The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-06-23
A Great Improvement.

You scarce could determine their letters at all;
While Others were crooked, and some seemed to
To the edge OF the page, as if running away.
Some looked as If caught in terrible gale
His grandfather's trembled; grandmothers was
His fathers Rhs' was blotty and struggled awry:
His mother wrote nicely,-he begged her to try.
He pondered the matter, then purchased another
Fine album, as bright aud complete as the other.
And carefully copied the names, every one,
AS neatly and fairly as il could be done.
With every angle and every line
Drawn out like copy, correctly ana fine.
With every and with every {
Neatly dotted and crossed as they should be.
His letters we're regular, even, and nice,
His capitals stately, exact and precise.
Then Archibald Albert, in viewing the whole,
Breathed a sigh of relief from his orderly soul,
And exclaimed to himself: at is better, by half,
Than letting each one write his own autograph.
Written for the Sunday Sentinel
Little Franz.
year ago used frequently to visit the
asylum for the blind in one of our largest
cities. Early one delicious spring morning
was walking up the broad avenue leading
from the gate to the great stone building,
when suddenly stopped in breatbless sur
prise at sight of childish figure just before
me. a more exquisite and graceful form my
gaze had never fallen upon. He was appar-
emily about six years of age, but slightly and
dellcstely moulded. The little figure was
still, but instinct with motion and express
sion, as if suddenly poised in quick flight.
The appraised body and face turned slightly
over ths shoulder up toward the bending
bough of an elm tree, the arms and hands
stretched high above his head in eager in
vitlng tremulousness as If to grasp a small
bird. fitting hither and thither directly over
head, and uttering shrlll imperious notes.
Flscks of sunshine sitting through the tender
yellow green of early spring, upon that
young wrapt countenance made indeed
lovely vision. The conviction then came to
me, which has been confirmed since learning
more of the little Franz, that this beautiful
being was net altogether Of earth.
NOisslsssly 1 approached him but he de-
tected my frst movement, and on my adj
dressing him exclaimed, There, there he is,
it il the birdie We used to feed when we lived
in the high up. up, house" mounting with
his wee hand, as if describing step after step
far as his arm could reach.
"Hs has only just found me here, l have
tink dat Riea have sent him."
HIS voice was exquisite, with peculiar
ring purs and clear have never heard in any
other. His unusually large and dark eyes
were raised to my face, and with sudden
shock / now recognized he was blind. This
was nav hrst meeting with little Franz but
almost daily after that / met him on the
grounds and heard from his own sweet lips
his sorrswful history, which in my words
can not convey the charm lent by his beauti-
full voice and broken English. / learned his
stsry littly by little IS he chose to tell it, for
eftsn We would walk hand in hand for half
an hour without speaking, or he would sit
upon my knee lost in thought while
watched his changing countenance and the
graceful sweep of the long dark lashes on his
cheek. There was dignity and patience
about this pure little being that inspired re-
spset well N love, and many times have
hssitats1 10 disturb his revery.
He and his sister Rica were born in Ger
| many. His father was an artist, his mother
| a musician; while / was yet small aud
walk not mueh alene' said FARM, the family
| came to America. The fathers great mis-
| fortune and intempersnce brought him to
| great poverty and then to death. The deli
| cate mother soon followed him out of this
world, with her last strength straining her
| babes to her breast and calling upon the God
| of the fathsrlsss to unite them in His king
| dom. Ny mother kiss me, oh much time,
| nv mother kiss me and call me to go nit
her. Then she kiss Rics and say Bring soon
| to me in Himmil my blind boy" So were
these children left alone, strangers in q
strange land.
Forlorn-looking tenement-houses were
i those OF tumble down row, scarcely able to
afford shelter from the blasts in winter, or
the scorching sun through the bresthless
summer days. There were no green trees to
| yield q grateful shade about them-dirty,
/ brown, and sun-blistered they stood there.
Up ever so many flights of stairs, with
only the roof between them and the sky,
| lived little Franz with Rica his sister and
elder by two years. The girls eyes were
large, quick, and observant enough for two,
so she shared them with her brother. The
latter played the violin. the former sang
=
1 pride and delight of that humble neighbor-
hood, and brought the musicians many sub
stsntial rewards.
"Rica," said Franz one dreary rainy day,
| 'if you could only read, it would not seem
| so dark, would it?' And for weeks after
that, the children summed up all their wants
in, ''Oh. If We could only read" As the re-
suit of this, the girl decided to attend the
public school half-days, and acquire the art,
in as much as she was always TO be eyes for
both, while Franz sat in a shaded nook OF
the city's thoroughfare, and by his wondrous
beauty and sweet music, picked up living
| for the two.
One evening as Rics led Franz homeward
he knew she possessed some unexpressed
Joy, a tone or a touch tell so much to the
blind.
"What is it sister?'' he cried; let me know
now for / can not wait. Have you learned
to readT Is it that?" "0h, land, mol Why
| that takes forever, most" said Rica and
| this will take only just six weeks "Oh its
splendid, glorious, and only to think" and
Rica Rugged the boy, and kissed his face and
| hair.
"CaD it be about me sister?' he whispered
as he gently drew from the impetuous caress
Have you found any one who will do fol
me what the good Jesus once did; will thu
light be put in my eyes2" And two little
hands crept out in silent beseeching'
"Oh. no, no;' replied the girl softly. 81
wish it was that; but it is Dot, my darling,
and she walked more slowly, but presently
bursting out with, 'But it is something evel
so splendid, and wonderful too, to think
shall be in real show; just as real as a cir
Gus, only its called an exhibition. 1 and
every one are going to sing, some are going
to speak pieces, and am going to sing all by
myself the hynyn He loves even me.
There will be lights and flags and ice-cream
and flowers and every splendid thing"
"Tell me more" said little Franz.
"Well, added Rica, sits just possible
there'll be a real baby elephant, it is to be SC
splendid. I'll not even taste the oranges
cakes and candies, but bring every mite
home to you, darling" Thus for hours aftel
reaching their dingy garnet, sat the children