Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-11-14
FOUND IN A FROG.

FOUND IN AFROG.
The sun had risen when Gita aWoke.
She lived at the top of tall old house
with her grandmother, and both were
poor. When she had put on her thin
| cotton gown, and smoothed her hair
with her small brown hands, Glta ran
down stairs lightly; and these stairs
| some crooked stone steps in a.dark pas
would have broken our necks to
descend. She came out in narrow
street with the tall houses almost meet
ing overhead, and steep paths or flights
OF steps leading down to the shore. The
town was Mentone, in the south of France,
with the bouudry line of Italy not half
mile distant. At one end of the street
was visible the blue sky, and two church
es, yellow and white, on an open square,
with towers, where the bells were ring
| ing.
! Gita felt in her pocket for crust of
hard bread, and began to eat. This was
her breakfast, and if she had been rich
er she would have drank little black
coffee with 1t. AS it was, she paused at
the fountain, where the women were
gossiping as they drew water in buckets
and placed her mouth under the spout.
Raphael came along, and greeted her
Raphael, tall young fellow with bright
eyes, face the color of bronze, and a
little black mustache, was the son of a
merchant who kept goats and donkeys
for the visitors who came here every
year. The goats furnished rich milk for
the invalids to drink, while the ladies
and children rode the donkeys. Gita
found Raphael very handsome,
He wore curious straw hat with the
brlm turned up, shirt striped with red,
blue pantaloons, and yellow sash around
his waist. One could see he esteemed
himself rather dandy. In turn Raphael
found Gita the prett1est girl of his &C
quaintance, with her large black eyes,
brown face, and white teeth. Besides,
Gita was amiable and did not mock at
him when he walkeGA On the promenade
on Sunday with his hat on one side, and
cigarette in his mouth.
81 have asked the consent of my pa
rents2 to our marriage said Raphael.
| HThey refuse, unless you have dover
watt
. Gita sighed and shook her head as she
pursued her way down to the shore. In
these countries the young people must
obtain the consent of their parents to
marry and the bride should have dowry.
Gita had not penny; Raphael's father
might as we'll have asked him to bring
the moon as one hundred francs.
| Grandmother was seated under an
archway, with her little furnace. before
| her, roasting chestnuts. Grandmother,
| a wrinkled old woman, with red hand.
kerchief wound about her head, was a
chestnut merchant. The sailors, chill
dren, and Italians coming over the Dor
der bought her wares, and when she was
not employed in serving them she twist
ed flax on a distaff.
"Raphael's father needs dowry of
one hundred francs," said Gita, as grand
mother gave her few chestnsts.
"Ah, If you werea lemon igirlr' said
grandmother, beginning to twist the
flax.
Gita poised basket ON her head
took white stocking from her pocket,
and began to knit as she walked slowly
away.
The women of the country carry all
burdens on their heads. You may see
mother with mound of cut grass On
her head, dandl1ng little baby in her
arms as she moves along. Grandmother
has been lemon girl in her day, but Gita
was not strong enough. The lemon girls
bring the fruit on their heads many miles
from the lemon groves down to the ships,
when they are sent to America and other
distant lands
When you next taste a lemonade at
Sunday school picnic, little read
er, remember how far the lemon has
travelled to furnish you this refreshing
drink.
Gita went along the shore knitt1ng,her
empty basket tilted on her head. The
blue Mediterranean sea sparkled as far as
the eye could reach, and broke ON the
pebbles of the beach in waves as pure as
crystal.
Soon she turned back toward the hills,
following narrow path between high
garden walls, passed under railroad
bridge, and entered all olive garden. She
worked here all day, gathering up the
little black olives which fall from the
trees, much as children gather nuts in
the woods at home.
Other women were already at work:
their dresses of gay colors, yellow and |
red, showed against the dull background |
of the trees.
A boy beat the branches with a long
pole.
Gita began to work with the rest. She |
did not think much of the olive tree, al
though it was good friend. She was
paid twenty sous day to gather the
berries from the ground, which were |
then taken to the crushing mill up the
ravine to be made into oil.
Gita ate the green lemons plucked |
from the trees as child of the north |
would eat apples, but she loved the good |
olive oil better.
When the grandmother made feast !