TRUE STORIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. r.Y MRS. DANIEL .NLXCI'HERSUN, Author of ''Quebec and its Vicinity^' '' Olu Memories: Amnsiif^ an J Ifistoncal. ' * > . « ^ * MONTRKAF, : PRINTED EOR Till': AUTHOR. • •■ • « * « • « ' • « • . « TRUE STORIES I'lR YOUNG PEOPLE Tin: ju:ax cakk. In (»nc (jf the most lovch' parts of Spain, on a road skirtiiK^ the cdc^c of the wood, journeyed a lady and c;entlcnKin and Httle cliild. Con- trary to custom tliey \\ ere traveling unattended, for in these mountain fcistnessos there dwelt a band of robbers \vl;o lived In tiic caverns, and concealed in its deep recesses, safe from pur- suit b\- the intricate r(jads leadin'j- to them, and even then only known to the initiated, issued out unexpectedl}- on tlie unwar}- traveller, and robbed him mercilessly of everythini;- \aluable. If he had plenty of cash witli him and did not resist, he was sometimes permitted to (^o after liis pockets had been thoroughly cleaned out 4 . , TRUE STORIES but if he fought for his h'fe he generally lost it, and, worse fate sometimes still, he was, if known to be very wealthy, carried off to the mountain fastnesses, and there kept in suffering and terror until large sums of money were paid as ransom. Therefore travelers were generally accompanied by an armed escort, and it was a rare sight to see a carriage alone with only a couple of inmates driving over this lonely road. The explanation of the matter was due to the fact that the gentleman, an officer in the army, had almost outstayed his leave of absence, and was hurrying on to join his regiment, and so, despite the entreaties of his wife, he would not delay for the diligence with its guard, but trusting to the humble appearance of his vehicle (his valuables being in great part left to follow him), he started on his way, from which, alas ! he should never return. For a time all went well. The weather was glorious, it was the springtime of the year when bud and blossom were bursting into bloom ; the note of the wild birds as they answered each other on this mountain height, the rippling sound of running water in this vast solitude, all FOR YOUNC J 'I. OP I.E. 5 combined to form a delightful adjunct to the pleasure of swift driving over a soft turf road, and the countess was just beginning to feel that perhaps they might after all reach the town of I\I , now not many miles distant, when little Carlos, about seven years of age, clapped his liands in childish glee, as he called out to his father to look at the two splendidly dressed gentlemen coming towards them on prancing steeds. When alas ! all was changed. *'Ah! me," cried the countess frantically, though with a low voice, to her husbanc! *' Here are the bandits. Oh ! my husband, offer no resistance, I beseech you, to these fearful men ; give them all, promise them anything, what matters what we lose if only I retain dear little Carlos and yourself." " My Mercedes," he answered, " have faith in our horses and myself. I will feign to give in, then, while they dismount to rob us, a sharp cut of the whip will send our steeds flying, and before they can over- take us will be met by the guards stationed about here every few miles, and who at the sound of shots will come to our assistance. In vain his wife remonstrated, he would not be con- 6 TRUE STORir.S vinccd, and as tlicsc men in \\\C\x ^^ori^cous dress (pickin^^s from many a rich si^^nor) ai)- proached, the count i)r(.pared to .ict out the plan he had spoken of. At the cr\' to halt he did so instantiv, but at the moment each dis- mounted he t^avc a skishin^Li; cut to the liorses, who started off full speed, to be stoppctl in a moment, however. b\- the rinyin:;- shots fired simultaneously at the count and the horses, who fell dead almost instantlx , and in the death strugijle of the horses the carriage went over a slight precipice, and Countess Z fell out in a dead faint, though otherwise unhurt, while the little boy, terrihed to silence, clung to the cur- tain of the chaise. The robbers had but time to collect tlieir booty when shouts in the dis- tance and an ad\'ancing cavalcade proclaimed tlie advent of the gu:ird, summoned b}' the noise of the shots; but on arriwil r.o traces of the men or the little bo\' could be seen, only the form of the countess hincr c^n the ijreen sward beneath. 'I heir pursuit \\as \,iin. All that could be done was to raise the form of the unhappy lady and c.irr\' her where medical aid could be obtained at ^I . The)' knew^ JVR YOCXG rEOVLE. 7 notliinc,' of the loss of the child for weeks, for the fright and shock had brought on brain fever, and wlicn she recovered it was to find lierself bereft of husband and chiKl, and rendered so weak she could do little to unravel the s:cret of her child's disappearance. And now let us see what became of poor little Carlos. Terrified to death lie was almost insen- sible when snatched up by one of tlic robbers, who leaped on his horse and galloped off in haste to escape arrest through the bridal path in the mazes of a thick wood, the roa I doubling here and there and intersected bv cross roads to avoid detection. The rapid motion and cool evening air caused our poor little her*) to fall into a deep slumber, out of which he was roused by the ranid talk in a loud forei'^n toniruc of excited men gloating over the proceeds of their theft from the count, l-'ortunately amazement kept him dumb for awhile and fear paralyzed speech, for he lay (unnoticed by the majority) on a bed of rich rugs piled in the corner of the large cavern, which was the home of the