strings of
shining pearl and emerald cocoons. The
children danced around her, paying hon.
age to their queen, and singing in their
silvery language something that she did
not understand; but for all that it
sounded very sweet and jubilant. Then
there was a feast, at which her tiny ma
jesty presided with grace and dignity.
And wasn't that lovely time for For,
tunes Chiidren?- Christian Union.
Opium.Eating.
Opium-eating is the live issue in the