Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-12-20
THE
Little Lace Maker.
THE

pretty ana ner mOueSCy anu simplicity
commanded the respect of ALL
Left an orphan at 13 years OF
age she lived with her brother, three
years her senior, who, having suddenly
become the head of the house, labored
for his little sister and himself at cabi-
net making.
The two lived happily together; but
the years passed and the time of mill
tary service came. Louis was obliged
to go. The separation was terrible to
those two children, who loved each
other so much.
Left alone in the little lodgings, thus
suddenly become too large for her,
Noemi with bleeding heart applied
herself to her work and wrought mar
vels from the fax fields.
Every Saturday she carried back her
work and when she returned home di-
vided her earnings in two parts. Must
she not send small subsidy to her
soldier, who was thinking of her there
in his far-away garrison?
On his side Louis believed in his
regiment as he did in Valenciennes;
that is to say, like an honest man, and
so, at the end of the second year of his
absence he was able to announce one
beautiful morning that he had been
promoted to be sergeant.
You can imagine how happy Noemi
was! How her heart throbbed with joy!
Oh, how proud she was of her dear
brother! But her happiness was short.
In few weeks came a letter. The
war-cloud had burst all at once; armed
France rushed to the frontier OF the
East.
The dreadful war began.
From the letters of her beloved
Louis she learned the successive defeats
of the French army, Woerth, Rozen-
vile, Saint-Private, Gravelotte, Sedan.
Then silence followed-no more let
ters, 70 more news, nothing.
Noemi, who never read the papers,
hastened now to the Office of the Guet-
teur de Valenciennes and of the Echo
de la Fontiere, seeking there some
little ray of hope. She listened to the
talk on the street, she mingled with
the groups of people commenting on
the news, she gave ear to the painful
accounts of the war and she learned,
with sinking heart, that her brothers
regiment had met with severe losses.
Meanwhile the wounded soldiers
were sent, through Hirsan and Aves-
mes, to the towns and cities on the
northern frontier. Every day fresh
eonvoys arrived in Valenciennes.
All the hospitals were full, and still
they came. Then private ambulances
MI ph1rch q
and factories opened their doors to the
unfortunate wounded soldiers.
One morning the report was circu-
lated that a convoy of wounded from
her brothers regiment had arrived
during the night.
To the poor girl glimmer of hope
returned.
She ran from one to the other, ask
ing of the nurses, bending over every
cot; but the hope of the morning VAN
tshed.
All at once she remembered that the
day before they had opened in Saint
Saulve hospital intended especially
for the officers. Was there any possi-
bility that an unknown sergeant might
have been brought there? Surely not.
Yet, Notwithstanding, she found
strength to go thither.
An army surgeon came toward her.
What do you wish mademoiselle?
"Oh, monsieur! Pardon! l am look
ing for my brother, Sergeant Louis
Verdier.
"You mean Lieutenant Louis Yer
dier?" And pointing with his finger
down the long row of mattresses on
the floor, there he is in the sixth bed. y
To the poor girl it seemed as if the
earth vanished from beneath her feet
She choked back an exclamation OF
Joy, tottered forward few steps and
with an outburst of infinite happiness
knelt before the bed of Lieutenant
Verdier, who, with his head wrapped
in linen, was lying in heavy stupor.
Louis! Louis! 1t is l." she ex
claimed, trembling with clasped hands
ready to fall.
At this appeal the wounded man re
covered his consciousness, opened hi
eyes and perceived his sister, but no
being able to raise his head h
stretched forth both his hands, whicl
she seized in hers and covered will
tears.
In the meantime the surgeon ap
preached, and, half unwillingly, led he
away
"You must not cause him any emo
ton, or we cannot guarantee anything
sapristi Your brothers wound is do
ing we'll; he will recover, unat is Ger
tain, il you do not undo our work."
"Oh, monsieur lie docteur-"
''Never mind monsieur le docteul
This is enough for today. Come bac
tomorrow morning, but now go home.
do you see, my dear Louis" said tn
happy Noemi to him few days late
sitting by the bedside Of her brothe
yesterday the merchant for whom
work ordered of me a piece Of magnif