band, and it was not by any means an uncomfortable home. A huge, lofiy cavern, one chamber lead- S TRUE STORIES ing into another to the number of four or five ; rich carpets on the ground, vessels of silver and t;old, in profusion, a table spread with fine uines and provisions, all spoils from the unfor- tunates who had been their victims. At last the gani; dispersed, and one Pietro, a rather mild-looking man, came up to the terrified child, and, bringing him some milk, cake and fruit, in soothing words bade him not to be afraid, but cat and lie would take care of him, that is if he did not annoy the others by cries and use- Jess complaints. He then went out, assembled tlh- gang and made this proposition, that he should give them his share of the booty, and they in return let him have the little boy as his child, lie said he was 'getting in ill-health, and wanted some one to wait upon him. The men laughed, said they much preferred his share of the money to a bothersome brat like that. So Pietro returned triumphant to Carlos, and devoted him- self to making the child happy and contented. It was a difficult task, but fear as well as kindness combined to produce an outward seeming of acquiescence in his lot, and, except for the absence of his beloved parents, Carlos might in- roK Yoriw; people. 9 :ay on nice!)', and a small bundle, put in a ])a- ready to be slunc:^ on his .shoulders, contain in;^^ the dress he woi'e when captvred, anti some fooel, and without waitiiv^^ for even '^- jod-bye to dart into the fi^rest and never cea^e r inning;- till he _L;ot into the hii;h road, and walk on as near the cit\-as his stren^'th would pei-mit, hidinc;-, if obli;^^ed to rest, in the liollow ofsomc tree or rock, and when he reached the town of Af to ])I.iy his accordion at the house doors or in the street till he saw some jniard or kind-lookin.^y person to whom he Could tell Ids st(jry and ask to be conducted to his in-and father's palace, which wa.s situated in the town of M . •'I will bid )ou c;-ood-bye now, dear little Carlos," said the dyiuf.^ man ; "you will pray for mc sometimes, that God ma>' for-ive me the ill I have done and take me to Himself." At l.ist with sobs and thanks poor little Carlos received and i)romised to follow these directions, and it was ai^reed that when Pietro lifted up his hand ycA' yoL'xVG ri:on !\ \t and pointed touards licavcn, Carlos was to start witliout a moment's dclax*, for llicii I'ictro would know he was dyinc;and n(^ time was to be lost. A few days after, just as the roi)l)ers were rcstinc: after tlieir midda/ meal and seekinij; coohicss from the heat of a sultry aflernoon^ J'ictro made him the si;^!! and pointed to a tree wlicre In's little hai: ^vas concealed, h'ear lent wincrs to his feet, as lie thouc^ht what woulil be his lot after his patron's death, ami tin- hope of sccinj:^ his dear i)arents a^ain urt;ed him on so swittl}' that before his absence was remarked he had already gained the hii^li road, when a countryman !;oin«:T [n with milk to a fcU-m house a C(nij)le of nn'les outside of the city ('fferetl him a lilt ])art of the wa}'. So after an hour's rest, some food and a liberal cup of nn'lk he was so refreshed he found himself actually at the suburbs of the city just as ni;^ht w.is fallini^; but h: did not rest, mindful of what I'ietro told him, that lie must i;et on to the q-rand part of M , where the houses of the nobility were. So he tiauh^ed on and on till, (juite exhausted, he lax- down on the steins of a splcnditl mansion and there fell fast .i-,Ieep. ^2 TRUE STORIES It was a lovely evening in M , a fine moon shed a soft radiance on the handsome antique buildings, and with its mellow rays softened the ravages of time on many of the ancient houses. In one of the grandest of the palaces belonging to a very old family sat a party of ladies and gentle- j-nen gaily chatting with the young members of the fimil)' and their little friends, assembled for tie enjoyment of Old Christmas, as the 6th of January was called, or Bean Cake Day, or, as the J^Vench call it, Jour des Rois^ commemorative of the visit of the Eastern Kings to Our Blessed Saviour. By a large table encircled with chil- th^en of both sexes and all ages sat the old grandfather and his wife, dealing out slices of line sugar-frosted cake, each recipient hoping •that he or she might be the fortunate one to find pea or bean concealed in its sweet recesses, and thus become king or queen of the evening. All was merriment till a stifled sob and heavy sigh was heard, when old Count Z turning to his wife said : " Poor Mercedes, how she must suffer to-night. It would have been almost better if the children had been -deprived of their cake rather than that the FOK YOUNG P/iOPLE. IJ unhappy wife and mother should be reminded by this feast of the days of her lost golden- haired little darling, who always had such delight when he saw the big cake brought in.'" " Well," answered his aged lady, " it is sad enough for us to have had one dear son shot as he was, but she has double grief: not only the loss of her husband, but the uncertain fate of her son, that troubles her more than anything. But when I proposed that we would not celebrate ies Rois this year she would not hear of it. She only made one request, namely : that any beggar asking charity to-day should have a slice of the cake, that some might be made happy for her dear child's sake, and also in hopes that some wayfarer may chance to bring tidings of her boy." And sadly the grandparents looked at their daughter-in-law as, in deepest black and the most profound melancholy on her countenance, she looked out of the window at some distance from them. Presently they saw her arise as she noticed a commotion in the hall, and the page entered, holding by the hand a small boy, dirty, tired, his hair bearing signs of great neglect and almost hiding a pale little face, bewildered at the •»4 'JKil-: .STORIES .sudden li\i;ht and grand conipan\'. '' Si, signer," said the valet, bringing forward tlic boy to the old gentleman. "Countess Mercedes ordered lliat all the poor who passed your gates to-day should be given a sliare of the great cake, and as 1 found this poor little one asleep on the door step I brought him for it." The old gentleman handed him a luige slice of cake, but, instead of taking it, the child glanced from one to tlie other, then darting off to where Countess ^lercedes sat, he threw himself at her feet and burst into tears. Amazed at this con- duct all rushed to the spot, and, after many inquiries as to the cause of this behavior, elicited the following answer : "Oh, excuse me, but tin's lady put me so in mind of my mamma, and that old gentleman and lady of my dear grandpa- rents." ]\Iuch interested, he liegan the narrative, but dimly remembered, of his father's death and his capture, when with frenzied excitement poor Countess ]\I said, " Your name, quick, your name." " Carlos Z ," lie said, and uncover- ing the bag he showed his little velvet dress and ribbons, always kept as a means of identification by the kind Pietro. In an instant he was clasped lOK YOiW'G J'/.OPJ./:. »5 in Cnuiitcss M 's arms; yes, despite dirt and iati;^nie and a }'ear's miserable absence, his mother ree')L;-ni/ed him at once. I leave \'ou to ima<^ine liie transformation \vhen a liot batli had sootlicd his tired liinl s, handsome i^armcnts rcplacinci^rags lie rctuiTied t(; the dininc;- hall and was proudly- placed in ihe Uean Kinc;'s seat. AH did him liomau-c, c-ladK^ \-ieldin''; their own fancies to his slightest w i-^h, so glad once more to welcome their favorite though long-lost com[)anion. The reco- very uf her darling son aroused his mother from her melancli()lv". It restored her once more to happiness, and tliough .she could ne\\:r forget her tlear husband when tem[)ted to hide her grief, she consoled herself with the reflection that her hus- band had died without pain and in the discharge of his duty. Their sufferings were not in vain, fur the return of Carlos enabled the authorities to find the hiding [)lace of the bandits, who were all captured, and thus travellers could go on their way thereafter unmolested. i6 TRUE STORIES THE RAPPINGS ON THE WALL, A lACT. About twenty years ago, a lady with her family moved, in the bleak month of May, inta a house near Mount Pleasant, Quebec, a very short distance from the new P^lorence hotel. This street, nearing the St. John toll-gate, may well be called Mount Pleasant, as evervwhere from the rear of the houses on the left hand going out is the view of the lovely heights of Charlesbourg and Lorette, with the mountains in the distance. It was most unfortunate that ]\Irs. C, as we will call her, should have been persuaded that, having given up her late resi- dence and taken her present house, she was obliged to move, and against her better judg- ment, as her boys had the scarlet fever, though they were most warmly wrapped in blankets* FOR YOUNC PEOPLE. \^ she unfortunately made the move that proved so disastrous, her dading Httle H. caught cold, and, after a few weeks' illness, died in the new residence. Previous to this, however — in f ict, from the first day of occupation — knockings were heard precisely similar to the sounds produced by tacking down carpets, and though these rap- pings continued for an unusual time, no regard was paid to them until the lapse of some weeks, when Mr. C, we will call him, said to his wife, " What in the world can be the cause of these raps ; they cannot be putting down carpets forever next door, and do you notice what a hollow, groaning sound precedes the raps?" "Yes," Madame C. said, "I am beginning to think it very curious myself." However, all conjecture was soon lost in the absorbing grief caused by the death of their darling little Harry, and was only brought to notice again when Mrs. C. one day called her little housemaid and asked her to sit with her little son D., recovering, but so deeply grieving over his brother's loss. But little Sarah said—" Oh ! ma lame, dear, you know I 1 8 TRUE STORlEii would like to do anything for you, especially at this time, you are in su:h sorrow ; but you know I can't go and stay in that room on account of the raps." " What raps ? " Mrs. C- said, pretending perfect ignorance, not to frighten the girl unduly. " What do you mean ? " " Sure, ma'am," was the answer, " my- self and the cook and Miss Mary and the other children hears them all the time though we sleep upstairs, and nothing in the world would tempt me to stay five minutes in the room next that wall, though 1 would like to do anything for the little ciarh'ng ill there." Here was a fine state of aff'airs, of which Mrs. C. understood the full importance. Unless an explanation were oft"ered soon, her servants would probably leave, her children become frightened, and the famil}' would be obliged to leave the house ; but having been brought up by a very wise father to investigate matters before superstitiously ascribing to them a super- natural agency, she determined to sift the matter to the bottom, and, accordingly, called the next day on her neighbor, detailed all the cii'^-'-iiiiyt-^^nces, and as|