The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1895-04-05

ton of Payments "a very rcpuisive.looS.
Ing old fellow, and Reduction. and iva
Fred! Fred! Wake up! We have
been looking everywhere Tor you"
Fred opened his eyes and saw his
in tho orchard at home. but the bees sf had
ceased their humming and the sun was
nearly down. Fred laughed little ab
sently as he picked up his books and his
slate and rose to go.
"Mother," he said, ave been dreaming
a very funny dream. 1 must have gone
VERY likely" she answered with
smile. You must tell me about it after
And that evening Fred related to thu
family the dream that his mother called
..Fred's Fairy Tale" - Philadelphia
Times.
Little Cabs Outing.
For the Junior Wisconsin by II. Twitchell
TRANSLATED from the French Of
A. Theuriet. s"-
From my window I could look across
the court in to the rooms on the ground
floor which We're little Gabriel's home
Every one called him Little Cab" His
father was cutter in a tailor-shop; his
mother, pale and gray-haired at 40, used
up the remnant of her strength in her
household duties. OF her five children
three had employment outside. Only
two were at home, seamstress of IS
and little Cab, who was hunchback.
The poor little boy could not walk un
less he was laced up in a sort of 8
straight:.jack His head, however, was
finely shaped; his face was exquisitely
delicate, and his expression was keen
and intelligent. Though he was wears
old, looking at his poor bent little form
one would have pronounced him not
more than 5. But if one were to judge
by his serious expression, by his broad
SO sad and prccociously thoughtful, one
would have called him 20.
His father, mother and sister adored
him because of his gentle disposition and
his wonderful intelligence. The family
physician had forbidden him to do an>
work, but to amuse him he was taken to
q school near by every day, where he
heard: One afternoon after school saw
him sitting outside on the porch, looking
wistfully up the street. When 1 ques,
toned him his brown eyes shone with
something like fright. His sister had not
yet come from work and his mother had
gone out to make some purchases, lock,
ing the door,
up, quite out of breath.
-"Ah, poor Cab! Did make you wait :
You were not impatient, were you?'
NO." replied Cab, in a calm voice,
whose silvery ring I can yet hear. But
l thought perhaps that you would never
come back, as you might be tired of ME;
l am so troublesome"
"Do not talk SO, you naughty boy"
exclaimed his sister, smothering him with
kisses. Turning to me with eyes filed
with tears, she said:
HE is so dear, ami 50 intelligent; he
reasons like a man. What pity he
is so weakly! The doctor said that if he
could go to Berck this summer the sea
air and the sand-baths might cure him;
but Berck is 4 good ways off, and the
ing to try to take him."
The brave girl worked carly and late
to earn the money needed for the trip.
Often in the middle of the night l could
hear the clicking of the machine, which
sounded like the noise of locusts in the
country fields; behind the curtain T
could see her profileas she bent over her
work and thought Involuntary of those
melancholy lines of Hood:
Work, work, work,
VIII TIL the brain be be, gins to swim;
Seam. and guSSct, and band.
NIB Band, ana Gusset, and seam,
And sew them as in q dream.
Work, work, work,
In the dull December light,
And work, work, work,
When the weather is warm and bright:
While underneath the caves
The brooding swallows cling,
AS II to show me their sunny backs,
And twit ME with the spring.
Everyone in the neighborhood knew lit
tie Cabs story, and the women brought
sewing to the little sister to help matters
along. They stopped the child wherever
they met him and petted him, or gave
him swectmeats. He was always grave
and did not respond to the caresscs; he
was disturbed rather than pleased by
them. He said to his sister after long
meditation:
'The lady on the third floor gave me
playthings; why should she do that when
she does not know me? It was because
1 am q hunchback, suppose"
Work was plentiful and the pile of
money grew larger and larger in the
corner of the bureau drawer. July was
near and preparations were already be-
gun for the departure. A little leather
trunk was purchased, also suit of
clothes for the boy, and little Cab talked
to his schoolmates of nothing but the
lovely trip to the sea. At almost the last
moment an unfortunate accident upset
all their plans.
A young married lady had brought her
wedding dress to the young seamstress
to have her make some alterations in it..
1t was costly dress and was to serve
Tor festive occasions for some time to
come. One evening Cab was handling
an ink bottle when it slipped from his
thin fingers and the black liquid ran
over the satin skirt.
No one scolded him, for his face showed
such horror that it was pitiful to look at.
The sister stified her ordinations of re-
greet and distress. In silence she sponged
the dress and found the extent of the
disaster.
Eight meters of satin were ruined. To
tell the lady of the accident and to plead
in Cabs favor were things not to be
thought of. In the first place the patron
was not rich, and this dress was the only
one she had for occasions; then the seam,
expose her poverty to others. The most
dignihed thing to do was to go to the
Bon Marche and try to match the fabric:
Eight meters at Is francs a meter made a
total of l2O francs:. rude break in the
travelling funds! The dream was over;
the outing had to be, postponed for a
year. The sister kissed little Cab to con-
sole him and went to work with fresh
courage.
The winter which followed was severe
on my neighbors on the ground floor
The autumn had been rainy and had
seriously affected Cabs health. He had
pains in his bones and head and a slow
fever. The doctor shook his head and in
sisted again that the child should be sent
to the seashore early in the summer. This
time it was decided that cost what it
might he should 60 by the end of May.
The machines few faster than ever and
the days were prolonged further in tho
night. Cab had been given Il book in
which there were nothing but pictures Of
the sea; views Of ports with forests OF
masts along the sides of the quays; rocky
shores washed by the dashing waves;
fshers' banks which looked like white
winged birds.
The child talked of nothing but the
sea; he saw it in his dreams, and often
in the daytime, across the grey fog of
the court, he had vision of shores beaten
by waves and stretch of water covered
with ships with white sails spread.
The winter was exceptionally damp
and cold and no longer met little Cab
on the porch of his house. The doctor
had expressly forbidden him to go out of
doors. Sometimes I saw him at the win
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