The Portland daily press., 1891-03-27
PIERRE's FOUNDING.
Philadelphia Times.l

ssSuow white" and everybody called hen
that. And very white she did look to
Pierre that morning in the early spring
many years.ago now, when he found her
living on the doorstep, feecy white
shawl all around her, and only her little
FOUND, baby blue eyes showing out OF
thewhiteness.
'fSee.what the, good God has sent me,
Feliee," said Pierre, taking the little
qftEwhite bundle in his big, brown
hands Sand, carrying it, in to his;wife. SO
litflesnow white-baby."
And Fetice turned back the shawl
from the baby''s head andg there. ninned
70 her little dress, was card. and as
Pierre bent downsto see he read. DFor
Pistn and Felice."
did I not say ;Fehce. y he cried ..see
nistor us-the good God has sent it"
When Feiice bentpdown to kiss the
rosy ups that cooed and smiled up at
yer she smeit the:perfume on the little
Pabys clothes, andsthen she thought of
the sweet, pale,s gentle lady whose hair
sue, bad dressed few nights before, and
OF the tall, DARK, man whom the lady had
not called her husband, but her 'sfriend. /"
but She did not tell Pierre all this.
What she did tell him was that they
would take their new treasure and show
Il to the priest, and Pierre good, simple
hearted PieTe-went along very close
beside Feaice, wishing nightly that he
could take theSlittle white, soft bundle
In his own arms
And Pere Martin, when he looked into
the little baby's eyes, remembered the
slight, graceful woman who had knelt
80 long at vespers the evening before,
and the sweet, gentle voice in which,
when the service was over, she had
questioned him about the coiffeuse,
Felice, and Pierre, her husband, who
lived in room in the crumbing gray
house beyond the church. He remem-
bered also that the hand that dropped
into his the heavy purse of gold, telling
him it was to be given to this same Felice
and Pierre, if they should need it, had
no ring upon the third finger, and Pere
Martin sighed as he looked into the
baby's face and murmured, Another
lamb into the fold" But he, too, did
not speak of what he remembered. In
stead, he told them he would himself go
with them to the Office of the old notaire
on the corner and that all would be ar
ranged, and that the next day after
mass they might bring the child to be
christened.
And SO they did and gave her the
name of Snow-white. No other name
would have suited her half SO we'll
Snow white she was when they found
her, and snow white Felice always tried
to keep her. She was never too busy to
put few dainty tucks in baby's little
white slip, or to wash her face or to curl
her golden locks. And Pierre never
came up stairs without stopping to wash
his hands at the big tub down in the
court SO that he might not soil the baby's
dress when he took her in his arms, and
when he kissed her he always looked to
see that he had not left the impress of
his lips on hers. 1t was marvellous to
see what change the baby's coming
made in the lives of the two, Pierre and
| Felice. Somehow PIERCE step grew
lighter and his laugh grew cheerier.
His fellow workers noticed it down at
the big warehouse where he hauled cot
ton on the dray, turning and pulling the
bales with his sharp hook.
"Oh, must not be SO rough" he said
to them, "since there is now little one
l may disturb with my big stepping"
And Felice's songs were gayer as she
tripped about at her tidy homework,
and her fingers were DETER as she did her
hair dressing, and her coiffures were
more elaborate and graceful than ever
before.
sit makes a difference, is it not SO,
madame?' she said as she was dressing
the hair of fond young mother, who
sat the while gently swinging the cradle
of her first born; sit makes difference
that there is now little heart for your
big one to hold. I know. 1t is all
changed with me, now that the good
God has sent us little one. 1t does not
matter so much now that / must go up
and down the stair, that l must bring
the water from the cistern in the court,
that I must be forever crimping and
curling and sticking in hairpins."
1t did seem that all the little house
hold was changed. There were not many,
to be sure, for besides Pierre and Felice
there were only Marta, and Babette and
Sieur Antoine in the little gray house.
Marta lived in the first floor, and from
her apartments there came always the
pleasing odor of burnt sugar, for it was
in her own little back room that she
made the white and golden ropes of
candy that she sold upon the street every
day. Marta's delight knew no bounds
when Snow-white was able to sit alone
and hold in the little chubby fist stick
Of her whitest and crispest candy. snck-
ing IL I'LL IL ran down her wrists and chin
and upon her white dress in streams of
sticky sweetness.
at is by the reason that the little one
likes it that make this cream candy"
Marta would say to her customers, re-
membering Snow-white's enjoyment Of
tbs dainty. 'FWill you not try some to-
day? 1t is nice"
| And SO she would go through the day
with lighter step and heavier purse
than of yore.
But it was Babette who always took
care of Snow-white when Felice was
away. Babette was a. blanchisseuse, and
was always washing, washing, washing
III the big tubs down in the. court. So
when Snow white was old enough and
the days grew mild Babette would take
her shawl, and spreading-it out on the
warm bricks that paved the court put
the baby upon it, shading her little face
from the sun by one of Pierre's big straw
hats hung upon stick. The baby grew
to love Babette, with her broad, round
face and her plump, white arms-grew
to love the warm court where there was
so much sunlight, land always the splash
ing of water and the Tapping of snowy
clothes on the line.
Then there was Sieur Antoine, with
his violin, whom Snow-white soon
learned to.love too. At'first he would
only pause when he met Felice or Pierre
upon thestair, and inquired in his sweet,
gentle voice after the little one; but by
and by he grew to stopping ON his way
up to his room TO see the lady, all white
and soft and clean, tucked away in her
little bed. Sieur Antoine spoke but lit
tie, but he played, oh, SO beautifully, sit
ting away up stairs by himself. His vi
olin talked for him, he would say. He
was always sad and often hungry, Pierre
said. So when Snow-white was able to
climb the stair without the fear of fall
ing, Felice used sometimes send her up
| to Sieur Antoine'S room with slice of