Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1890-02-06
pressed she spring and the doll repeated:

the bones of her cheeks more and more
prominent. little dry cough con-
stantly shook the narrow, hollow chest,
and her voice became fecblcr day by
day. They wrote to her mother, but re-
ceived no response.
There is nothing, l think, more pitiful
than to witness the slow fading out of
little life, which nothing can arrest,
neither science, MOI love. nor prayers.
This martyrdom of infancy infiicts upon
those who must witness it the keenest
torture.
Mother Gerard had learned to love
this poor victim of liial affection, for
Mini was dying of gricf-because she
was separated from her mediterranean
more than of disease, and Mother Gerard
knowing this nursed her with the ut
most tenderness. Mini came to her in
May, and it was now October.
The poor child, feeling that she was
no longer a daughter, tried to console
herself by imagining that she was the
mother of her doll. She lavished upon
it all the love that she formerly had for
her mother. She was unwilling to be
separated from it even at night, and the
poor little brain had conceived singu-
lar idea-it was that she was not sick,
but that it was the doll, her dear
Nina
she has coughed all night" she
would say to Mother Gerard when she
had passed a restless night herself.
You suffer. my dear Mini, but I will
cure you. We will cure her. nurse. will
we not? How feeble her voice is" she
would add, in listening to the weak
sound which the doll made, because
the pressure upon the spring grew weak
er as the little hands grew thinner
Hour by hour she would tell her own
suifcrings, but always attributing them
to the doll. At times she would yield
to an indefinite despair. She did not
know what death meant, but she would
t"N out with indcScribable anguish: No.
do not want you to die, even to go TO
Heaven
She never spoke of her mother TO her
nurse; but sometimes. when she thought
herself alone. they would hear her muir
inur to her doll II mamma would come
back Mini would be we'll"
In the village the arrival of the talk
ing doll had produced a great sensation.
Ali the children wished to see it. and
Sunday most of the little girls came to
admire the marvellous toy.
To go to see the little girl from
Paris and hear her doll talk had become
Il sort of fctc. and then. Mini was 50
sweet. so caressing to all who showed
friendship for her, or who loved her doll.
that she had become the idol of the
whole village.
The vicar came to relate to her beau
tiful stories of Heaven, where there
lirnI g.
and adorahly good.
The good sister who had charge OF the
village school brought hnr little images
of saints and angels.
One of Minis greatest plea +t.rcs wa, .
see all her little friends CONC vit:r ti.rir
dolls-dolls of wood, of carsl-ho.r,:, OF
rags: but she thought them all charm
ing, and talked to them in The most dc
lightful m;Hlncr and as if they could I'M
ucrStand her, and replied to her
The 18th of August was the doll;
birthday, and all the little girls came
with their dolls and brought the doll
Mini a bouquet, and one also for the
real Mini. What q merry day it was for
them all.
The bed was covered with flowers, and
the doll was so happy that She said
again and again: ''Nalnma.
Alas. the care of Mother Gerard. the
love and carcsscs of all. the healthful
air of the country, had been able only
to prolong the days of the little sufferer,
but all together were not able to cure
her.
They began TO count the weeks then
the days that she could be with them.
''Shc is very ILL., mammals MIMI she
said. caressing the doll she suffers
greatly there added she, touching the
dolls chest.
One evening she sat up suddenly,
seized her doll in both arms, looked at
it with yearning. shining eyes, and
tried to press the spring. The sound
came feebly, and weakly articulated
'.Mamma!'
The child repeated Mamma with a
voice still more feeble, and fell back on
her pillow, but still clasping her doll.
She was dead.
And singular as it may seem, the
spring in the doll was broken. the dell
too, was dead.
During all the next day the two Minis
the two little dead bodies, were left with
| uncovered faces, surrounded with the
last flowers OF autumn, white and vel
low, mingled with branches of red
leaves
When they dressed little Mini for the
last time they found that they would
have to use much force to take the doll
from her grasp. Mother Gerard would
not permit it. She kissed the child
once more, and. without trying to ac-
count for the strange impulse, she kissed
the doll also. Both were put into tho
| coffin, with all that belonged to them
dresses and bonncts. little shoes and
stockings, and playthings of all sorts
Then upon the bier. carried by the,
strongest little girls of the village
alas. it was not very heavy-they put
| all the flowers they could find: and it
was the strangest funeral that one could
imagine. All the little girls of the
school marched behind, two by two.
holding their dolls; ana on the way
they were joined by others, and each
| now arrival had her doll. Those who
baI dolls 70 L. i