The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1888-04-12

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not turned out badly" her own little
II would now be about as old as
that little girl.
A motherly yearning rose in her
beating heart. Her feelings, so long
chilled, were reused to their Utmost
depths by this haunting thought and
the sound of the sweet childish voice;
a melting softness spread througout
her being, and she had a good mindto
give way to tears.
"Now, my darling" said La Fleu-
riotte, Ego to sleep like q good girl,
and il you do, Til take you to-mor-
row, to Sainte GATHERINGS Fair"
"Sainte Catherine is the festival for
little girls, isn't it, mamma?"
Eyes, my dear"
els it true that on that day sainte
Catherine brings pretty toys to chill.
dren?"
Eyes, sometimes"
"Why, then, doesn't she ever bring
some to me, mamma?"~-
because we live so far away, and
then again we are too poor"
"Then, she only brings toys to the
rich, does she? Why? I should like
to have some too" =
"Well, some day, if you are a good
girl and 60 to sleep. she may perhaps
bring you some Also"
ooh, then I'll go to sleep right of,
SO she may bring me some to-mor-
row."
A stiffness followed. Then the soft,
gentle breathing of both mother and
child showed that they had folio we'd
asleep together.
But the Bretonne could not close
her eyes. A feeling at once indignant
and tender clutched her at the heart,
aud more than ever before at any
time of her life she thought OF the de-
fenceless, harmless little creature she
had ruthlessly strangled.
This dreadful, remorseful feeling
lasted until the first streak of dawn.
At break OF day LaEIeuriotte ana her
child were still locked in each others
arms.
The Bretonne noiselessly crept out
of the hovel, and making the best of
her way back to Auberive, slackened
her stepsonly when she reached the
first houses of the small place. She
slowly walked up the only street in the
village, intently gazing at the sign.
boards over each shop.
At last Of these signs arrested
her attention. She knocked at the
shutters and the door was opened.
1t was one of those little country
stores where, besides a variety OF
haberdashery wares, cheap second
hand toys may be bought, card board
dNllo Nooh'o ovl>c ,S-l Ioo In~,L e
The anlazement of the woman who
kept the store was unbounded when
she saw the Bretonne buy up and pay
for the whole stock.
The Bretonne was proceeding with
ajoyful heart on her way back to the
hovel when a he~avy-gloved hand fell
upon her shoulder. She started. and,
on turning round, shuddered to find
herself face to face with q corporal
of gendarmes.
The wretched woman had forgotten
that all liberated convicts we're forbid
den to remain in the precincts of the
Central House Of Detention.
"Instead OF vagabondizing round
here, you ought to have already
reached Langres," said the military
maj in a gruf voice. "Come. be off"
She wanted to explain, but it was vt
no use. A cart was put into requisi-
ton; she had to get up into it, and
away went the horses, under escort OF
one of the gendarmes.
The cart jolted mercilessly along the
frozen road. The poor Bretonne, with
ahalf- broken heart, clutched her little
parcel OF playthings in her benumbed
fingers. Soon, at a turn in the road,
she discovered the path which entered
the wood.
Her heart leaped and she besought
the gendarme to stop for q moment.
She had a commission, she said, for
La Fleuriotte, q woman who lived
there, close by. She besought with
such all earnestness of manner and
feeling that the gendarnle, who after
all was a good-natured fellow, allowed
himself to be swayedby her e~ntreaties.
The cart was stopped, the horse
was tied to a tree. the gendarme and
his prisoner got down, and they went
up the path that led to the hovel in
the wood.
La Fleuriotte was busy chopping
wood in front of her door. When she
looked up and caught sight of the
woman whom she had housed on the
previous evening in the hands of a
gendarme she stood with her. mouth
open like one petrified.
"Hush!" calculated the Bretonne,
as she put her finger to her lips. SIS
the little one still asleep"
Yes; but
Garry these toys softly to her bed
side aud tell her that Sainte Catherine
sent them to her. ! went back to Au-
barive to fetch them, but it seems /
had no right to do 50, and I am be-
ing taken on to Langres."
Holy mother OF God!' exclaimed
La Fleuriotte.
"Hushp' .a
They all drew near the bed whore
the child lay. Il
The Bretonne took the cardboard
dolls, Noah's arks, and the baa-lambs,
scattered them gently over the cover
let, kissed the thin, naked arm OF the
yet slumbering child, and then, turning
towards the gendar1ne. who quickly
brushed q tear from his eye, quietly
said:
Nov, WI car 20 on our way.
The shipments Of eastbound freight
from Chicago by all the lines Tor the week
ending Saturday. March 81, amounted to