The herald., 1893-12-25

pains because Of it,
He turned to 60. but a clear voice of
wonderful sweetness held him back. 1t
was that of the Saviour, who advanced
with majestic dignity toward the apostle
and spoke: Let us first hear if the aims
giving Of which we have just learned was
really too small toplead for leniency toward
this SHINING soul. Let us hear''-turning
to the angel-"what became of the nuts"
"Oh, dear Saviour" answered the angel,
II ate half of them, and l was grateful to
you, for felt that ! owed them to your
bounty, as they were my little Christ
child, as the people in the city where we
lived called Christmas present"
'You see, Peter the Saviour interrupted
the angel do we not owe it to the nuts
of that woman that pure child's soul was
led to uss That in itself Is no small thing
Tell what further happened to you"
II ate most of them" the little girl an
swered, but I had still more to eat by
Christmas eve, for the people who had
looked at me when the woman threw some
thing into my lap were interested in my
suffering, and soon had sold all six sheep,
and besides many pennies and groschen one
big thaler had flown into my lap. With
these was able to buy mother many things
that she stood in sore need of, and though
she died on New Years morning she had
many little comforts during her last days.
The Anointed cast another look full Of
meaning at Peter, when n large and beat
tifnl angel, the spirit of the mother of the
cherub began: IF you will permit me, o
holy Jesus, /, too, would like 10 say word
in favor of the condemned. Before Han
nele came home with the nuts lay In bed,
without hope or help in my great suffering.
had lost all faith for my prayers had not
been heard, and il the bitterness of my
heart it seemed that you, who were said TO
be the friend of the poor on earth, and God
the Father, had forgotten us in our misery
in order to overwhelm the rich with greater
gifts.
But when Hannele came home and
lighted the little lamp, and l saw her tiny
face, where for long time / had seen no
smile, but only pain and grief, now beam
ing with joy; when l saw the nuts and the
other good things which she had brought
and saw her pleasure in them, my belief in
thee, o Lord. and in the kind Father re-
turned, and ceased not to be grateful to
the end. If now, in the glory of thy mag
nificence, know bliss unutterable, owe
it to that woman and to the fact that she
was good enough to throw the nuts into
Hannele's apron"
Peter nodded afirmatively. Then be
bowed before the Saviour and said: "The
little gift of the condemned soul has indeed
borne better fruit than l imagined. Yet
when l tell you what great sinner she was
on earth''--
II know" the Son of God interrupted
Before we decide upon the fate of this
woman, let us hear what the child /. with
fpa rest nf fhn fOr xxal l-rr ttyf cl,a
did not eat them all Now my little angel
what became of the last of themf Speak
on. Gladly will listen to you"
Hannele began anew: After they had
buried mother, they sent me into the coun-
try among the mountains, for they said it
was not the duty of the city to care for me-
but that of the village parish where my
parents were born. So was taken there
The six nuts that ! had saved l took with
me to play with. This most enjoyed do
ing in the spring, alone on the little strip
of grass behind the poorhouse, in which
was the only child. Besides me there were
but three old women, being fed to DEATH
as the peasants used to say.
mot one of them noticed anything that
happened around them, but my heart used
to grow light when everything about me
budded and sprouted and burst into bloom.
My body WAS always aching, but my pains
could not lessen my enjoyment of the
spring. Wherever | looked men were SOW
ing and planting. 1t was the first time
that had ever seen it, and the wish came
over me to coafide something to the good
earth that would take root and sprout and
grow green and high for me.
$50 stuck four of my nuts into the
ground. | put them as far apart in the
small space as l could, so that if big trees
came from my seeds they .night not stand
in one another's way, but might all enjoy
the air and the sunshine that | was so
thankful for. | saw my seed sprout, but
what became of them afterward | did not
live to see. Two years after sowed them
famine fell upon us. The poor weavers,
who lived in the mountain village had all
they could do to nourish wife and child.
There was little left for the poorhouse. As
was already i'll, could not stand the mis-
cry, and was the first to die of the dread
full fever caused by hunger.
"Only one of the blind women and the
dull witted one followed the sack in which
was buried-for who would have paid for
a coffin? The last two nuts divided with
the old women. Each one of us had a half,
and how gladly we ate the little morsel, for
us after we had lived on nothing but bread
and potatoes. From here ! watched the
other nuts grow to be trees All four had
straight stems ana thick crowns Under
one of them that stood near spring, which
is now called the Fresh spring, an old car
penter who came to the poorhouse built a
bench"
Here another angel interrupted the little
narrator with the question, DO you mean
the nut tree in DorbstadtY and receiving
an answer in the affirmative he cried: II,
Master, am that old carpenter, and dur
ing my last summers hud no greater
pleasure than TO sit by the Fresh spring |
under the nut tree, and while smoked my
pipe to think of my old wife, whom / was |
soon to find again with you. In the au
tumn, too, many Il dry brown leaf found |
its way among the more expensive tobacco
ones. But the nut trees were cut down |
many years ago"
81 saw it," cried the spirit of little Han
nele, and one felt from her tone how she dc
plored it. They were feled when the |
poorhouse was given up. But the greal |
Son of God has now heard what he wished |
to know"
mo, no." the Saviour answered, a
should still like to know what became Of the
wood of these trees"
The voices of several angels were heard
at the same ridtnelf, for many of the poo.
weavers Of Derb1tadt were 80 be found Ia
the heavenly kingdom, 81. Peter, how
aN.o,. l,oso ha.., e, 4,a ,,ers,,tt4nI