Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1858-09-30

beautiful, big, red flower bud on my pref
ty rose bush F; come and see my flower
bud"
Taking the little white fingers of the
pretty prattler within my own, / hurried
out to look at this wonderful creation
The sun was sending his bright messen-
ger to bear the dew upward for his royal
breakfast and heaven was as brightly
beautifully blue as only heaven a be-
Showers of music rained from the tremu
lous leaves the birds were all back from
the sunny South. Why should they wish
to change those fruit laden trees for my
barren little garden?
+" And where is the flower bud 2"
A dimpled finger pointed, and two such
eager sparkling eyes al looked up into
my own / have seen smiles wreathing
many a fair face but never II that
seemed such q reflex from the angels as
that nesting upon her innocent lips.
Sure enough there was q flower bud,
low down on its stunted stem. The
grass brushed it bright with its tender
tips the little ~coquettish leaves folded
about it, as if to keep harm away, and
now a steady hand lovingly touched its
velvet cheek, YET r%everently, as if half
afraid that vision would melt.
" Isn't it SO pretty !? oh | isn't it the
prettiest thing you ever did see mamma?"
said the sweet child, throwing back the
soft curls that shaded her vision.
Mot quite SO beautiful as my flower
bud" | replied, kissing her fair brow"
why, mamma, there ISM another
rose bush here what do you mean by
your flower bud =? oh l know" and she
broke out into one of her silvery musical
laughs you mean my own self I'm
your flower bud, but | amt so pretty as
this darling little thing"
"And will it be a whole flower to-mor-
row, mamma, q whole, bright red flower?
And may it be mine, my own, mamma
may | cut it off the bush (? say, won't it
be a big rose in the morning that smells
ever SO sB Get 2"
eyes, love- [ answered, it will be q
full blown rose in the morning, and you
shall have it. Mother planted it when
her little Mary was very small-and
called it Mary's rose bush. She has
watched and tended it with the greatest
care just as she has tended her little life
blossom, and for four years they have
both grown together. So you shall have
the flower and every n that grows
there"
| "Oh, pretty flower bud |" exclaimed
the little angel, clapping her small hands,
|"PIl have you in the morning" and then
she touched the petals again, gave saga
cious, admiring mods at its beauty, and
went dancing around the garden, singing,
my rover bud will be a full blown rose
in the morning"
All day the child thought of nothing
but the flower bud. 1t grew almost
mournfnl to hear her little voice, SO con
t~inually prattling about that senseless
thing. She would wear it in her bosom,
she would place it in her hair, she would
give it now to this, and now to that dear
friend" as
"There! she would put in a glass case
and keep it all her life, she would"
But then reminded her that flowers
would fade, and her rose would not be
pretty after the. color was gone.
The child looked thoughtfully at me,
till | almost shrunk from the wisdom.
written in her wonderful e~yes--those
great, deep, dark eyes, that are bequeath-
ed to childhood. And then, how she
startled me when she said, I'm your
flower bud, mamma, will / fade too 2"
A hundred little plans were formed
and rejected. and when her fair head lay
upon the pillow, and her little prayer had
been said, she startled us all by exelaim-
ing, as fiber final wish was settled" Obi
know what I'll do with my flower bud ;
I'll give it to God"
Some unusual sadness kept me awake
that night. Often | knelt over that idol
lied sleeper, calling her in my heart, my
beautiful flower bud. A strange weight
tell on my spirits when thought of her
last accents. Z a 4i .
90 know what I'll do with my flower
bud, I'll give it to God"
During the night q terrific storm pas
ed over the land but when Mary opened
her eyes in the morning, the sunlight was
beautiful as heaven, and the little birds
peeped in at her window.
But a few moments after she was dres.
sed, she came to me with a slow step
her lips ~quivering, and big tears hanging
on her snowy lids. 9ea I
4" What is the matter, Mary ~ I asked,
as she burst out into a fit of weeping,
sobbing again and again. hat her flower
bud was broken, and there was no rose at
all.
IRent into the garden. All defGeed
the pretty bud lay IN the soft earth the
storm had cruelty beaten it its leaves
were sprinkled with black drops it was
perished-dead. A-I
1t was very long before the child could
be consOled. l told her more would come,
very many more. \
But" said she, looking up with that
portentious glance. " may be I'll be in|
heaven before thea"
Never shall I forget how she looked
with the tears glittering on her cheeks /;
l feel the chill presentiment Of that mo-
ment-call it what you will, pass through
me now. 19 348NA i
1t was only The next day that our angel
lay In her little bed through the long
sunny hours. / remember nothing Of my
feelings, save that my every thought was
a prayer of agony, that our only enc
might be spared.