Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1853-02-05
The TranSplanted Lily.
BY FANNY FERN.

FANNY FERN.
They were neat little pallets. One could find no
fault with them, with their snowy sheets and mosaic
quilts of patchwork In each was d little homeless,
houseless orphan, taken in for shelter. Mss BetSey
had been the rounds, and each little head duly de-
posted its pillow. very nice, particular, proper
person, was Miss Betsey The "Board of Directors"
said SO, and Miss Betsey thought herself Her hair
smooth her tongue, and her kerchief starch
ed stiff as her manners. Not one of those little
vagrant hands would have thought of touching that
immaculate calico dress. She had heard them all say
their prayers listened at the door see if any of them
dared break the rule that forbade their speaking,
and went down to a comfortable dish of tea and hot
butered mulfns satisfied that she had ministered to
every want of their childish natures temporal and
spiritual Blind Miss Betsey There are depths even
in child's soul yours cannot iathom
A little head is cautiously raised from its pillow
The eyes that look slow around upon those sleeping
forms large and dark and sorrowiul Hot tears fall
thick and fast upon the clasped hands. "Mother
Mother ~ is wrung from little heart too young to
bear its weight of grief unshared; and the little head
falls back again in helpless, hopeless misery, on the
pillow Lily closes her eyes, but she is not asleep
Mono. She sees form, langud and emaciated,
stretched upon dying bed she feels the soft touch of
dear hand her forehead; large mournlnl eyes fol-
Neutrality-suspicious. her. sleeping or waking A
sweet, low voice fingers ever in her ear-'GOd pro-
tect my orphan child!
Miss Betsey has told Lily that He has done it-hat
she ought to be very thankful she in such nice in
suton; that if she is good she shall live out to
service day, with good lady; and Lily pushes
back the thick hair with her delicate hand, and Won
ders what going out to service means; and Miss
Betscy takes the long curls she has clipped from her
head and throws them ont the Window and asks her
ii she is grateful she has such kind friend her
self! and Lily tries to swallow great lump IN her
throat that like to choke her, and says, '1 es,
maam,' while she forces back to their source the
large that gathering under her eyelds. Then
she looks at the unbendng prim figure OF Miss Betsy,
and wonders she ever a little girl and did her
mother die, and leave her all-au alone and she
feels as if she must throw herself on somebody neck
and ask them to love her. And then she looks again
at Miss Betsey, but the quick instinct of childhood
says-"No! no not there ~ and then she wonders
what makes all the children there seem like grOl0n
people, and why they tremble if they tumble down or
drop book by accident, and why they eat less and
less every day of their little soup dinners and what
makes her head dizzy when she tries to knit; and
then she wonders if Heaven is great way off, and
how long will be before she gets there; and then her
overcharged heart can restrain itself no longer amid
those voceess silent seepers, but finds vent in long
, long, bitter cry of anguish.
"Miss Betsey' comes up, and tells her she is every
naughty break the rules and Lily says, amid heI
sobs that she "wants to go to heaven with her mann
maj and Miss Betsey asks, ''if mamma belonged to
the church I" and Lily thinks no; and Miss Betsey
shakes her head doubtuy-tell her she hopes she vii
be better than her MOTHER advises her to "say hel
prayers and goes down again to her buttered mullins
"I'm tired of life, Mary said the elegant widow
GRAY. "I'm sick of its hollowness and insncerty-
owe all my friends, YOURSELF to the accidents
wealth and position If heaven had only blessed MI
7 with children Could find one to my mind, I'd adop
t it to-morrow-but it must be poetcal child Mary
g little fragile, delicate spiritual blossom. Wouldn'
it be 10Y watch such mind unfold tself to lister
to all its naiUete original sayings, and teach 1t to low
g me only such a child can love! Where's my bon
/ net! Pm off to the Asylum. That imaginar
oh; IF mil its
/ where"
re "Stay," said her thoughtful friend "Such chill
u as you speak oEshould you find it-requres sklliu
g training No Careless Impractical hand should swee
ar so delicate harp heart with such capacity t
love as you look for, has capacity equally intens
ne for suffering. When you have trained her to habit
Il of luxury and refined her tastes, should you weary
your CHARGE and allow her to fab back upon the gua
ne dianshp Of the rough and and unfeeng, VIII
ID would consider her superiority only fit mark for tn
brutal sheer of coarse jest-spiteui, because ia
We beneath her--what then !"
n ''Oh don't preach Mary Sufficient unto the day
a &c. Where's my hat and shawl" said the mpulsl'
9 woman
sThs is our school-room, Mrs. Gray" said Mi
Betsey. "The children are all very comfortable ar
lie very happy, You see. 1t would be hard for one
Sc them to eaUe me- suppose; but shall say 1T is
lyI the BEST if you find one to your mind.
is, Mrs Gray glanced up and down the long row
~ benches and her artistic eye failed to be favoraby IN
r. pressed with the little cropped heads and bolster-
IS forms swathed up in factory gingham and she W
just about retiring, disappointed when her eye eaug
Of Cheek and her eye Nndled, she stood before her
sd The vigil Of the night previous had exhausted t
rs little creatures her knitting lay upon the noOr
lc small hands had fallen lstlessy on her lap, her ne
resting lovingly the shoulder Of her next nagne,
HE'D On her cheek: her sken hair spite Of Miss b
sy, had formed itself in little rngets about her te
in nles and the careless grace of her attitudes notw
standing her unbecoming dress, was . study ior