Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-05-25

Vousu ~ " yuT 10 tVutNf
"Fari Holy Jesusl it is right away In the
heart Of France-over two hundred miles,
they soy. straight out through the forest
Not but what my son did walk II once-and
ho shoemaker, who knows what walking
costs, and he Is well to do there now-not
that he ever writes. When they want moth.
ing people never write"
"And lie walked into Parisr'
"Yes, ten years ago He had nothing but
few sous and an ash stick, and he had q
fancy TO try his luck there. And after all
our feet were given US to travel with. II
you SO there and you see hun, tell him to
send me something-l am tired Of selling
nuts"
Bebee said nothing, but went on her road
since there was no other way but to walk she
would take that way; the distance and the
hardship did not appal two little feet TINT
were used TO traverse 30 many miles Of sun
baked summer dust and Of frozen winter mud
unblcnchingly year after year
The time it would take made her heart sink
indeed. He was ILL God knew what might
happen. But neither the length Of leagues
nor the fatigue Of body dnunted her. She
only saw his eyes dim with pain and his lits
burned with fcver.
She would walk twenty miles a day, and
thSIp fti iulst nHo AiiHub Htt uItS ucT0 anu
there on hay wagons or In peddlers' carts;
people had always used to DO kind to her.
Anyhow she counted she might reach Paris
well In fifteen days
She sat under shrine in a by street mo-
mcnt and counted the copper pieces she had
on her, they were few, and the poor pretty
buckles that sho might have sold to get
money were stolen
She had some twenty eous ard a dozen
eggs; she thought she might live ON that; she
had wanted to take tho eggs to him, but after
ALL to keep life In her until she could reach
Paris was tho one great thing.
"What a blessing it Is to have been born
poor; and to have lived hardily-one wants
30 little" she thought to herself.
Then she put up the SOUS In the linen husom
If her gown, and trimmed her little lantern
and knelt down In the quiet darkness and
prayed a moment with the hot agonized tears
rolling down her face, and then rose and
stepped out bravely In the cool Of the night.
on the great southwes road towards Paris
Her way lay out through the forest, and In
that sweet green woodland she was not afraid
no more afraid than the fawus were
AT Boitsford she shrank little, indeed
Here there were the open air restaurants,
and the cafe gardens all alight for the
pleasure seekers from the city; here there
were music and laughter, and horses with
brass bells, and bright colors on high In the
wooden balconies, and below among the
biossoming hawthorn hedges She had TO 60
through 1t all, and she sbuddered a little as
she ran, thinking Of that one priceless, death
less forest day when he had kissed her first
But the pleasure people were all busied
with their mirth and mischief, and took no
notice OF the little gray figure In the starry
night She went on along the grassy roads.
under tho high arching trees, with the boot
Of the owls and the cry Of the rabbits on the
Stiffness
At Groenendsei, In the heart Of the forest.
midnight was striking as she entered the vii
lsge Every one was asleep The lights were
all out The old ruined priory frownsd dark
under the clouds
She shivered lttle again, and began 70
feel chill and tired, yet did not dare to knock
at any one Of the closed house doors-she had
no money
So she walked on her first ten unknown
miles, meeting few people only. and being
altogether unmolestsi-a small gray figure,
trotting In two little wooden shoes
They thought her a peasant going 70 fair
or a lace mill, and no one did her more harm
than to wish her good night in rough Fiem-
ish.
When the dawn began TO whlten above
the plains OF the east. she saw an empty COW
shed filled with hay she was q little tired,
and lay down and rested an hour on two az