The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1882-02-25
THE BREAKING UP OF THE ICE
BRIDGE.

Among the inhabitants OF one OF the
little fishing villages on the south shore
of the st. Lawrence River was thrifty
French Canadian named Pierre Laval.
His family consisted of his rosy -cheeked,
good-natured wife, Louise the eldest
child, from her womanly ways nick
named "the little mother" Jean, Il
strong lad of thirteen, and the baby,
whose bright black eyes and white skin
made one think of two huckleberries in
a bowl of milk.
In summer there was no mole attract
i've spot in N than the cozy Laval
cottage, with its porch wreathed with
honeysuckle, and its little plot of ground
gay with beds and borders of bright
tinted flowers; and in winter the pantry
was always well filed, and the wood
shed piled to the very rafters with great
logs; for Pierre was a good provider,
and by working hard at fishing during
the summer months and at numbering
in winter, he managed to earn consider
able 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 certain cloudy
day the door of the Laval cottage opened
every few moments, and Louise peered
anxiously down the road At last she
spied the stout figure of Jean coming up
the street, and drawing her little red
shawl tightly over her head she ran to
meet him.
Hurrah, Lour' he cried gayly; "the
boat is almost done, and the BOYS are
going to let me have the naming of it.
think | shall call it The Louise"
But the girl did not seem to hear.
"Oh, hurry, Jean!'' she gasped, press
ing her hands together nervously; the
babyp'
Then Jean, for the first time, noticed
how pale and anxious his sisters face
was.
"Well, what of the babyP" he asked.
6 Sick, oh, so sick! he never was like
this before"
"And you wanted me to go on some
Grand? lam sorry now that 1 staid all
night, but mother said l might if the
boys wanted me-"
Your staying was all right, Jean,
only everything has gone wrong this
time. Word came this morning that a
gang of men was wanted at the big lum-
beryard, and father and the neighbors
went away early and will not be back
before the end of the week"
"But where's Mother Barbet? Can't
she cure the baby?"
Louise shook her head sadly. "For
once, Jean, her medicine don't seem to
do any good; but she says she has been
with the great doctor over the river two
or three times when he has had throats
even worse than the babys, and that he
uses new kind of medicine-a little
white powder-and it always helps peo-
pie right off. He gave her the name of
the powder, but couldn't find it at the
little shop in the village, and mother
didn't dare trust me to go across the
river with Jet. He hasn't been out of
the stable for four or five days, and he
is as wild as wolf"
N was too small town to be able
to afford the luxury of physician all
for itself; besides, the people took so
much exercise in the open air, and ate
such simple food, and kept such early
hours and were so strong and healthy,
that doctor would have found but lit
tie to do. In cases of severe sickness
the people of N always sent for the
learned physician across the river; but
on all ordinary occasions they depended
entirely on "old Mother Barbet,n the
fame OF whose skillful nursing and sim
pie remedies had spread far and wide.
1t was toward the close of the long
and bitter Canadian winter. Already,
in some localities, little shallow pools of
water standing here and there on the
frozen surface of the st. Lawrence
River showed that the sun was getting
back some of its summer heat and pow
er; and the inhabitants along the shores
prophesied the speedy breaking-up OF