Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1905-11-08


Had we courage the step to add!"
e. E. Brown in st. Nicholas.
THE TALL, TALL LOAF.
Everybody was lodging first to the
right, then to the left-and finally a
mans hat was knocked off. The
crowds streaming out of old Notre
Dame rendered it difficult to approach
nearer the excitable hands and heads,
although it was plainly to be seen
that tall loaf of bread alternately
disappearing and bobbing into view
was the cause of the merriment.
Hats were tilted sidewise, chins were
tipped upward. people backed upon
one another's heels, laughed, gesticu-
lated, became angry, and laughed
again. In the midst of this whirlpool
of jostling humanity was sleared
space of goodly circumference, in the
center of which 1 beheld little AM
erican miss. carrying the tallest loaf
of bread l ever Saw. Had she been
little Partisan and used to such
burdens, she would have known that
to turn about in so great throng
means that the top end of that loaf
would surely bump into somebody;
that is, If she had carried it across
her shoulder, as did Gladys. But she
was plainly quite unconscious that
she was causing commotion; and
thus 1t came to pass that this particu-
lar loaf Of bread swung around like
an over-sensitive wind-vane and dis
tributed bumps north, east, south and
west, in reckless PERCUSSION. OF course
everybody laughed. for all the victims
were polite and good-natured, and be-
sides, the petite" excused herself so
prettily in French that some of the
most amused onlookers feigned to be
hit when they actually were not. But
when Gladys turned to ask pardon Of
woman who clapped her hands to
her hat, and cried "Oh!" the far end
of the loaf would whirl in front of a
Frenchman's eyes, and he would cry
"Ah!" And when she wheeled about
to ask pardon of this Frenchman who
cried "Ah!" that same crusty end
would swing perllously near as many
hats and chins as it could possibly
encounter in half circle. Indeed,
there is no telling how the petite"
ever would have caught up with her
list of excuses had l not recognized
my little countrywoman and rescued
her and the bread from further diff
culties.
ooh, is 1t you? am so glad!" was
her hearty greeting. "And, oh, now
I needn't go back home for Marie, for
you will take her place, and go with
me-won't you, please? 1t is only a
little way from here?"
cheerfully consented to serve as
nurse and guardian for the "little
way" and as we both hurried from
the cathedral swarms toward the mar
row streets on the other side of the
river-and we hurried to keep warm,
for 1t was an extremely cold morn
ing-Gladys confided to me her Sc
cret, which up to that time she had
not mentioned to any one.
1t seems that, on the day before, a
tiny French girl had posed in her
fathers studio End that after the
child had left for her home Gladys
inquired why it was that all little
girls do not have round. plump, rosy
cheeks like her own. For the first
time GLADYS learned that all little
girls do not have the nourishing food
which helps to make round. plump.
rosy cheeks. This explanation set her
little brain to thinking, and reminded
her of "tall, tall Loaf OF bread
which she had seen freshly displayed
that very afternoon. 1t was in the
window of bakery Just across the
square from the great cathedral. and
only three blocks distant from her
fathers studio. So the next morning
she had started out and bought the
tall, tall loaf" 1t was while burden
ed with this great length of bread
that l discovered her in front of
Notre Dame, and then I carried the
loaf for her to the dingy quarters we
were sooon entering. After breath
less climb up two dark flights of
stairs, the little model who had pos
ed on the previous day, responded to
our knocking, and Gladys handed her
the bread and said something in
French to her mother, which / fancy
must have referred 10 round, plump.
rosy cheeks, for the woman lifted the
corner of a shawl to her eyes as
though wiping away tears.
1t is common sight in Paris to
see working people carrying long
loaves of bread, but this one that
Gladys purchased was the longest I
ever saw, and must certainly have
measured six feet in length.
thought of Gladys and her gener-
GUS errand. that night as I looked
from my own studio window across
to the great snow-covered roof Of
Notre Dame cleaning cold under the
wiptrv ctorS -Meredifh Nuoopt In