The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-10-21
THE RoSE-WiNDoW.


THE ROSE-WiNDOW.
No wonder that Wilfred was lonely
child, with no brother or sister to play
with. And no wonder that the little fell
low would SO often steal away to the en-
try-window, and, with his chin upon the
broad sill, watch the clouds that sailed
slowly by, or the doves that cooed to each
other, under the caves of the great cathe-
dral; or that the cathedral itself should
have become a familiar object, with its
graceful bell-tower, its solid buttresses,
and its great rose window over the chan
eel. He had traced its curves and circles
SO many times, that it seemed before him
wherever he looked. But why was it that
when he went out to walk with nurse, she
always hurried him by the open doorway,
and would never let him go in to see the
other side of the big window And why
did mamma always sigh, and say that the
cathedral was papa's tomb?
One day his mamma came up into the
entry hall and found little Wilfred in his
favorite position, with bis chin upon the
window-sill, looking out at the great ca
thedral. But tears were standing in his
eyes, and the little voice faltered, as he
said: "Please, mamma, tell me about the
window, and why the cathedral is
papa's tomh?"
So mamma took the little head In her
lap, and as she stroked the soft, light
curls, she thought of the time when an
other head, tired and aching, had lain
there, and she had stroked its soft hair.
Then mamma told her little boy how
his papa had planned the cathedral all
but the great rose-window, and for that
he could invent no pattern worthy to let
the light shine through into the house of
God. And how he had sat up long nights,
and worked weary days to find the right
design, until, at last, when he had drawn
the graceful curves aud circles, he was TOO
sick to go about, and could only lie in this
very entry window and watch the men at
work. And when, one day, the great win.
dow was set up, the very day that little
Wilfred was born, papa was carried out
and buried under the floor Of the unfinish-
ed chancel, with the great window high
up over his head.
Mamma again stroked the light hair,
and said: "But this will not do. My lit
tie boy has been too much alone, aud he
must go to school, where he can play with
other children, for he is almost FIVE years
old" And she kissed the child as she
looked at the great church opposite, and
thought of Wilfred in that house, too
So one bright sunny day, mamma again
came up the stairs to take her little Will
fred out to walk. And they went to-
gether across the common, by the great
cathedral, and down o street, till they
came to pleasant-looking house, with
plants and bird in one window, and
more plants and a goldfish In the other.
They went into this house, and were
shown into bright room, where there
were some little children standing in
circle, and playing such quiet, pretty
game Soon they all went into another
room, singing as they went, and mamma
and Wilfrcd followed. The children sat
down at two long tables when the teach
er came and said: "Would not you like
to come, too? See here is room enough
between Bertha and Alfred" But Viii.
fred did not quite like to 90, till mamma
said: go, darling. / will stay close by"
Then one of the little girls went up to
the teacher, who gave her box full of
rings. Aud pretty soon she had laid be-
fore each child a wire ring OF about two
inches in diameter. Elsie (for this was
the little girls nancy was very careful to
place it on the table directly before each
child, so that the centre came where two
of the lines which divided the tables into
squares crossed each other, making four
divisions in each ring. After Elsie had
taken one and sat down, the teacher said:
'sNow let us see what this is and what 1t
is made Of" One said, wire Eyes, and
what is wire made Off" But none of the
children could exactly tell this, SO the
teacher explained how iron was dug out
Of the ground, melted in big furnaces,
cooled into long bars, and how these were
again melted and drawn through sue
cession of holes each time becoming small
or, till at last 1t was the wire they saw
Then how 1t was cut into short pieces,
and these were soldered together to make
these little rings. Sand now what are
they like ?" One child thought like the
top of a fiower-pot;' another like the
round picture frame hanging over the
mantle. piece y Alfred thought it would
just slip over one Of the balls with which
they played the fruit game. The teacher
thought SO too, and bringing one, asked
how it differed for were they not both
round Elsie said it was slice cut out of
the middle of ball but Bertha said no,
because you could put your finger through
the ring. Then Alfred said it was only