Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1881-11-17


| What, here, in this pelt Of raing'
answered Cousin Eva, as she proceed
ed to investigate from under her UNI
brella the curious bas-reliefs of the
Cloth of Gold, which still remain in the
court of the Hotel du Bourgtheroude.
mo, children; you must wait more
desirable opportunity"
Which, however, was not long in
coming.
The day brigh,ened-grew into one
of those exquisite days which French
Oeole call ! de ST. Mdain-and truly
know nothing like it except what it
most resembles, sweet, peaceful, con-
tented old age.
SO Cousin Eva decided to take the
children to a place which she herself
had once seen and never forgotten, the
little church on hilltop, called Notre
Dame de Bon Secours.
is that the same which Alice sings
about in the opera of Robert lie Diable!"
and Cherry struck up in her clear
young voice
"Quand ie quittais ma Normanoie
Rouen Is IN Normandy, so of course it
was the same
Daigne proteger nos amours,
Notre-Dame de Bon Se,ours.'
Please don't sing quite so loud, or
the hotel people will hear YOU" said
timid Ruth, and was quite relieved
when they started of. | need not re-
late how extremely the children enjoy
ed the stiff climb up the hill, and ad-
mired the lovely building, all ablaze
with brilliant but harmonious coloring,
and the little side chapels, filled with
innumerable votive inscriptions: "a
Marie" "Graces a Marie, Ellie OK
auce mes veux," etc. Curious, simple
almost childish, it all was, yet touch
ing to those who feel, as cousin Eva
did, tnat 10 believe errnestly in any
thing is better than believing in moth
ing.
Afterward they all sat and rested in
one of the prettiest resting places |
know Tor those that live and move, or
for "them that sleep"-the graveyard
on the hilltop, close behind the church
of Notre Dame de Bon Secours. From
this high point they could see the whole
country for miles and miles, the Seine
winding through it in picturesque
curves. Rouen, with its bridges and
streets, district rs if map lay at their
right hand, aud rising out of the mass
of houses, etherealized by the yellow
sunset, were the two spires of the
cathedral and the church Of St. Ouen.
Can you see the market-place,
Cousin Eva? If so, poor Jeanne dare,
when she was brought out to die, must
have seen this hill, with the church on
top of it; that is, supposing there was n
church"
"There might have been, tho not
this one, which is modern you see.'
II wonder" continued Cherry, who
was always wondering, eff she looked
up at it, and thought it hard that Notre
Dame de Bon Secours should not have
succored her. Perhaps because, to es-
cape from the hereto English, she had
told lie"
"And that reminds me, added Ruth,
who was not given to ethical questions,
"that while we sit and rest we might
hear from Cousin Eva, about the lie
she told"
eyes, yes. Please say, Cousin Eva,
was it a big or little one? Why did
you tell ii? And was it ever found
out?"
81 don't quite see the difference be-
tween big and little, my child. A lie
is lie, tho sometimes there are ex-
tenuating circumstances in the reason
for telling it. And once told, the CUES
ton whether or not it is ever found
out, does not matter. Ny lie was never
found out, but it grieved me all the
same"
"Will it grieve you to tell me about
it? | should not like that" said Ruth
softly.
"No, dear; because have long since
forgiven myself. Twas such small
child, much younger than either of
you, and, unlike you, | had no parents,
only an aunt, and uncle, and lot of
rough cousins who domineered over me
and made me afraid. That was the
cause. The sure way to make child
untruthfr,i is to make it afraid. re-
member, as it were yesterday, the
shudder of terror that came over me
when my eldest cousin clutched me
by the shoulder saying; Did you do
that?"
"And what had you done?" asked
Cherry.
Nothing, but viii thought | had.
We were all digging in our garden, and
he had Just found his favorite jessimine
plant lying uprooted on the ground. 1t
had been my favorite too, but Will took
it from my garden and planted it in his
own, where | watched it anxiously for |
was afraid it would die"
"' You did it on purpose VIII per-
sisted; 'or if not out of revenge, out of
pure Stiffness. Girls are always so sill
". Didn't you propose yesterday to
dig it up to see if it had got q root"
Which was quite true. | was a very
silly little girl, but meant no harm. /
wouldn't for the world have harmed
either Will. or his jessamine. / told
him so, but he refused to believe me.
So did they ali. They stood round me
and declared / must have done it. No
body else had been in the garden, ex
cept, indeed, dog, who was in the hab-
it OF burying his bones there. But they
mover Thought of him as the sinner. IL