Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-12-18

Off.
"But we are Danes, both of is.
What can the French government
do with us?' She shrugged her
shoulders. who knows? But let
us try what we can do with the Eng
lish and Danish consuls.' In all
Paris not Danish consul could we
find, and the Englishman was not
sanguine. Paris might as we'll be
kingdom in Ashanti he told us
sadly. There are lot of sayages
gone mad. Do you know Samson
has complained of being overwork-
ed? In fact, bloodshed and cruelty
are rampant
''However, he promised to do
what he could for us, which was
nothing, as it turned out.
'When Manon found that there
was no help, as we walked away
weeping from the grim prison, to
my astonishment she began to beg
me to lend her my black confrma-
ton suit, made by my mother few
months before and never yet worn
by me. Lend her my confirmation
suit? Not |! What could she want
with boys suit, she, a girl? |
scoffed at her, but she flung her
arms round my neck, and with her
pretty brown eyes full of tears she
entreated me to let her have it. She
only wanted it day; | should have
it back then. What could a boy
like me do with Manon's eyes full
of tears and Manon's arms around
his neck? yielded very reluctant
ly, but | did yield. She eagerly
seized upon the bundle and ran off
with it.
81 could not help but notice how
pale her face was, how dark her eyes
were as she vanished out of my
sight.
''That very night my master came
back. He seemed very anxious about
Manon and sent me to her fathers
to inquire about her. There, how
ever, no one knew anything about
her. Her father was very angry
with her for neglecting the shop
and promised her a beating when
she did return. There was no news,
however, the next day and the next.
"On the morning of the third day
we, my master and |, heard the
rumbling of the tumbrel behind us,
and there, standing erect, dressed
in my confirmation suit, was Ma
non. How young and innocent she
looked Only city peopled by hui
man wolves and hyenas could have
struck the little curly brown head
from the long, white, slender throat.
Her eyes, full of love, were resting
on my master, for whom she was to
die, and she made him a little ges-
ture of farewell, quick little ges-
ture, so slight as to be unobserved
almost. But he saw it and would
have fallen senseless had | not held
him up by main force and turned
off quickly into the street leading
to our lodgings. Before we got to
our destination the tumbrels were
coming back empty, and she had
given her life for him, the aristo-
crat-she who was no aristocrat;
only poor, plain, common body
like myself"
This was the last tale we ever
heard from Niles. The next morn
ing he was found dead in his bed,
His face, wonderfully rejuvenat-
ed by death, lay on the pillow, his
hands gently clasped as though in
prayer. All the place was present
to do honor to his obsequies, we
children wearing a band Of Grape
on our left arms, tied there by
Steena.
After the funeral it was found
that Niles had left all he owned to
Steena-the old house, the waste
garden and a goodly sum of money.
: And Steena, good, ugly Steena,
was an heiress in a small way. She
who was wearied of single blessed
ness and had commissioned the
blacksmith and the shoemaker to
get her a husband in vain while she
was poor and ugly had lovers ga
lore.
Her choice fell on a handsome
young Englishman, a dozen years
her junior. In spite of the advice
of her disinterested friends and rel
atives, she married him presently.
The only notice she deigned to take
of it was that she was married in
the English church and by the Eng
lish clergyman, and when, in the
course of year, Steena became the
mother of twins, two blond haired,
blue eyed miniatures of their fa-
ther, what mother so happy and so
proud as Steena, our Steena?
By that time, too, there was o
neat pravestone to Niles' memory