Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1893-12-29
ohYMPlA, WASHINGTON: FRIDAY EVENING, DEC 20, 1885,

answered., but L had still more to ca
by Christmas eve, for the people VIII,
had looked at me when the woman
threw something into my lap were in
terested in my suffering, and soon
had sold all six sheep, and besides
many pennies and groschen one bi,
thaler had flown into my lap. Will
these ] was able to buy mother man,
things that she she stood in sore need
OF, and though she died on New Year.
morning she had many little comfort
dnring her last days"
The Amounted cast another look fuI
of meaning at Peter, when large and
beautiful angel, the spirit OF thu
mother of the cherub, began: al
you will permit me, o holy Jesus,
too, would like to say a word for the
condemned. Before Hannele came
home with the nuts l lay in bed, with
out hope or help in my great suffering
had lost all faith, for my prayers hat
not been heard, and in the bitterness.
of my heart it seemed that you, who
were said to be the friend OF the pool
on earth, and God the Father, hat
forgotten US in our misery in order tt
overwhelm the rich with greater gifts
"But when Hannele came home anf
lighted the little lamp, and saw hel
tiny face, where for a long time had
seen no smile, but only pain and
grief. now beaming with joy; when
had seen the nuts and other good
things which she had brought and saw
her pleasure in them, my belief in
thee, o Lord, and in the kind Father
returned, and I ceased not TO be crate
full to the end. If now, in the glory o
thy magni6cence, 1 know bliss unut'
terable, owe it to that woman and tc
the fact that she was good enough to
throw the nuts into Hannele's apron
Peter nodded affirmatively. Then
bowed before the Savior and said
"The little gift of the condemned soul
has indeed borne better fruit than
imagined. Yet when 1 tell you what
a great sinner she was on earth"--
al know" the Son OF God inter
rupted. "Before we decide upon the
fate of this woman, let lie hear what
the child did with the rest of the nuts
for we know that she did not eat them
all. Now, my little angel, what be.
came 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 country among the mountains, fol
they said il was not the duty of the
city to care for me, but that of the vii.
lage parish where my parents were
born. So was taken there. The six
nuts I had saved 1 took with me to
play with. This / most enjoyed doing
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.
"Not one OF them noticed anything
that happened around them, but my
heart used to grow light when every
thing 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 I looked men were sowing
and planting. 1t was the first time
that had ever seen it, and the wish
came over me to confide something to
the good earth that would take root
and sprout and grow green and high
for me.
$50 I stuck four OF my nuts into the
ground. I put them as far apart in
the small space as I could, 80 that il
big trees came from my seeds they
might 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 I sowed them q famine
fell upon us. The poor weavers, who
lived in the mountain village, had all
they could do TO nourish wife aud
child. There was little left for the
poorhouse. As / was already i'll,
could not stand the misery, and I was
the first to die of the dreadful fever
caused by hunger.
"Only one of the blind women and
the dull witted one followed the sack
in which l was buIied-for who would
have paid for coffinf The last two
nuts / divided with the old women.
Each one OF us had Q half, and how
gladly we ate the little morsel, for even
a taste of any dainty seemed good to
US after we had lived on nothing but
bread end potatoes. From here ]
watched the other nuts grow to be
trees. All four had straight stems
and thick crowns. Under one of them
that stood near a spring, which is now
called the Fresh spring, an old carpen.
Ter who came to the poorhouse built q
bench"
/ Here another angel interrupted the
little narrator with the question, I" Dc
you mean the nut tree in Dorbstadtr p
and receiving an answer in the affirm
ative he cried: al, Master, am tina,
old carpenter, and during my last
summers l had no greater pleasure
than to sit by the Fresh spring unde,
the nut tree, and while 1 smoked my
pipe to think of my old wife, whom ]
was soon to again find with you. Ir
the autumn, too, many o dry brown
leaf found its way among the more ex
pensive tobacco ones. But the nu
trees were cut down many years ago.
IL saw it," cried the spirit OF littl,
Hanneie, and one felt from her ton,
how she deplored it. "They wer
ieiied when the poorhouse was givel