Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-12-17

snms hear % lssd e. ktels cEsniWA
- was WY yoang and vay aneh
afsaid a hw hushaaA, vho ~ . w
ezavs,- sldsriy nan, aad ID NJ NJ
aonsense. % shs did nj tsll him aay.
thing shout Ill thka. hut ksps ths secret
Tor hee diary until winter eana. Then
hdssd shs vas obliged to eonAds ths
matter TO beg maid. Tor tie dsassh a In
ssces caused famins smoag ths toad.
q % she supposed, for whss shs vent 10
ths fountain hundrsds of them cams and
squattsd shout hss with pleading looks
IN their little boesls shapsd sysa, and Ill
their LITTLE hands claspsd impsorinsly.
"Whsn shs ~ thsm thus aaBsmbisd
for TIE nrse tina, Nina valois made
than thb spesch:
"sMy pretty little tnads. ! love you
IN You are my tanants-being born
upon my ground asass you yen shan
not staTve. Every morning and every
evening you shall b fed
AFTER this the maid always carried .
basket Of food TO ths bench and madame
distributed IT. Ths army Of tOads swal-
lowed the last crumb, Nina. Toad thank
ing her - Il 6rst, and away they hop
ped All this and much more she has
written In her diary.
Time passed on. and one Dry there
came . baby to the chateau-s beautiful
little girl. Madame was very happy.
but she did not forget her tosda Every
day the maid fed them and reported 70
her. A abe lay In bed she often mid 70
her baby: All, petite, when you are able
to take notice you shau zee my toadA
But while she was still an invalid Q very
curious thing happened
1.-THE winter was passing; the air Vas
mild; the window Of her chamber Was
left open, and one evening when the
nurse was absent for time Nine. Valois
suddenly saw dark object appear on
the window Gll-another and another.
The toads,' abe said to herself, and,
watching. saw the great throngs that she
had fed drop from the sill into the room
and approach the bed.
"'How l would have screamed oncer
she writes in her diary. But now I
loved them, and knew we'll that they
loved me. "0ood evening, my little
toadies," said do you want to see
my babyT Then the room was full Of
the faint little toad music, and lifted
my Celestine and held her up. and one
BY one the toads hoped to the bed.
looked At her. hoped down the other
dde and out Of the window
mime. Toad was Last Of al, and made
obeisance a. In the garden. Her four
toadlets remained upon the floor and
looked up at rs.
Before the nurss returned tho room
was empty again. but lying at my elbow
found . string Of exquisite, jewel like
beads-a chain or necklace such a. had
never seen before. Tho toads had brought
It TO me, and wore it at my Celestine's
christening, where it was remarked what
numbers Of tosds hoped across the
church floor and seemed to stop to listen
70 the music. But no one can tell me
what the jewels are.
mo one has ever been able to tell that,
madame" continued the speaker. But
my ancestress now felt that she must tell
her husband all, and 80 she did; and after
that the toads were fed every winter as
long IS this Mime. valois, Of whom l
have told you. lived. Also, Mime. Toad
maintained terms Of the most intimate
friendship with the family, as far a. .
toad might Even yet the toads are al
ways fed in the winter 1t the Chateau
Valois, and the necklace is given to the
eldest daughter. So it came to me, and
II Is who. having read the account of
the jewels in the heads of toads given by
your Shakespeare, know Of what the
necklace OF my ancestress is made" y
Mary Kyle Dallas in Fireside Companion.