Los Angeles herald., 1891-04-05
Surely, surely" answered Pierre;

Ourely, surely, answered f1erre;
"God is good"
"Win you not take your violin, Sieur
Antoine, and tell me how the snow
loolxss" said Snow-white.
And Sieur Antoine played. Those
who knew felt the inaudible falling of
the flakes, thicker and thicker, but gent
ly as The drawing of shroud. Sieur
Antoine kept his eyes upon the little
face, and he saw her waiting, listening
Suddenly twang of the strings and the
twist of his bow sent out as on the crisp
air the jingle of sleigh bells, the sound
of merry voices, and the child's face was
glad. But Sieur Antoine had forgotten;
with the sounds of gladness there came
always for him the after note of sorrow,
and he played on and on in the minor
chords till the tears stood in the little
ones eyes, and Felice put out her hand
to stay him.
All during the night that followed
there sounded in Snow-white's dreams
the merry "snow music" and then the
sorrow that came after it. "Will it be
like that-and thatY she asked herself.
While it was yet dark she heard below
in the street the muffled rumble of cart,
and the cartman was singing. What
was it he said? As he came nearer she
heard m the mans deep voice, "Wash
Me aDi Shall Be Whittier Than Snow"
She knew not what the words meant
how could she? But over and over again
she kept saying the words to herself till
morning broke and daylight shone be-
tween the curtains, pale and strange.
Something, she knew not what, sent a
thrill through the little weak frame and
eagerly she peered across the room to
the streak of light that showed. 'a
"Maman," she called by and by very
softly. But Felice was by her side in a
moment. She said nothing, but pointed
with one hand toward the window.
Zach, Pierre, Pierre, the snow, the
snowr' shouted Felce, in her excitement
forgetting the little sufferer on the
couch, who leant upon her elbow trying
to see the street below.
"Did I not say?" said Pierre, springing
to his feet ''Surely God is good"
Together they lifted the little ones bed
to the window that she might see, and
she, with full heart, could not speak for
joy; only her lips parted and her eyes
overran with tears.
Marta and Babette were not long in
coming to see the little ones joy, and
Sieur Antoine too, only he did not tarry.
but looked into the child's eyes and went
away to Pere Martin. They came to-
gether by and by, shaking the white
flakes from their coats and treading very
softly in the hall.
''See, the snow has come, father" said
Pierre, land she knew, the little one,
without seeing it, that it was come" g
The little eyes were bent only on the
window, where without the snow lay
white and soft DER street and housetoI
far as the vision went, but the priest,
kneeling down beside the bed, took one
little cold hand in his, saying:
"She is very near to God now; he told
her."
"The snow has come" said the child's
voice. 81 knew it would, God told me. u
Aye, God told her, and drew her
nearer and nearer to him, for with her
last breath the pale lips faltered out the
words she had not understood. "Wash
me and shall be whittier than snow"
The snow was soon gone and with it
the little one, but to the white vault that
bears her name come often Pierre and
Felice, burdened with the grief of their
empty hearts. Marie still sells her candy
on the street, but in her tray is found no
longer the dainty bits for the ''ittle one. y
Alone in the court Babette still scrubs
and scrubs, but now, as never of yore,
the tears run down her round cheeks and
drop into her snowy suds. The roses
bloom and wither in Pere Martins little
garden, and the orange blossoms fade,
and the fruit falls upon the ground. Up
stairs in his garret Sieur Antoine plays
ever of the little snowfakes that glist-
ened in his way of the spirit that is
"whiter than snow. Patience Oriel in
Philadelphia Times.