The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1842-04-26
:
Il II L Il e A RO S E.
BY MRS. IL. e. BEECHER STOWE.
PARTI
PART I.

swept down on either side oft, and around it gilt
teied every rare and fanciful trine that wealth
offer TO luxury, and yet the simple rose was the
fairest Of them all. So pure il Iooked--its white
leaves touched with that delicious creamy lint, pc
cuar its kind, its cup full so perfect, its head
bending as if il were sinking and melting away in
its own richuess-oh when did man make
any thing like the living perfect flower.
But the sunlight that sreamcd through the VIM
dow relieved something fairor than the rose. Re-
clined on Ottoman in deep recess and intent
y engaged with book, lay what seemed the Inv
ing counterpart Of that so lovely flower The
check pale, spiritual the face so full Of high
thought, the long ,downcasl ashes, and the express
sion oil the beautiful mouth, sonowful, yet SO
subdued and sweet-it seemed like The picture of
a dream
ACKNOWLEDGMENT" echoed merry and mu
steal voice in n sweet tone Turn your head rea
der and you will see dark and sparkling maiden +,
the very model of some little wilful elf, born Of
mischief and motion, with dancing eye, foot
that scarcely seemed to touch the carpet, and n
smile so multiplied by dimples, that it seemed
like thousand smiles at once. "Come Florence,
| say" said The little fairy, "put down that wise,
good, excellent volume, and talk with poor little
mortal - come descend from your cloud,my dear
The fair appartion thus abured, obeyed, and,
looking up revealed just the eyes you expected 10
beneath such llds eyes deep, pathetic and rich
a strain Of sad music.
| Il say, cousin, said the 'darke adyc,' I've been
thinking what you are 10 do with your pet rose,
when you 60 To New York--as 10 our great con.
|
be sad pity leave it with such scatter brain
as am l do love flowers, that's a fact that Is, l
like regular boquet, cut of and tied up to carry
| TO a party; but all this tending aud fussing
! that is necessary to keep them growing, I've no
gifts in that line
make yourserq quite easy as 10 that, Kate, said
Florence with a smile. 'lvc no Intention of call
ing upon your talents; have asy lum for my ia
vorite.'
ooh! then you know just what was going TO
say; Mrs. Marshall presume has been speaking TO
! you; she was here yesterday and was very pa
thetic upon tho subject, telling her the loss your
| fayorite would SUSTAIN aud SO forth, aud she said
how delighted she would be TO have it in her
green house it is in such fine state now, so full
o! buds. tuld her knew you woald like, &C all
things 10 give il TO her; you We're always so fond
| Of Mrs. Giarshall, you know
May, Kate I'm sorry, but have otherwise en-
gagged IT.
ooh, only of my odd iancies.
tBut do tell me, Florence
| well, cousin, you know the little pale girl to
whom we give sewing.
That is Just of piece, Florence, with your other
| molberly, old maidish ways-dressing dolls for
poor children, making caps, aud knitting socks Tor
all the little dirty babies in the region round about.
do believe that you have made more calls in
those vile, ill>smelhng alleys back oil our house
than ever you have in Chestnut street, though you
know every body has been half dying to see you;
and to crown all, you must give this choice
little bIjou seamstress girl, when one of your
mos. intimate friends would value 1t so highly
What in the world can people in their crcumsian
ces want of howers%
sJust the Same that do, replied Fl6re nee calm
~. sHave you never noticed that the little girl
never comes here without looking wistfnlly at the
opening buds? and don't you remember the morn
ing when she asked me 50 preitily it would let
her mother come and see it, she was so fond of
lowers?'
But, Florence, only think of this flower
standing table with ham, eggs, cheese, and
ef,A AI fhn nlnca thar
Mrs. Stephens and her daughter manage to wash;
iron, cook, and nobody knows what besides
We'll, Kate, and il were obliged to live in one
! coarse room, and wash, iron, end cook, as you say
if had 10 spend every moment OF my time in
hard toll, with no prospect from my window but
brick side walk dirty lane, such flower as
this would be untold pleasure to me
sPshaw, Flurence-all sentlment; poor people
have no Tune to be sen tmental; besides, l don't
think il will grow with them--tis G -een house
flower and used to delicate living
Oh, as 10 that, flower never inquiries whether
its owner be rich poor: and Mrs. Stephens hat
ever else she has not, has sunshine of as good a
quality as thatthat streams through our window
The beautiful things that God makes are the gift OF
all alike. You will see that my little rose will be
as w ell and as merry in Mrs Stephens room as in
ours
sWell, after all, how odd! When gives to
poor people, one wants to give them something
useful-a bushel OF potatoes or a ham TOR example,
'Why, certainly, potatoes and ham must be had:
but having minisered TO the first and most craving
wants why add any little pleasures gra,ifica
lions that we may have il in our power to give
know that there many of the poor who have
fine feelings and keen sense of the beautiful,
which rusIs out and dies because they too hard
pressed TO procure It one qualification Poor Mrs.
Stephens for example; l know she would enjoy
birds, and flowers, and music as much as do. l
have seen her eve kindle she looked on these
things in our drawing room, and YET not one beau>
tfu Thing can she command. From necessity her
room, her clothing, all that she has. must be coarse
nd W.
ture that she and Mary felt when offered them
my rose
Dear mel all this may be true, but never tho
Of it before L mover thought that these hard work
ing people had any idea oftaste'
Then why do you SO often the gerannm or
rose carefully nnrsed in old cracked teapot in
tho poorest room, the morning glores planted
in box and made TO Irvine around the window
Do not all these show how every human heart
yearns after the beautiful You remember how
Mary, our washerwoman sat up whole night af-
ter hard days work, that she might make her