The times., 1898-06-12
In DURANGO VILE.


to see her pony jump. She was proud of
her pony, who was dapple gray and
Welsh, and could jump nine inches higher
| than himself.
! Gabrielle was FIVE, and had ridden with
out a leading rein for two years, but her
father never let her jump Roland, the
pony. So the pony jumped by himself,
/ greatly TO the edifcation of the ring
master, who had been bidden TO see the
feat
While all this was going on Mana called
{ her 10 nursery tea, and as she trotted
| down the long yard, past the stables, and
toward the drive, the ringmaster turned
/ 10 Jack Ainsie, Gabrielle's father, and
said: Has the little Missie hurt her foot?
I She's a thought lame"
Jack Ainsle looked hastily after the
/ idolized little figure, and noted that the
! ringmaster was right. She was thought
! lame
/ Hastily eXcusing himself, he ran after
! the child. Have you hurt your foot darl-
/ ing?" he asked anXiously. You're limp
/ ing a little. Did you twist your ankle?"
ION, no, Daddy, dear, I'm not hurt.
I'm going 10 tea Gabrielle put up her
] face for the ever-eXpected kiss, and ran
/ after her nurse. Jack dismissed the sub
/ ject from his mind. and showed the ring
master the rest OF the horses.
From that day, however, things chang
! ed for Gabrielle. Other people noticed the
/ little limp, and her parents, terrified and
/ distressed, sent for the family doctor. He
1 discovered that in some way, probably at
birth. her hip had been dislocated, and
had formed a new socket for itself, and
that henceforth she would limp unless
ana here all the mischief began-some-
thing could be done. Her father was
frantic, OF course, something must be
done. That his Gabrielle, his dainty little
lady, with her pretty face, her quick in
telligence and her gracious ways, should
be ame-Oh, il was intolerable! He was
broken hearted and rebeliious. and even
his wife's steadfast patience and un-
changing tenderness could not make him
resigned. Then began for Gabrielle a Sc
rias Of visits 10 London. She was taken
from one great doctor to another till she
grew quite used TO marching about on
thick piled carpets. clad in nothing but
. her sunny hair. while they discussed her
interesting case"
Doctors are chilly men," said Ga
brielle; their hands are always cold TO
my body"
An operation was arranged. but at the
last moment Jack Ainslie drew back, for
th. surgeons would not guarantee sue
cess, and the family doctor said grave
things about GabrieIIes constitutional
delicacy. So it was decided that more
gradual means must be tried 10 bring
about the desired result. The gradual
means assumed the shape of IN instru-
ment, hideous to behold and painful to
wear
It broke Jack Ainsie's heart to see his
little lady cabined and confined in such a
cruel cage, and for the little lady herself
IL blotted out the sunshine and made life
very gray and terrible One thing was
quite plain 10 Gabrielle, and that was that
evidently nature was very much 70 blame
in having provided a new socket for the
poor little dislocated bone. That imperti-
nence must be interfered with at all costs
/ the doctors seemed TO agree upon that.
And Gabrielle wondered why it was so
wrong to have no pain, TO be perfectly
unconscious in her ''affliction," as her
nurse called ii, and so interesting Ito the
doctorsl. and right, to be uncomfortable
and to wear hideous high-soled boot and
an iron cage, with crutches under the
arms that pushed her shoulders up to her
ears.
AS for the instrument, it was designed
and ordered by three famous surgeons,
and il cost the price of many ponies. Ga
brielle tried to be brave. She was curl
I 'ously conscious that the pain her parents
/ suffered was far greater than her own.
/ The instrument was adjusted In London,
and on the way home in the train her
I mother asked her many times, Does it
/ hurt you, my darling?' And Gabrielle all
/ ways answered, bravely, Il can bear IT,
mother dear; can bear iti
/ When she got home that night the poor
1 little leg was black from the cruel pres
( sure, and Mary Ainslie broke down and
| cried till she could cry no longer Ga
! brielle tried TO walk bravely in her
cramping irons, and to smile at her pa
rents when she met their troubled eyes.
At first she broke the thing continually,
4 for she was an active child. much given
! TO jumping off chairs and playing at cir
I Gus on the big old sofa But by and by
( all desire to jump and run left her She
grew high shOuldered and would sit very
still for hours while her daddy told her
stories or drove her behind Roland in a
little basket carriage he had bought for
her. Truly the iron entered into her soul,
the cruel iron that cramoed the chflds
/ soft body; and Gabrielle's eyes grew larg-
/ er and larger. and her chin more pointed.
while the once plump little hands were
white as the petals Of the pear blossom
outside the nursery window.
y wish people wouldn't ask me about 1t:
/ they are kind. but I wish they wouldn't"
Gabrielle would say. 'I am tired of tell
ing them about the socket. and I'm not "A
( poor little soul'-Tm daddys little ladyr'
There came to Jack Ainslie a very old
/ college friend, a doctor, Gabrielie's god
father, and devoted to her, and he was
] supremely dissatisfied with her treatment
Z ana lmDlored Them to take her to see a
/ young surgeon, friend of his own, who
/ was making a great name and doing Won
/ ders for every one who came under his
/ care. Jack Ainslie and his wife needed
but small persuasion, and ii was decided
! that Gabrielle should go to London as
/ soon as possible.
What FASTENED the visit was this: Ga
brielle was devoted to fairy lore. and a
/ favorite play of hers was to be the bean
4 tiful princess who is freed from giants
and dragons and lions by the gallant
I Boots Of the Morse tales. Her father
/ always enacted that part of that re-
doubtable third son, and was wont to
! kneel before her, making extravagant
protestations of his devotion. which she
/ accepted with gracious condescension
! On this particular afternoon, just after
tea, her father proposed to play the fa-
/ vorite game, but Gabrielle would have
! none of IL. Il can't be a princess any
more, Daddie; I'm sure, no princess ever
wore such an instrument" she said. IT
don't feel like a princess any more at
all" Her father caught her up in his
} arms with a great, hard sob which
frightened her. and she stroked his face
/ saving tenderly: Don't be sorry, dear,
dear, Dad; didn't mean to hurt you.
! III be princess; / will. indeedl I will
feel like a princess, reaIlyi' The next
! day Jack Ainslie and his wife took Ga
4 brielle up TO town. They did not even
/ take the faithful Mana, for Gabrielle's
mother could hardly bear to let any
hands but hers touch her darling. ever
/ since the day that the ringmaster had
made his sad discovery.
Mary Ainslie took Gabrielle to the new
4 doctor the following morning, while Jack