The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1891-04-09

and hold In the lit2.- cha list stick
Of her whitest and &. sIs',i c.Gndy. suck,
ing Il till il ran dDNi her vrIsis and chin
and upon her whit Ire ., IA streams al
sticky .'wreIneSs
| likes IL O. 10 thi:,..-! - andy.
| Marta wDJi..i h'-' roo .s'iers. ~
membering SnOw-whites enjoyment Of
the dainty. will you not try some to-
dayl II Is nice"
And 30 she would ga through the day
with lighter step AMI a heavier purS'i
than Of yore.
But IL was Babettc who always took
care Of SnOw-wlits When Felice was
away. Babetie was blanchisseuse, and
was always washing. washing. washing
| ia the big tubs down in the court So
when Snow white was oid enough and
| the days grew mild Babette would take
her shawl. and spreading il ont on the
warm bricks that paved the court put
the baby rpnn 1t. shading her little face
frum the sun by one Of Pierrr's big straw
hats hung upon stick The baby grew
10 love B1brtte, with her broad, round
face and her plump. white arms-grew
TO lore the warm court where there WIS
50 much su.ilight. anil always the splash
ing Of water and the Tapping Of snowy
clothes on the line
Then there was Sieur Antoine, with
his violin. whom Gnnw-white soon
learned tn love too. At first he would
only pausr when he met Felice or Pierre
upon the stair. and inquired In his sweet,
gentle voice after the little one: but by
and 10y he grew to stopping ON his way
up to his room 10 see the lady. all white
and soft aud clean, tucked away in her
little i-i Sirur Antoine So Ike but lit
tlo. hat ha 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 Oft hangry, Pierre
said. 80 when SrC, t,. vas able to
climb the stair withui, the fear Of fall
ing. Felice used sometimes send her mp
to Sieur AntOine's rOOm with q slice Of
bread or a bit Of meat that he might
ffrst it waiting for him on his table.
II was Pere Martin himself who used
to come for the little girl when she was
old enough TO run abOut. and carry her
with him To the church and his own cory
little house with its vine clad porch and
its gar,len Of roses behind. He would
pluck the heavy headed binds that
brushed her cheeks rs she passed by
them, and take her back home with her
apron full Of flowers, or her two hands
full Of the yellow oranges that grow
upon the tree beside his window.
May not give the Virgin oneZ' the
child would say, rs she picked the finest
flower of her bunch to lay at Mary's feet
as they passed the church.
Thus among her good friends grew
and pruspered the little God given child
Of Pierre and Felice
"IIow white Is the snow, mamany- she
would say 10 Felice; lis IL 50 beautiful
that You would have me like itT'
by and by we shall see. Petite" Fe-
lice would answer.
But the sweet, warm. sunny weather
came and went There were chilly days
now and then; days when Pierre would
come home .shiverins in his big overcoat;
when Sieur Antoines face would look
paler and more pinch'-l than ever; when
Babette would lift the this to her room,
and hang the clothes I'm lines before the
fire; when the roses in Pere Martins
garden would be blightel with the cold,
but the snow never came
"IIow white Ii the snow, papaT the
chill would ask. and Pierre would take
a sample Of cotton fit1n the pocket Of
his blUuse. and, tear. II into bits, scat
ter it in fakes about I..r head
Whittier than that h. would say.
hut we shall see. Pe:i.,..
Whittier than this Babette would
tell her. taking the fr.hly srls from her
tub and throwing il abOut the childs
head i'm the air. whence it fell In little
water bits upon the pavement
Whittier than tlt7>e,- Pere Martin
would say. as he lifted her TO his broad
shoulders and held her aloft till her face
was buried in the mass Of orange bios
SONS above
have told you that Snow-white grew
and pruspcred, and So she did, only ere
yet her eighth year was passed, when
the winter came ON Pere Martin felt the
burden grow lighter as he lifted the
child to his shoulder, and Sieur Antoine
thought the little footsteps were les
brisk rs she mounted the stairs 10 his
ruUn.
''Our little one Is not WELL said Marta
10 Felice one day; she no longer likes
the candy; she no longer comes for her
bit in the morning"
And that night when Snow-white lay
asleep in her bed Fplice knelt down be-
side her. and saw that the little face had
indeed grown paler. and the little form
thinner.
what II the good God should take
again the child he has lent Us, Pierrey'
she said desTairingly. and together they
knelt beside the child's couch and
prayed The next day the child could
not rise; she lay there growing weaker
and weaker, and fading away like the
roses In Pere Martins garllea-
"Am ] going 10 be q baby again,
she would say Sometimes. II
cannot walk. and you have always 10
lift me-
What q sad household q was when the
little ones step was heard no more on
the stair and her voice sounded no more
In the hallsl As the week passed on
Feliceis song was hushed, and she went
ont but seldom. Pierre's comrades no.
ticed tia poor fellows sadness and pitisd
him. Babette would leave bar tabs for |
hours to sit by the dear ones bed Mar
ta's voice was heard len eheerily On the
street.. and she found her way often 10
the old cathedral. where she might say
= prayer for Snow-white
This h q strange winter sid Sisur
Antoine one night ~ he sat By the little
onss bed lingering HE violin stringA
=, Ill, s,-..s.u TART and drw nth fka SD