Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1882-03-30
BREAKING UP OF THE ICE BRIDGE.

Among the inhabitants of one O.
the little fishing villages on the soutf
shore Of the St. Lawrence River was
a thrifty French Canadian named
Pierre Laval. His family consisted
OF his rosy-cheeked, good-nature6
wife, Louise the eldest child, from
her womanly ways nick-named "the
little mother,' Jean, a strong lad Of
thirteen, and the baby, whose bright
black eyes and white skin made one
think of two huckleberries in bow
of milk.
| In summer there was no more at.
tractive spot in N than the coy
Laval cottage, with its porch wreathed
with honeysuckle, and its little plot OF
ground gay with beds and borders OF
/ hright-tinted flowers; and in winter
the pantry was always well filled, and
the wood-shcd piled to the very raft.
ers with logs; for Pierre was a good
/ provider, and by working hard al
fishing during the summer months
and at numbering in winter. he man.
aged to earn considerable money, and
instead of spending it at the village
inn, he carried it home for the use OF
his wife and little ones.
/ On the afternoon of a certain
cloudy day the door of the Laval cot
tage opened every few moments, and
Louise peered anxiously down the
road. AT last she spied the stou,
figure of Jean coming up the road
and drawing her little red shaw
tightly over her head she ran to meet
him.
"Hurrah, Lou" he cried gaylv
1.-THE boat is almost done, and the
boys are going to let me have the
naming of it. | think | shall call il
, The Louise. -
But the girl did not seem to hear
"Oh, hurry. Jean!'' she gasped
pressing her hands together nervous.
ly; ''the baby.'
Then Jean, for the first time, no
ticed how pale and anxious his sisters
/ face was.
well, what of the baby" ht
asked.
.'Sick, oh, so sick, he never was
like this before
And you wanted me 90 on some
errand: am sorry now that stale
all night, but mother said l might il
the boys wanted me-
Your staying was all right, Jean
only everything has gone wrong thi:
time. Word came this morning tha
a gang of men was wanted at the he
lumberyard, and father and the neigh
hors went away early and will not b,
back before the end Of the week.
But where's Mother Barbct
Can't she cure the baby"
Louise shook her head sadly. "Fo
once, Jean, her medicine don't seen
to do any good; but she says she ha
been with the great doctor over TIN
river two or three times when he ha
had thrOats even worse than the baby
and that he uses new kind of medi
cine-a little white powder-an i
always helps people right off. IL
gave her the name of the powder, bu
: | couldn't find 1t at the little shop i
the village, and mother didn't dar
trust me to 90 across the river wit
Jet. lie hasn't been out of the sta
BILE for four or five days, and he i
as wild as a wolf.''
N was too small town to b
able to afford the luxury of physi
elan all for itself besides, the peOpl
took so much exercise in the ope
air, and ate such simple food, an
kept such early hours and wer
so strong and healthy, that q docto
would have found but little to dc
In cases of severe sickness the pee
/ pie of n always sent for til
learned physician across the river
but on all ordinary occasions they d,
pended entirely on cold Mother Bal
bet the fame of whose skillful nur:
ing and simple remedies had sprea
! far and wide.
t 1t was toward the close of the Ion
and bitter Canadian winter. Already
: IN some localities, little shallow poo
of water standing here and there Q
= the frozen surface of the st. Law
renee River showed that the sun ws
getting back some of its summer he:
t and power and the inhabitants alon
. the shores prophesicd the speed
: breaking-up of the ice, the clearing {
the river and the re-appearance of tt
It long procession of stately ships sal
J: ing by on their way to Montreal. B,
v as yet not a crack had disfgured IL
t glittering mass of ice which for tw
months had stretched out level as
: floor, making a firm, safe bridge b.
tween the little village on the sout
shore and the large town of V
e If the people of the little villas
wanted anything from the large tow
It all they had to do was to harne
" their horses, and "whiz'' across Il
: ice and back again in few moment
y 1t was thousand times better ths
the slow, unreliable summer ferry
= and, too, during the clear, cal
moonlight nights, you could hear tt
it;pkIinr of tho haI1S and tho So,,ndr