The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1878-03-30

| In truth, little Victor had rare
beauty. His was such face as looks
out at you from the canvases of old
painters; scarlet little mouth, curling
dark hair, cheeks tin,ged with delicate
bloom, deep, wonderful eyes shaded with
sweeping fringe OF Jet, and over all an
expression of cherubic Innocence.
II wish you would look at him,
Adrianp' cried Lefty. odd you ever
see such ewes? And oh, his eyelashes
Victor, do you know / would give a
hundred dollars for those eyelashes of
yours p
"Would you, madame?" said Victor,
so soberly that Lefty burst into ring
ing laugh as she said, f" Indeed | would {!
But | don't believe your mother would
let you give them to me at any price"
"Come, Victor" called the little girl,
cit grows late. Mamma will be look
ing for u.s."
"Well, well, Marie, | come" Then,
lifting his little cap, Where do you
live, madame? ~ he asked.
"In that great white house near the
beach," and Lefty pointed it out.
Come and see me some day, and ] will
give you some of the prettiest little
cakes that ever you saw"
81 will come, madameP' and with a
grave " Bon jour-" he joined his sister,
| and the two, after heaping their arms
with drift-wood, trotted off over the
sands. ...U.5
"What funny little fellow he is p
cried Lefty; but his face is simply
lovely. Adrian, wouldn't | be the
prettiest creature in the world if ] had
his eyelashes ?''
=" You are pretty enough as it is,
Mistress Vanity. Don't think too much
of your looks, child. Remember, Favor
is deceitful, and beauty vain"
ooh, certainly; but I've always
longed for dark, curling lashes. How
insipid a face is without them It's like
a house that hasn't any blinds" And
Mistress Lefty looked quite pensive for
a moment. Then
"After all, she said, it is well that
poor people haven't it in their power to
sell any of natures gifts to them.
Think what a monopoly the rich would
havep'
The children, however, were soon for
gotten. But her words fingered in Vic
tors mind.
MARIE" he said, as they hurried
home, g." the pretty lady said she would
give a hundred dollars for my eye
lashesw
:" Did she?" cried Marie, her eyes
growing large. ooh, what a pile on
pile of money We could live on it for
ever, couldn't we ~ 7
81 think so; and poor mamma
wouldn't cry so much. mean to do it,
Marie"
Mamma won't let you, Victor"
1t is best not to tell her."
So the two babies plotted together
Poor innocentsl They had been bred
in so hard school that they could moi
understand Jest. Smiles had come but
rarely to their sad little faces.
From their birth, almost, misfortune
had followed their parents. Two years
before, their father had been drowned
in that beautiful sea; and since then
the mother had tried, with failing
health, to provide for them. Seven
months passed; terrible storm had
swept over the island, and then theil
little home had foated out to sea, they
barely escaping with their lives.
The mother was French woman OF
!, good birth and education but no way
: to earn money seemed to open to hel
but washing and mending delicate laces
or doing fine needlework that tried heI
eyes, and for which she was but poorly
paid. She was too proud to appeal to
the town for help; but now for weeks
, she had been too ill to work regularly
and little by little her money had melted
away.
She looked up as the children entered
, the wretched home, like some wile
) creature brought to bay. They kindleG
{ fire with their bits of wood, and she
: toasted them a johnny-cake. 1t wal
r the last cup of corn-meal in the house
e With despairing thoughts whirlinf
5 through her poor distracted brain, sht
v sat the evening through in heavy
: silence, while the children whispered il
the corner --. .-..
Mamma" said little Victor once
timidly, would you give your eyelashe
a for hundred dollars?' .... .'
CAY, child" said she, bitterly, {"
would give my eyes!"
: The children looked meaningly at eacl
n other. I4-..f. 70 -... .
/ And in the night, while her babe
: slept, the breaking mothers heart re
/ lieved itself in wild tears and prayers
a Standing above them, her hands out
: stretched, her broken voice faltered it
appeal to the all-pitying Father above
: God Himself may have listened, 70
t over her worn soul there stole dee]
e languor, through which a voice seemed
t to reach her soul with touch of peace
d And it shall come to pass that tn
e Lord shall give thee rest from thy sor
1 row, and from thy fear, and from tn
r hard bondage wherein thou vast mad
a long to serve" ..........
She threw herself on the bed anC
/ slept; slept so soundly that she did no
Y know when her children rose and stol
e softly out of the room.
:, Both little faces were bright Mari
/ had her mammals scissors in her hand.
a They spread an old French newspape
t on the ground, and Victor lay down an,
, closed his eyes. The morning sun crep
, up and turned his curious face full
upon them. Then, clip, clip, clip, wen
4 through the long, dark, curled lashe
e that the mother had kissed 80 man,
:, times. Any mother must have screamed
b. to see Marie cutting so recklessly. /
e her hand had slipped, or Victor hac
4 moved, never again might those deep
= dark eyes have looked on the world
t beauty. But the little hand was guided
J it may be, by one who takes heed of tn,
sparrows as they fall. Possess
Now it was donel Sleeps ange