Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1878-04-03

~! s.! hem thinking along time q
pa Won something for them e.
"c;.lIv. A few incidents have late
r haen published respecting the ear
life OF Monsieur Achille Paul de
G,.r;eux, the great farmer and phi.
,H.nthropist. I have put some Of
.bsse together in a connected form,
. .I send you the following little sto-
~ vhich l hope will not only amuse
tyI instruct your youthful friends:
Vt There was once poor widow who
;,hahited small cottage in the viii
Lace in the north Of France. She
,.s very poor indeed, and gained q
.canty subsistence TOR herself and
no little son by spinning FAX. She
worked very diligently every day in
tha week, and would have worked
al night often, only she was too
moor to buy candles. You, my dear
children, to whom I am writing
YOU know very little about poverty.
You would think your parents very
moor if they could not give you meat
eyerv day for your dinner; but there
arc thousands of families in France
Who think themselves we'll off if they
can have little piece of meat once
month, and hundreds who can on
" afford it once q year-on New
Years day. / am very sure that lit
tls Paul, the widows son, had never
tasted meat in his mothers house in
ali his life. Sometimes, when he
took home on Saturday the fax his
mother had spun during the week,
the woman who received it would
give him a small piece of meat and
bread to eat on his way back, but
this was not often, and then Paul
was such good boy that he never
thought of touching tho meat till he
got home to his mother and made
her share it with him. Their usual
food was coarse brown bread and
salad, with few carrots or onions.
1t is true, they had o small garden,
but the ground was so poor that it
was with the greatest difficulty they
could raise even vegetables enough
for their own use. But though des-
titute of everything but the merest
necessaries of life, they were never
disconnected or unhappy. The Wild
ow was woman who trusted inGod,
and she thought it her duty to be
contented with the lot He had seen
cit to bestow upon her. She thanked
him, moreover, every day. for the
blessings she considered she possess
ed, good health, always plenty of
work to keep actual want away from
the door, and little son who was a
model of all little son should be.
Paul was, in fact, the example of the
whole village. He was naturally an
amiable, swcet-tempered little fellow
and bis mother had brought him up
to be so obedient, so kind, and re.
spectful to everybody, that he was
always welcome visitor wherever
he went. You may we'll suppose
that such poor woman as the Wild
ow could not give her son much
spending money!" indeed, am
afraid that Paul had never possessed
even one cent to do with just as he
pleased, and no tops, or balls, or
marbles did he own. Sometimes he
looked on little enviously, and
sighed as he saw the children of the
rich farmer, who lived near, playing
with their beautiful toys; but he
had grown up to think that his lot
IN lte was to work, not to play,
and he very soon drove all his bad
feelings away, and returned to his
work in the little garden or helped
ais mother about the house.
The winter had been a very severe
one, and the widow had been obliged
to. work harder than ever in order
TO keep herself and Paul from freez-
ing.
The season of Lent, which in the
catholic church, is a very solemn
one, was over, and all the children
ID the village were delighted to enter
upon the easter holydays. In France
Inc children always have a great
zeal OF amusement with their Easter
eggs-eggs which are boiled hard
aud dyed various colors, and which
are broken and eaten with a great
zeal OF glee. These beautiful color
ca eggs are sold everywhere during
Easter week-in the markets. in the
slops, and at the corners of all the
streets, and unhappy is the child who