The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1880-09-11

cure, III was because she knew he was a
good man. More than once he had pat
ted her cheek and said:
"IhoH shouldst learn thy catechism.
Mathurine.'
80, although she was greatly afraid OF
Noun, the church. and the bells. she
telt no terror when the good pastor
spoke to her In his kind way. OF all
the people in the village he was the only
one who had inspired her with any SEN
timent OF regard, the only one whom
she dld not fear to approach
30 one night when driven by hunger
she Knocked at the door of the parsOn-
age, and the cure himself came in re-
spouse to her summons, Mathurine gazed
ut hlm with her great smiling eyes, utter
ing never n word, sure already that he
knew her wishes.
Well ! and what wilt thou have,
Mathurine ?"
Mathurine simply clasped her hands
without response.
. Is 1t bread q
Mathurine bowed her head.
Then the good cure gave her great
piece of bread-white bread-and Math-
urines face was full of Joy.
Many, many times since that night
has Mathurine knocked at the parsonage
door for bread, and never in vain. Late
ly she has been seen less and less in the
village; when she does venture there the
children shout after her:
/" Ragged Mathurinel Mathurine the
sOrceress =
The housewives closed their doors in
ha, foo IL al II,
ceived blows.
One day Lisa, the daughter of Noun,
offered her a morsel of bread, which, in
stead of eating, Mathurine threw con
temptuously upon some straw which lay
near by, to the immense delight of the
children clustered about, who shouted:
"Oh Noun, the ringer. Oh! Lisa!
How she hates yOul'
Perhaps a little kindness, some patient
effort III her behalf, might have made the
outcast a very different creature; but no
one in the village cared for, or noticed
her Indeed they even blame the good
cure for his indulgence of the little vag-
abond.
Many times had the kind man endeav-
ored to read III her that of which she her
self was ignorant; often had he sought
for the thoughts which seemed to be hid
den in the large intelligent eyes. How.
he wondered, did Mathurine employ t. e
time she spent III the woods, and on the
mountain? Sometimes he followed her
with his eyes and at last saw her seated
upon some rocky emiuence, seemingly
absorbed III the immense panorama which
lay at her feet. Every day he became
M hot
might find place by some PLEASANT fire
side, whore human affection would exert
It's softcnlng influence upon her wild ma
ture. He attempted, the good pastor. to
reclaim the wandering sheep, but, alas,
without success. To all his questions
he received no answer, save the fixed
gaze and noisy laugh, which seemed to
be Mathurine S only language.
He was nearly despairing when, one
evening, a pcddler passed through the
village As the hour was late there were
but a few clustered about his astonishing
collection Of merchandise; trinkets from
Paris, slippers, linen-what not! Near
by stood Mathurine, so absorbed in
covetousness that she did not notice the
cure M he came towards her.
What dOst thou see, Mathurine 2"
She turned, blushed red as a cherry,
and smiling upon her only friend, point
cd to a small, gally-trimmed bonnet of
white muslin
"Ahr' thought the good man, " Now
we shall tame thee, thou wild girl"
I" 1t Is very pretty, Mauthrine," he
said, "and thOu Will look much finer in
it than in thy ugly black bornet The
people will say: No, is it possible-it
is no longer ragged Mathurine, Mathur-
Inc the sorceress, but MademoiselleM ath-
urine, and then they will salute thee.
But it is very costly bonnet. / am
sure though wilt be obliged to work at
least three months before thou canst buy
It. See, Mathurine, yOnder comes Lisa,
the daughter of Noun; she has bonnet
like this, see how handsome she is in it. "
Mathurine perceived Lisa and Noun
approaching, then she made sudden
bound and disappeared with a resound-
ing laugh.
But, instead of burying herself IN the
woods, she walked along the road some
distance from the village, where she
awaited the peddler, who would I'M
doubtedly pass that way to regain the
road to Geneva. As she perceived him.
she made sure that they were unseen,
and approaching him she arrested his
passage. Her heart beat so furiously
she could hardly speak
Is If very dear?" she murmured
The pcddler, vino remembered her,
laughed.
Fifty sous, my child; and one ought
to earn two SOUS a day at thy age.
" All, then, how long must | work to
gain 30 sous?"
"Twenty-fve days, my child"
And, said Mathurlne timidly,
"iwhen do you return?"
I'm twenty-seven days On Christmas
Eve"
do not sell it." whispered Mathu-
rine.
And away she ran without waiting for
a response from the peddler.
What had produced this marvellous
change? Why did Mathurine so desire
this bonnet? Was the sentiment of
instructive III all women, in
her Just awakened? Or was it an I'M
avowed desire to be recognized by the
simple villagers as one of them: the
hope that, at last, some JOY might come
to her? Something of all these, no
doubt but above all. the ardent, imperi-
Gus desire of a child which wishes be-
cause it wishes, without knowing from
comes the desire.
Mathurine wished to earn two sous
day that she might have 90 sous for the
mold ler when he cam, . ora IN 1,DD,, Ibric+