Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-24

Beyond the bridges wsre two roads. One
led along the bluff, and was skirted by ele.
giant houses, not standing socially by the
roadside, but looking at the passers- by
across wide sweep of lawn, dotted with
shrubs, and summer houses and frozen uI
fountains. The other road went on and on
through blocks of houses that continually
grew smaller and dirtier, until it let into g
beautiful, even in summer. But on this
December day its ugliness was
covered under white sheet of snow. Not
the dirty, gray stuff which the children had
seen trampled into the streets of the city
but clean and spotless, and glittering in
the sun with a wonderful splendor.
"Let us 60 this way" said Carl, pointing
to the elegant houses: ''they must have
plenty of money there, and warm fires and
much to eat.
'No," said Antoine, 1--WE will go this way
to the W hite fields. Look, Carl, away yon-
der is the edge of the world where il
touches the sky, If we can only get SC
far, perhaps we may see Italy. Seppi
says it is over there, beyond big, big
water"
So they went on towards the open
country, and presently they were among
the dirty houses, and could no longer see
the white fields.
Sometimes they stopped to play, and
the children would gather around and
listen, but no one gave them either bread
or money until they came to great
smoky foundry, where the men were at
dinner, sitting on the floor, and eating
from tin pals between their knees. An
tome stood moment at the door, half
afraid of the grimy faces, but one of the
men called cut to him.
"Come in, youngster, and give us a
tune" "What, two of you ~ said anoth-
er, as Carl also appeared. "Where is
your instrument yOungster; you should
have bass drum, such stout one as
YOU"
Carl made 10 answer he was not
accustomed TO jokes, and scarcely under
stood them, but he would do his best to
satisfy the men. So he piped out his
shrill songs, and as he sang his big eyes
went over the dingy place, watching the
men who now and then opened some iron
doors, from which fierce heat poured for
an instant.
''That is enough" said the man who had
called them in; you'll split that throat of
yours some day, and then we shall have to
melt You over. Sit down here and thaw
out, while you eat your dinner
He took his own pail, with slice of cold
meat in it. and passed it around among the
men. Every one put in something, SO
there was quite generous allowance for
the little fellows, who sat stretching their
cold toes towards the furnace doors az they
ate.
Presently whistle sounded somewhere
overheard, and the men slowly got up, put
out their pipes, and went to their work
again.
"Here," said one, tossing them a few
pennies, ''put these in your pocket to save
your bones from getting cracked tonight"
Antoine dropped the money into his
pocket. He knew too we'll what the men
meant; but with every hour he was grow
ing stronger in his determination never to
60 back to papa Towelli, with his wicked
eyes, and heavy hand, and cruel whip.
Seppi had said he should run away some
day and find the way to Italy; perhaps he
and Carl might fined it, too.
They did not stop to play after that.
They were warmed, fed, and had money in
their pockets, so they went on and on, be-
yond the last scattering houses, beyond
the factories with their vile smells of soap,
and glue, and bone-dust, away into the
clean, silent fields, and beyond the fields
into the woods that were not quite silent,
because the wind made a little noise in
them, as if it was whispering secrets, and
the trees tossed their heads, as much as to
say, ave don't quite believe it,
The blue jays flew about, screaming and
scolding, and flirting their strong, splendid
wings; little woodpecker in his winter
coat of black and white went sliding up
the trunk of a big oak, rapping as he went
at the door of every unfortunate bug and
worm that had gone into winter quarters
under the bark; chipmunk dashed along
the top of the rail fence and shot them a
glance from his bright eyes, and gray
rabbit sat for an instant by rock as gray
as himself before he dashed away over the
rustling leaves, his twinkling feet making
a white cloud of the powdery snow.
Everything in the woods was new and
wonderful to them, and they fingered so
long that the short winter day was over.
''See," said Carl; it is growing
dark
s'That is because we are in the woods; it
will soon be lighter" said Antoine.
But when they came out at last it was
darker still, and the long. straight load
looked very cold and lonesome.
The sky was still yellow where the sun
had set, and in the gray about it foated a
pale new moon, like a silver boat. There
was not a cloud to be seen, and little Carl
began to SILVER, when all at once they came
upon a short trampled road, leading up to
low brown building, nestled in the very
edge of the woods. There was a small
clearing about it, but no fence, and not a
sound came from door or windows, not
even when Antoine began scraping his
violin. But beside the steps, and strewn
over the snow, were bits of the shining
green, and dark pile under one of the
windows proved to be the same
little trees that had stood in the market
place.
perhaps this is the shop" said Antoine,
climbing up to the window.
He saw long room, dark except for the
light that shone from stove in the center,
and he could dimly make out a
table, heaped with more evergreens,
and rows of benches filing most of the
space.
''It's the shop, CARL" he reported, land
if only they haven't locked the door, we
might get in and Sleep
He tried the latch, and was almost fright
ened to find the door swinging open at his