The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1881-03-17
DOUCE.

udIu0 10 I'LL uoF uelgQDOrS.
She had be n christened Helen, but
to all intents and purposes the nickname
was the only one by which she was
known. She was not a pretty girl so
far as features and complexion went
but with nothing mawkish or insipid
about he :, as might be inferred from her
name.
Thetones of her voice were so even,
her movements SO quiet and deliberate,
that you could not understand how
Douce was the ruling mind in family
of six children, five of them boys, and
unruly ones at that. But the truth was
she was the most daring of all of them,
though she would climb the tallest tree
and ride the most dangerous horse with
the same calm composure of manner.
Her mother had been an invalid for
many years, and her father, prosper
GUS merchant at the little town of Oak
port, about two miles from his residence,
was too busy man to do more than
pass his nights at home, generally too
tired when he reached there to spend
much time in social intercourse with his
family.
Mr.. Tureau's residence, as I have
said, was about two miles from town,
but one mile was through a thick,
swampy forest, very bad walking in
rainy weather, and dark and dismal
enough even on summers morning.
1t bore, too, an evil reputation among
the country people in the neighborhood,
for fifteen years before a peddler had
been robbed and killed there, and his
body had been found near an old rotten
log by the roadside. On large beech
tree which overhung the spot had been
carved by some boy, "Here Amos
Grove was murdered"
Of course, the ghost of the peddler
was presumed to haunt the spot, and,
rs the murderer had not been discovered,
the ignorant, superstitious people of the
neighborhood all believed the spirit
would never rest in it's grave until the
criminal who did the deed was brought
to Justice.
To the little Tureaus, these woods
were perpetual delight. Such nutting,
such berries, such persimmons were
found there, that, in spite of thrill of
terror when they passed the spot OF the
sad tragedy, nothing short OF visible
apparition would have kept them from
the woods.
Deuce, who feared neither man nor
ghost, was always their leader in these
expeditions. At Is she was as fond of
swinging on grapevines and mounting
to the top of tall trees as when she was
10. This sounds as if Miss Douce Tu-
reau was rather tomboyish but she
did these things so gravely and quietly
that somehow no one thought of reprov-
ing her for her gymnastic feats.
"Let Douce alone, said her father.
"She has a wary eye, and firm, strong
grasp, and she'll never come to harm.
It is not ladylike amusement for
young e ri to climb trees. but she is not
a tomboy, and does not climb them be-
cause she is of rough, masculine ma
ture. It is, perhaps, an eccentricitv,
and in her case accept it when should
not in some other children. Besides, it
strengthens her muscles and makes her
hardy" ..
One fine September morning. Mrs.
Iureau astonlshed them all by insisting
upon walking to town with her husband.
"The walk is too long for you, Mary, ;"
he demonstrated.
emo, indeed" she answered, II feel
equal to it. and I prefer the walk to rid
ing. Twill spend the day with Cousin
Jane, and be quite rested when you re-
turn in the evening. The cook (Dora).
too, wants to go to town to spend the
day and night with her sister,"
"As You please but if Dora is going,
who will stay at home with the chill
dren? We shall not get back until after
dusk, you know"
"You're not afraid to stay here with
the children, Douce, are your" asked
her mother.
afraid? Why, mamma, I did not sup.
pose You thought me such foolish cow
ord! What can harm us?"
OF course it did not seem as if there
could be anything to harm them in that
quiet place so, after an early break.
fast, the children walked part of the
way to town with their parents. Douce
stood AMI looked after them as they left,
with strange heart-sinking, she after
ward said.
81 thought it was because mamma
was always at home" she said. "The
house would seem so lonely without her.
But then, 7 was so glad to see her able
to walk again that I could not under
stand my depressed feeling.
There was deal OF work to be done
that day. The house was to be cleaned,
churning done. and Douce thought she
would surprise her father and mother by
o nice tea when they returned. Assist.
ed by her sister Alice, girl of II, she
was still hard at work when the clock
struck IL.
els it possible ?" she cried, "noon al.
ready, and not a thing cooked for din.
ner Well, children, there's bread and
cold meat and some jam in the safe, and
we'll make cup of tea and have q
picked-up dinner"
fh sss pR BOD aq 1 S. g asaps s aB 81 ian
dren. They sat down, a merry, noisy
party, to the table.
Hush. children r. cried Alice.
don't You hear somebody knocking al
the hall door? ?"
Zone of the neighbors, I suppose,
said Douce. SEQ, Arthur, and see who
1t is"