The morning call., 1892-03-19
THE DEATH OF The DOLL.

lsge of Bocage, in Central France.
In one of the little cottages of that village,
into which hunger had accidentally driven
me-this story is not an invention, it actu-
ally occurred as ! relate it-a little girl Of
perhaps years Of age was dying
She was ii seems the child OF a Partisan.
but a Partisan who was born aud grew to
young womanhoOd at Bocage.
One morning in May carriage stopped
before the door Of Mother Gerard, who now
took care OF win eyard, but in her younger
days had been nurse for little children.
4 young woman alighted from the car
riage, followed by a maid and a little gIrl,
delicate and feeble, bat very pretty never
theless.
'.Mother Gerard" said the young woman
10 the peasant, II have brought my little
girl to YOU: she needs the country air and
goats milk VIII you keep her Tor few
months?"
The husband Of Mother Gerard made an
impatient movement, but before lie could
speak the young woman said. i Will pay
you a thousand francs"
"a thousand francs, said the man; "she
is very sick, and the doctor will have to be
paid"
"Doctor or no doctor" said Mother Ger
ard brusquely, Il viii take care of your
child. Mini; l viii care for her as tenderly
- l QtQ 1DI Utt lily lQLS4tuS
al am sure Of it,"
kiss me. little one" continued the good
woman, taking the child in her arms
The little girl did net wait to be urged,
but kissed her affectiOnately.
GU will pay in advanced" said the man.
Here are the thousand francs give me a
receipt"
The young mother then brought from the
Carriage the chlld'S clothing daiutiiy ar
ranged in a small trunk.
The maid brought large paper box, In
which lay a beautiful doll that could saw
Mammal! when one pressed spring.
The little girl had been perfectly silent
during this time, but the great tears were
rolling down her thin, white cheeks.
When her mother noticed that the child
was crying she made an impatient gesture,
which she quickly suppressed, but not be-
fore Mother Gerard saw it. The little girl
also saw-h her mothers displeasure, and
stretched toward her the little, emaciated
hands.
1t was touching appeal, mute caress,
silent prayer, but irresistible in its el0-
quence The maid turned away her head
TO conceal her tears. The mother was
greatly moved, and taking the child in her
arms kissed her again and again.
My dear Mil, do not cry, do not cry any
more. ! shall come back for YOU very soon -
" III you surely Gomez" said the child
between her sObs, and covering her mother S
face with kisses; surely, surely" size
added. clasping her little hands as she did
when she said her prayers.
Mother Gerard looked sharply at her for
mer foster child, who turned away her head
with flushed face.
VIII you really come back for her.
MIMI" she said In low tone.
Certainly"
8"Do not be too long about It." Mother
Gerard said significantly
Truly, mamma, you will return"
Surely, yes. but do not be impatient
Good by; take good care of dolly. Listen
how beautifully she says mammal" and
the mother made the doll repeat MANY
times its one word, mammal The Child was
silent.
she viii be your little girl, and you will
love her very much!'
'Oh, yes" said the child with deem
sigh. almost sob, and she pressed the doll
to her heart The doll murmured "mam-
ma"
She really loved the little inanimate thing
that called her mammal She spent hours
IN looking at II, in rocking 1t, and in talking
20 IL In low tone, at the same time crying
for her own mamma.
D" DO not fear, Nni"-she had named II
for herself. - will never leave you, never
am your very own mamma, do Won hear /?
Your real mamma" And she pressed the
spring AID the doll repeated Mammal"
hen Mini took it in her arms and bugsed
IL ughtly. as II she feared that some one
he consumption was slowly but surely
accomplishing its deadly work. Der eyes
became more and more brilliant, the bones
OF her cheeks more and more prominent. A
httIe cry cough constantly shook the mar
row. hollow chest, aud her voice became
feebler day by day. They wrote to her
mother but received no response
Ihere IS nothing. think, more pItiful
than to witness the slow fading out of a
nttle ne. Whlcn nothing can arrest, neither
science nor ioVe, nor prayers. This mar
tyrdom OF infancy lnflictS upon those who
must witness it the keenest torture
Mother Gerard had learned to love this
poor victim OF lIlal affection, for Mini was
dying OF grief.,because she was separated
from her mother-much more than of dis
ease, and Mother Gerard knowing this
nursed her with the utmost tenderness.
Mini came to her in May, and it was now
October.
The poor child, feeling that she was no
longer daughter, tried to console herself
by imagining that she was the mother of he r
doll She lavished upon it all the love tina !
she formerly had for her mother. She was
unwilling TO be separated from 1t even a I
night, and the poor little brain had con-
celVed singular idea-t was that she was
not sick, but that it was the doll. her .dear
Mini"
Amshe :, has co@nghed all night" she would
restless night herself. "YOu suffer. nv
oeaf MINI, but l will cure you. We will
cure her. nurse, will we not? How feeble
ner voice s?' she would add, In listening to
the weak sound which the doll made be-
cause the pressure upon the spring grew
weaker as the little hands grew thinner
Hour by hour she would tell her own snf-
ferings, but always attribrting them to the
doll. AT times she would yield 10 an in
definite despair She did not know what
death meant, but she would cry out with in
describable anguish: mo. do not want to
die, even to 60 to heaven"
She never spoke of her mother to her
nurse; but sometimes. when she thought
heIselI alone, they would hear her mcr-
muir to her doll: "If mamma would como
back Mini would be we'll"
In the village the arrival ~ ,ho ,,t: