Chapter I: Front Matter

Our Little Polish Cousin

THE

Little Cousin Series

(TRADE MARK)

Each volume illustrated with six or more full-page plates in
tint. Cloth, 12mo, with decorative cover,
per volume, 60 cents

LIST OF TITLES

BY MARY HAZELTON WADE

(unless otherwise indicated)

=Our Little African Cousin=
=Our Little Alaskan Cousin=
By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet
=Our Little Arabian Cousin=
By Blanche McManus
=Our Little Argentine Cousin=
By Eva Canon Brooks
=Our Little Armenian Cousin=
=Our Little Australian Cousin=
By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet
=Our Little Belgian Cousin=
By Blanche McManus
=Our Little Bohemian Cousin=
By Clara V. Winlow
=Our Little Brazilian Cousin=
By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet
=Our Little Brown Cousin=
=Our Little Canadian Cousin=
By Elizabeth R. MacDonald
=Our Little Chinese Cousin=
By Isaac Taylor Headland
=Our Little Cuban Cousin=
=Our Little Danish Cousin=
By Luna May Innes
=Our Little Dutch Cousin=
By Blanche McManus
=Our Little Egyptian Cousin=
By Blanche McManus
=Our Little English Cousin=
By Blanche McManus
=Our Little Eskimo Cousin=
=Our Little French Cousin=
By Blanche McManus
=Our Little German Cousin=
=Our Little Grecian Cousin=
By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet
=Our Little Hawaiian Cousin=
=Our Little Hindu Cousin=
By Blanche McManus
=Our Little Hungarian Cousin=
By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet
=Our Little Indian Cousin=
=Our Little Irish Cousin=
=Our Little Italian Cousin=
=Our Little Japanese Cousin=
=Our Little Jewish Cousin=
=Our Little Korean Cousin=
By H. Lee M. Pike
=Our Little Mexican Cousin=
By Edward C. Butler
=Our Little Norwegian Cousin=
=Our Little Panama Cousin=
By H. Lee M. Pike
=Our Little Persian Cousin=
By E. C. Shedd
=Our Little Philippine Cousin=
=Our Little Polish Cousin=
By Florence E. Mendel
=Our Little Porto Rican Cousin=
=Our Little Portuguese Cousin=
By Edith A. Sawyer
=Our Little Russian Cousin=
=Our Little Scotch Cousin=
By Blanche McManus
=Our Little Siamese Cousin=
=Our Little Spanish Cousin=
By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet
=Our Little Swedish Cousin=
By Claire M. Coburn
=Our Little Swiss Cousin=
=Our Little Turkish Cousin=

L. C. PAGE & COMPANY
53 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass.

OUR LITTLE POLISH COUSIN

By Florence E. Mendel

Illustrated by Harriet O'Brien

Boston
L. C. Page & Company
_MDCCCCXII_

_Copyright, 1912_
BY L. C. PAGE & COMPANY
(INCORPORATED)

_All rights reserved_

First Impression, April, 1912

_Electrotyped and Printed by
THE COLONIAL PRESS
C. H. Simonds & Co., Boston, U.S.A._

TO
My Husband Edward

Preface

THERE is no doubt whatever but that every little girl and every little boy has heard of the country of Poland, and of its inhabitants the Polacks, or Poles, as you hear them more often spoken of. But there are countless numbers of these same children, I fear, who have not the slightest idea where Poland lies, except in a most vague way; nor how the people live, what they eat, what their pleasures and enjoyments are, and how they dress. Of course, you say at once, "Why, they eat the same things we do; every one eats meat and vegetables, and drinks milk or coffee," but right there you are mistaken. The nations of other lands do _not_ live as we do, for we are the most extravagant nation in the whole world; indeed, other peoples cannot afford to live like us, for most of them are extremely poor; so poor and ignorant, as applied to Polacks, that it would make your heart ache to see them in their homes; they know very little of happiness, and comfort is a thing unknown to them, except for the wealthy, landed class. But these Polish peasants never think of complaining of their lot. They accept it as their fate, to which they were born; and, with light hearts, they make the best of their surroundings and their holidays; and I believe they derive more real pleasure from their infrequent play-days than we are able to do every day in our blessed, happy lives.

The story of Poland, like the story of every other nation, is not dry and dull. It is intensely interesting. It reads like a fairy-tale, and I am certain you will agree with me after you have finished this little volume. I can but hope it will give you a better and clearer understanding of the life of the Polacks, not only as to the rich, but to the poor.

Contents

CHAPTER PAGE
PREFACE vii
I. THE ORIGIN OF POLAND 1
II. THE ARRIVAL AT THE DWÓR 10
III. THE SENDING OF THE OPLATKI 23
IV. CHRISTMAS AT THE DWÓR 35
V. THE VISIT TO THE GAILY PAINTED COTTAGE 56
VI. CARNIVAL SEASON 77
VII. THE VILLAGE WEDDING 99
VIII. THE ORPHANAGE IN THE WOODS 111
IX. WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THE BROTHERS DISAGREED 124
X. THE HARVEST FESTIVAL 139

List of Illustrations

PAGE
MARYA OSTROWSKA _Frontispiece_
"HENRYK LEANED DOWN AND KISSED THE HAND OF THE LITTLE FELLOW" 14
"THE LITTLE ONES THREW QUANTITIES OF SMALL COINS" 49
"THE PROCESSION FORMED, THE MARCH BEGINS TO THE CHURCH" 79
"SHE WAS BUNDLED INTO THE VILLAGE CART" 103
"HER HEART WAS BEATING FASTER AND FASTER" 137

Our Little Polish Cousin