Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-02-17
FOR VERY LITTLE FOLK.
This story of Hans" | am sure will
please all the little readers Of the Journal
HANs THE CRIPPLE.

HANS THE I hlffLE
He lived ia little village in Italy at the
foot of the Alps. His mother was a
widow, and he, her only child, was poor
little cripple. v hen he thought of his
.ad condition--that he could bot play ike
other boy, and that if he grew up he
would not be able to work ike other men,
he felt very unhappy. One day he was
going through the village, and stood TO rest
under the open window Of a room in which
some children were PLAYING One OF them
CHANGED to break a plaything, when ar
other took hold of it, and throwing il our
Of the window, said, I'm throw IT away;
IT'S no more use than Hans the cripple
oh, how sad the words mad poor Hans
feel. He crept back home, and tod his
mother while the hot tears ran down his
pinched little face very fast indeed. And
HIS mother took him upon her knee. and
.ang a little song 10 hun that she had often
sung Def ore; it enled with this iittle
chorus, God has his plan. For every man.
And although Hans felt happy while lis
tening TO the sweet tune ard voice, yet he
could not believe that God had any plan for
him But he was mistaken. just at this
time the Austrians were fighting against
the Italians and trying TO take their coun
try aud in order that the Italians might
know " hen the Austrian soldiers were com
ing, they bad built large piles OF dry wosd
on the tops OF the hills, and put men to
watch them night and day; and when any
one of th-se men saw the Austrlans com
tng, il was his duty TO set fire TO the pile,
then the man upon the next hill top would
see it and set fire to his, and so on until
all the valleys were made aware that the
enemy was coming, and aroused to meet
HIM The piles were called bea cons, d
the men that watched them, sentlne!s. ore
night there was festival being kept up in
Hans village, and all the villagers save
Hans I'D his mother were there and al
though Han, had gone to bed, he could not
sleep So in a little While he rose up silent
Nv. and crept up the hill to stop with the
sentinel But no sentinel was there. Think
ing there would be no danger that night,
and being tempted TO join the people in the
vii ge, he had eft his post. But Hans
thought that now he might he of some use,
for he could watch the beacon-hill til the
sentinel returned. He had not watched
long before he thou ht he saw the
dark form Of an Austrian soldier
coming upon his hands and knees very
stealthiiy along towards the pile Yes, so
it las; and now he could hesr distinctly
the measured tramp OF armed men. Qnick
as thought he set fire to the pile. Now the
country was warned. and the people would
he saved. But the enraged Austrian sol
Ter saw him, and firing his gun at him,
Hans fell mortally wounded. Hours after
he was found by some of the villagers, and
carried blee ling and dying to his mother.
She took him upon her knees, and wept a.
though her heart would break. But Hans
looked into her face with his low eyes,
and whispered, Dear mother. God has his
plan for every man" Hans had done his
luty an it was work of great importance
to his country Early Days.