Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1891-10-09

the cemetery. He was crying bitterly
because another boy had stolen two
confines from him. The tears of the
little fellow, one of the children whom
in her simple neglected mind she had
always thought happy aud contented,
moved her deeply. She went up to
him, and when she learned The cause of
his grief, poured all her savings-seven
sous-into his hands, he taking them as
a matter of course and speedily drying
his tears. Then, wild with delight, she
was emboldened TO kiss him. AS he was
busy examining his money he let her do
doit. Finding that he did not repulse
her she kissed him again, gave him. a
warm hug and them ran away.
"What did she think about In her
poor little head? Did she love this
youncster because she had sacrificed her
modest fortune to him, or because she
had given him her first kiss of affection2
The mystery is the same for both great
and small.
'For months she thought of nothing
but the corner of the cemetery and this
urchin. In the hope Of seeing him again
she stole from her parents a sou here,
another there, from the price of
mel ded chair or from the money given
her to buy food. The next time she
came to the town she had two francs in
her pocket, but she could not cOntrive
to do more than see the little apothecary,
spotlessIy clean, standing behind the
windows Of his fathers shop between
crimson flask and jar Of leeches. She
only loved him more than ever, fascinated
and over-awed by the splendor of the
colored water and the TRANSPORTATION of
the shining crystals.
"She treasured his memory secretly,
and when she met him the next year
playing marbles near the school with the
other boys, she rushed up to him, threw
her arms around him, and kissed him
so violently that he began to howl with
fear. Then she gave him her money to
pacify him. There were three francs
and twenty centimes, quite q fortune,
and he stared at it with eyes, took it
and let her caress him as much as she
wanted to.
'For the next four years she gave him
all the money she could get, and he
pocketed it deliberately in exchange for
the kisses which she was allowed to take.
Sometimes it would be thirty sous, some
times two francs, once it was only twelve
sous, which made her weep with grief
and shame, but it had been hard year
and the last time it was a great round
five-franc piece, which made him laugh
with Joy. She thought of nothing but
him, and he waited impatiently for her
return, aud delighted her heart by run
ming to meet her when she came.
'.Then he disappeared. He had been
sent away to school. She found that out
easily enough by asking questions. So
she used all her wits to try and change
the route which her parents took, in
village during the vacation. She sue
ceeded at last, but it was now two years
since she had seen him, and she scarcely
knew him he had changed so much. He
had grown larger and better looking,
was very imposing in his gold -buttoned
coat, and passed proudly by pretending
not to see her.
"She wept over it for two days, and
from that time she suffered increasingly.
She came back again every year and saw
him without daring to greet him, while
he did not even condescend to look at
her. She still loved him hopelessly.
He is the only man in the world that
ever saw, doctor. I do not even know
whether there are any others, she said to
me.
"Her parents died in the course Of
time and she worked on in their trade,
but she now had two dogs instead of
one, two terrible dogs, with whom no
oDe would dare to NEEDLE.
zone day, on her return to the village
in which lived her hearts idol, she saw
young woman coming out of Chou
quet's shop, leaning on his arm. He was
married and that was his wife.
THAT night she threw herself into
the pond in the square by toe mayors
house. A belated drunkard fshed her
ont and carried her to the druggists
shop. Young Chouquet came down to
take care of her, worked over her ap-
parently without recognizing her, then
said roughly How foolish you are!
How could ;ou do such thing2'
s'He rAd spoken to her! That was
enough to relieve her, and she was happy
for some time after.
''He would not take any pay for his
trouble, although she tried to insist on
his doing so.
"And so passed her whole life. She
mended her chairs and dreamt of Chou
quet, and ever year she saw him through
his shop windows. She fell into the
habit of buying small supplies of medi-