The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-01-14

cit Has lillEC VI AOdA kOOd lays VIVA
the idle thing"
"And how much would such a pair be
worth when finished?"
The landlady gave him a hateful look.
"At least thirty sous"
"Will you sell them 10 me for 5 ~francs??"
the man continued.
NJ. Thenardier thought it his duty to
speak.
Eyes, sir, if such be your fancy, you can
have the pair OF stocking for 3 francs; we
cannot refuse travellers anything"
Cash payment" the landlady said
promptly.
Il buy the stockings" the man said,
and added, as he drew a five-franc piece
from his pocket and laid it on the table,
81 pay for them" Then he turned to
Cosette. Your labor is now mine, so
play, my child"
Thenardier came up and silently put
the coin in his pocket. The landlady
could make no answer, but she bit her
lips with anger. COsette was trembling,
but still ventured to ask:
as it true, madame? May l play?"
"Play!" her mistress said, in a terrible
voice. And while Cosette thanked her
mistress with her lips, all her little soul
thanked thetraveler. Thenardier returned
to his guests, and his wife whispered in
his ear:
"Who can this yellow-coated man be?"
81 have SEEN" Thenardie= replied,
"~millionaires who wore a coat like his"
Cosette had laid down her knitting. but
did not dare leave her place, tor, as a rule,
she moved as little as possible. She
took from a box that was behind her a
few old rags and her little leadrn sword.
Eponine and Azelma paid no attention to
what was going on, for they were carrying
out a very important operation. They had
seized the cat, and thrown the doll on the
floor; Eponine, who WAS the oldest, was
wrapping up the kitten in red and blue
rage, in spite OF its struggles to get away.
While performing this serious and difficult
task she was saying to her sister:
This doll, sister, is a great deal nicer
than the other, you see, for it nov it
cries, and is alive; so we will play with it.
1t is my little daughter. and | am q lady;
you must call upon me and look at it. BY
degrees you will see its whiskers, and that
will surprise you. and then you will see it's
ears and its tail, and that will surprise
you, too,and you mustsay to me oh, my
goodness! and | shall answer: Yes,
madame, it is a little child that 1 have
like that little children are born so at
present."
Azelma listened to Eponine IN admira-
ton. In the same way that birds make a
nest Of anything, children make a doll OF no
matter what. While Eponine and Azelma
were wrapping up the kitten, Cosette
was doing the same for her sword. This
done, she laid it on her arm, and sang
softly to lull it TO sleep. A doll is one of
the greatest wants OF childhood to dress,
undreSs and dress again, teach, scold a
1..sf- 49,. II - &--l.,. 81 -
that something is sOmebOdy-the whole
future of a woman is contained in this.
A little girl without a doll is very unbap-
ply, and Cosette, therefore, made a doll of
her sword.
The lsndlady, in the meanwhile, went
up to the 'yellow-coated" man. She
thought to herself my husband may be
right rich men are So full of whims."
She leaned her elbow on the table and
said: "Sir-" At the word sir the
man turned, for Madame Thenardier had
up to the present only addressed him as
My good man."
"You see, sir she continued, assum-
ing a gentle air, 81 am glad to see the
child play, and it is all right for once, as
you are generous. But you see, she has
nothing, and must work"
"Then she is not a child of yours" the
man asked.
"Oh! Lord no, sir she is a poor little
girl we took in out OF charity. We do all
we can for her, but we are not rich, and
though we write to her people, we have
not had an answer for six months. 1t
looks as if the mother was dead"
"Ahl" said the man, and fell back into
his %reverie.
"The mother couldn't have been much"
the landlady added, "for she deserted her
child"
During the whole of the conversation
Cosette, as if an instinct told her that she
WAS being talked about, did not take her
eyes off of her mistress. She listened and
heard two or three words here and there,
she looked at the fire which was reflected
in her eyes, and rocking her doll again,
her song was more sad than before. On
being asked again by the landlady the
millionaire" consented to take some sup
per.
"What will you have, sir?"
BREAD and cheese"
ale certainly is a beggar," the landlady
thought, after that answer. The men
that were in the room were singing a comic
song, and the child, under the table, still
sang hers. All at once Cosette broke off,
she turned and saw the doll lying on the
ground afew steps from the kitchen table /;
the little girls had thrown it down on TAX
ing up the kitten. She let the wrapped
up sword fall, it only half satisfied her,
and then she slowly looked
was Whispering to her husband
Eponine and Azelma were playing with
the kitten. The guests were eating, drink
ing or singing, and no one noticed her.
She had not a moment to lose, 60 she
crept on her hands and knees from under
the table she assured herself once again
that she was not watched, and seized the
doll. A moment after she was back in
her seat and turned so that the doll, which
she held in her arms, should be in the
shadow. The happiness of playing with
this doll was almost too much for her. No
one had seen her excepting the traveller,
who was slowly eating his poor supper.
This joy lasted nearly a quarter of an hour,
but in spite of the caution which she took
she didn't notice that one of the dolls feet
was peeping out, and that the fire lit it up
distinctly. This pink, luminous foot sud-
denly caught the eye of Azelma, who said
to Eponine, look, sister" The two little
girls were Supplied; Cosette had dared to
take their doll. Eponine arose, and with
out letting the cat 90, ran to her mother
and pulled the skirt of her dress.
Let me be" said the mother, what do
you want now"
Mother said the girl, "just look"
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