The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-01-14
THE STORY OF COSETTE
ADAPTED FROM HUGO.
BY EMMA NJ. COX.
p V.

honor of Christmas time. The first of
these shops was i child's toy establish
ment. flashing with tinsel, glass beads and
magnificent things in block tin this store
was just facing Thenardier's door. In the
front, the dealer had placed upon a white
napkin an enormous doll, nearly two feet
high, which was dressed in a pink Grape
gown, with golden wheat-ears in her hair,
which was real hair, and it had enamel
eyes. The whole day had this marvel
been displayed, to the amazeme nt of all
passers-by under ten years OF age, but not
q mother in Montfermeil had been rich
enough or extravagant enough to buy it
for her child. Eponine and Azelma had
spent hours in gazing at it, and even Co
settle ventured to take a furtive look at it.
At the moment when Cosette vent out,
bucket in hand, though she felt so sad
and desolate, she could not refrain from
raising her eyes to the prodigious doll, the
'lady," as she called it. The poor little
girl stopped petrified, for she had not seen
this doll so close before. The whole store
seemed to her a palace, and this doll was
not a doll but a vision. Joy, splendor,
wealth and happiness seemed TO surround
the unhappy creature who was so deeply
buried in wretchedness. She said to her
self that a person must be a queen or a
princess to have a thing like hat. She
looked at the fine dress, the long, smooth
hair, and thought, How happy that
doll must ber' She could not take her
eyes off this fantastic shop, and the more
she looked the more dazzled she became,
until she fancied she saw heaven. There
were other dolls behind the large
one, which appeared to her like fairies.
The tradesman, who walked about at the
back OF the shop, seemed to her something
more than mortal. In this alteration she
forgot everything, even the task on which
she was sent. but suddenly the rough
voice OF her mistress recalled her to the
reality. What! You have not gone?
Just wait till l come to you, you little
toad!' Madame Thenardier had taken a
look into the street and had noticed
Cosette III ecstasy over the doll. The
child ran off with her bucket, taking very
long steps.
Thenardiar's inn was in that part of the
village near the church, and COsette had
to bring the water from the spring in the
AOLCEL III LAlG IL ElAE- ElIC tAu lOL
look at another store so long as she was in
the street and near the church, the illu-
minated shops lit mp the road but the
last store soon disappeared and she found
herself in darkness. She shook the handle
OF the bucket as much as she could, and
that made u rattle that seemed like COM
pany. The further she went, the more
dense the gloom became. She passed no
one except a woman, who turned on see
ing her and mUttered, Wherever can the
child be going? Why, it is the Lark"
COsette went on through the winding, de-
serted streets, and so long as she had
houses, or even walls on both sides OF the
way, she walked rather boldly. From
time to time she saw a candle glimmer-
Ing through a crack of shutter it
was some light and she knew that people
we're there and it reassured her. Still, as
she advanced her step became slower, and
when she had passed the corner OF the
last house, COsette stopped. Going be-
yond the last shop had been difficult, but
going further than the last house became
an impOssIbility. She put her bucket on
the ground, plunged her hand into her
hair, and began scratching her head slowly
it was no longer Montfermeil, but the
feds and black deserted space WA before
her. She looked desparingiy at this space
in which there was nobody aud she i'm
agined she saw beasts, and there might
be ghosts. She looked around and now
she was sure she heard the beasts walking
In the grass, and that she distinctly saw
the ghosts moving among the trees. Then
she took her bucket again and fear gave
her bOldness.
''Well," she said, 81 will tell her that
there was no water; " and she turned and
retraced her steps Tor about one hundred
yards, when she stopped again.
She thought Of her mistress with her
large mouth and her eyes flashing with
anger. The child took a glance before and
behind her; she turned back in the direc-
ton of the spring and began running.
She lett the village running, she entered
the woods running, looking at nothing
and hearing nothing. She did Lot
stop til breath failed her. She
did not think, she did not see. The
immensely Of night was opposed to this lit
tie creature. On one SIDE was darkness,
on the other an atom. II was only seven
or eight minutes walk from the skirt of
the wood TO the spring, and Cosette knew
the road from having gone there several
times by daylight. she did not look
either to the right or lett, for fear of see
ing things in the branches or the bushes.
In this way she reached the spring, which
was a narrow, natural basin, followed by
the water in the dry soil and about two
feet IN depth. II vas paved with a few
heavy stones and surrounded by moss and
grass. A riyu ct escaped from it with a
little, gentle murmur.
COsetts did not take the time TO breathe:
1t was very dark, but she was accustomed
to come 10 this fountain. She felt in the
dark for a young tree that leaned over the
spring, and, catching at a branch for sup
port, stopped down and plunged the
bucket into the water. She was in such a
violent state that her strength seemed
tIipled. Whi!e thus bent she did not no.
tice that the pocket OF her apron emptied
itself into the stream, and that the DISCUS
piece fell into the water. Cosette neither
saw nor heard IL fall she drew up the
bucket, nearly full, and placed it on tie
grass h done, she would have liked
to start again at once, but the effect of
filling the bucket had bsen so great that
she found it impossible to move a step.
She fell on the grass and lay there utterly
exhausted.
Over her head the sky was covered with
large black clouds and a cold wind blew
from the plain; the forest vas dark and
large branches stood out frightfully and
shapeless, and stuDted bushes sang in the
wind. The tall grass twined under the
breeze like cells, and the branches writhed
rEl NnnN ~ w.Dw1I-1 80 aa.--- II