Show o i r a tha thaO O ARIE LA FARGE was the MARIE M prettiest girl sirl in H Her r dark eyes sparkled her black hair framed a lovely vivid vivid viv viv- id face It vas inevitable that many young men should fall faU in inlove inlove love with her Which they did But chief chiel among them was tall handsome Jules Gareau the son of a woodcarver wood Maries Marie's mother was a small working hard woman whose beauty differed from the girls Strong lines were graven on en her face and andIn andin andin in her eyes shone clear fortitude Madame La Farges Farge's eyes looked steadily at everything whether it was the snow which lay so many months about the small tight cabin or at one of her children who had perhaps been angry or selfish So while Maries Marie's face tace was sweet and winning whining her mothers mother's expression was full fuU of character 1 I It could hardly fail that Marie should grow a little arrogant under under under un un- un- un der the circumstances You are unkind to me said Jules one dayI dayI day I J have loved you always ys yet you act as if U it did not matter And noyl now you tell me you are going away from here He waved his arm What is that to you Marie was was dressed in bright jacket full woolen skirt and high laced boots A red knitted cap was pulled jauntily over her curls How can you ask such a question ques tion of me Jules reproved herA herA herA her A girl cannot stay in this simple simple simple sim sim- village forever But Marie He reached for tor her hand His eyes looking lookin down at her were filled with beseeching beseeching beseeching be be- love We had plans to together together together to- to gether you and I. I Already father has given me the land Already I have cut the timbers for lor our house have you forgotten Marie laughed You handsome stupid I must see a bit of the world before settling down to she nodded towards her own house where her mother stood in the door calling to one of the children You see r Rr b My r I We Had Dad Plans Flaus Together You and andI I He tie Said said Marie Mane worn out with work She's old before her time She wears old clothes and thinks think old thoughts It cannot b bo be otherwise here in Your mother replied Jules sternly has the most truly beautiful ful face in the village My father says so Marie raised her long lashes in surprise and shrugged her ders A week before Christmas the girl left the village I have a position During the holidays extra girls are needed in the stores Soon I shall have money of my own Soon I shall dance and go places with many fine people So 50 that is what you are thinking thinking thinking think think- ing said her m mother ther But she added no words of advice or mand Dont Don't forget us child Think of us at Christmas with the tha white snow about us and the green spruces spruces spruces' on the hills Think of your father in the woods chopping Think of me cooking and mendIng mendIng mending mend mend- ing and singing to the tha baby and nothing shall go wrong with withy y you Come home me when it seems best We love you But Jules was was sil silent nt and heart heart- broken never be the same to me Marie Marne again Your head will be tilled filled with idle notions And to think you can go and leave us at Christmas But Marie went And if they missed her sadly In the village where she was born she worked hard And because of her energy and lovely face she was kept on in her position after the holidays She sent presents home but she shedid shedid shedid did not go there She liked h her r I new life lile One year Two years For one reason or another mother she never found time to visit her people She was doing well She was thrifty ty She went about with this or that admiring admiring admiring ing escort And she smothered the occasional pangs of ho homesickness in her lier heart f Five years a away DY Now and then she heard from Jules short letters Let us do your jour our job printing which related how her father had I cut his hand chopping wood How her brother had fallen through th the ice and was rescued How her mother mother- was just the same Everyone Everyone Every one loves her wrote Jules Then one day Marie Mane happened to meet an artist named Tom Santos You are so very beautiful I must paint you at at once declared this impulsive young man Marie laughe laughed at him but it soon happened t t. tat at she posed regularly regularly regularly regu regu- for tor this brilliant painter She liked his queer jerky way of talking talking talking talk talk- ing w while ile he worked She felt that she was lucky to be admired by him One day hi in the studio he asked about her home Marie told him a little rather gr grudgingly You say you were born in hi Beauclaire Beauclaire Beau Beau- claire cried the man How odd He laid down his brushes and went to a a shelf One of the finest wood carvers in Quebec made this a young man called Jules Gareau He picked up a small figurine and held it in his hands Marie felt a quick trembling run all over her Oh HOh she breathed Jules never told me he had taken up his fathers father's work You know him then this artist Jules Yes she answered stepping down from the dias where she posed Let me see please Tom gave her the small figurine as if it were something precious Look at the ile pose he said Look at the old womans woman's face Isn't she wonderful and beautiful In character Id I'd like to meet her You shall murmured Marie in ina ina ina a low voice and added I must stay away from home for years before I discover from a stranger how fine my mother is Come we can catch the evening train I I Snow SnowS lay thick on that I Christmas eve Bright lights shone I t t 1 g li liL IJ o V u L I Oh HOb She Breathed Jules Never Told Me from the houses The mount mountains ins were dark with purple shadows Two figures walked along the squeaking snow How could you have left len all this for lor an ugly city Marie The girl answered nothing She hurried faster laster and her heart beat furiously I cannot wait walt to get there she thought Over there she said aloud is the Gareau home and now here we come to our house Hurry hurry They pushed through the g gate te they entered the house without knocking A huge fire blazed on the hearth Singing and dancing filled the low room Marie pulled her friend t towards wards a slight figure sitting in a chair Th This is is ismy ismy ismy my mother she said At once the room was in Inan an up up- roar People flocked about the new guests all talking together kissing Marie Maric laughing and shouting But Tom Santos bent low over Madame La Farges Farge's hand Im proud and happy to know you Yes Yes Yes- looking at her critically Gareau is a genius Marie with a new light and radiance radiance radi radio ance about her next pulled him to toa toa toa a tall young man standing by the fire tire And this is Jules she site explained explained explained ex ex- simply Jules Gareau The two men shook hands Please please all o of you she cried be quiet The room fell into silence I have been away a long while began the girl But I am am home Rome again I have neglected you all but chiefly my family But now now on Christmas eve I come to tomy tomy my senses and you Her lovely smile encircled them all Mother the figurine which Jules carved of of you brought me back I could not wait for then I knew v how Id I'd missed you A murmur of pleasure ran ran about the room room Jules her voice faltered blushes rose in her cheeks checks are you still She could not fin fin- ish The tall handsome young man as asif asif asif if in a dream strode close to herNo her herNo herNo No Marie Im I'm not married Ive I've waited so long for you And then uproar rose again They danced They feasted And Marie sat close to her mother and looked and looked at that kind strong forgiving forgiving for for- or- or giving face And all the children fell asleep and were waked up again and Marics Maric's Maries Marie's Ma Marie's Maries Ma- Ma ries rie's father roared d with laughter Thus Marie La Farge came back backo to o the village of t tand and J Jules les |