Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1850-02-14
From Graham's Magazine.
UNFADING FLOWERS.

AhIty years ago small, OareIoOteu
boy paused to admire the flowers in a
well cultivated garden. The child was
an orphan, and had already felt how hard
the orphans lot. The owner of the gar.
den, who was trimming border, noticed
the lad, and spoke to him kindly.
'Do you love flowers ?" said he.
The boy replied, "Oh, yes. We used
to have flowers in our garden"
The man laid down his knife, and gath
ering few flowers, took them to the fence
through the panels of which the boy was
looking, and handing them to him, said as
he did SO, "Here's nice little bunch for
YOU"
A flush went over the chld's face as he
took the flowers. He did not make any
reply, but in his large eyes, a. he lifted
them to the face Of the man, was an ex-
preston Of thanklulness, TO be read as
plainly as words in a book.
The act, on the part of the man, was
one of spontaneous kindness, and scarcely
thought Of again; but by the child it was
never forgotten.
Years went by, and through toll, pri-
vation and suffering, both in body and
mind the boy grew up to manhood. From
orders like this come forth our most effec-
tive men. If kept free from vicious as
sociates the lad of feeling and mental ac-
tivity becomes ambitious and rises in So
ciety above the common level. So it is
in the case of this orphan boy. He had
few advantages Of education, but such as
offered were well improved. 1t happen
ed that his lot was cast in printing office;
and the young composition soon became in
terested in his work. He did not set the
types as mere mechanic but went be-
yond the duties of his calling, entering in
to the ideas to which he was giving YER
bal expression, and making them his own.
AT twenty-one he was young man of
more than ordinary force of character
At thirty-fve he was the conductor of a
widely circulated newspaper, and man
respected and esteemed by all that knew
him.
During the earnest struggle that all
men enter who are ambitious 10 rise in the
world the thoughts do not often 90 back
and rest meditatively, upon the earlier
time Of life. But after success has crown
ed each welldrected effort, and the gain
ing of a desired position no longer remains
a subject of doubt, the mind often brings
up from the far off past most vivid recol-
lec,ions of incidents and impressions that
were painful or pleasurable at the time,
Va,l,i ,ich
f,uence, more or less decided, upon the
whole after life. In this state of reflec-
tion sat one day the man we have intro
dHeed. .sfier musing for long time,
deeply abs'racted he took up his pen and
wrote hastily y-and these were the SEN
tences he traced upon the paper that lay
before him.
''How indelibly does little act of kind
ness, performed at the right moment, i'm
press itself upon the mind. We meet, as
we pass through the world, SO much of
rude selfishness, that we guard ourselves
against it, and scarcely feel its effects
But spontaneous kindness comes so rare
ly, that we are surprised when it appears,
and delighted and refreshed as by the per-
fume of flowers in the dreary winter
When we were small boy, an orphan,
and with the memory of home forever
lost too vivid in our young heart, man,
into whose beautiful garden we stood
looking, pulled a few flowers and handed
them through the fence, speaking kind
word as he did so. He did not know
now deeply we were touched by this act.
From little boy we loved the flowers
and ere that heaviest aflliction child ev-
er knew-the loss of parents--fell upon
US, we almost lived among them. Blu.
death separated us and all those tender as
soclations and affections, that to the hearts
OF children are like the dew to the tender
grass. We entered the dwelling Of a
stranger, and were treated thencelor,h as
il we had, or ought to have had, no feel
lngs, no hopes, no weaknesses. The
harsh command came daily to our ears !;
and not even for work well done, or faith
ful service, were we cheered by words
of commentator.
"One day-we were not more than
eleven years Of age-something turned
our tho'ts back upon the earlier and hap
pier time when we had true home, and
was loved and cared for. We were once
more in the garden and among the sweet
blossoms as of old, and the mother, on
whose bosom we had slept, sat under the
grape arbor, while we filled her lap with
flowers. There was smile of love on
her dear face, and her lips were parting
with some words Of affection when, to
scatter into nothing these dear images of
the lonley boy, came the sharp command
OF the master, and in obedience we started
to perform some errand of which we have
spoken ; and it was on this occasion, and
while the suddenly di>sipa.ed image of
our mother among the flowers was re-
forming itself in our young Imagination
that the incident to which we have alluded
occurred. We can never forget the CRATE
ful perfume of those flowers, nor the
strength and comfort which the kind
words and manner of the gver impaired
to our fainting spirit. We took them
home, and kept them fresh as long a. wa
ter would preserve their life and beauty;
and when they faded, and the leaves fell
pale and withered, upon the ground, we
grieved for the loss as ii real friend had
been taken away.
''lt is long, long time since that Incl
dent occurred; but the fowers which