The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-07-29
A Story for Ch!ldfen.

The sun was going down upon Flor
ence as she sat with her mother upon
the verandah, and her face was sad,
though the sunlight fell upon it. -'''h
"Mother, / am sorry that / ever had
anything to do with Mary Arlington
~" Why 50, my child ?"
Because she only uses my kindness
for her selfishness.- L have helped her
in her lessons, and / got her of when
she was in trouble with her teacher,
Miss Atkins, and you know that let
Miss Atkins think that 1 broke the
rules, rather than that she should be
exposed. And she never thanked me.
And / know that she says hateful
things about me, behind my back. I
am tired of being kind to her, and get
ting nothing for it but her selfishness.p
We'll, my child, did you act kindly
for the sake of getting something back
for it? Ought We not to act generously
for our own sake, even more than 9TH
ers' sake?"
81 don't see any use in being gener-
Gus, when it only makes people worse.n
"But our Master says: If you love
them that love you, what reward (Or
merit) have We? Do not even the pub
licans SOP 1t is very pleasant to re-
ceive kindness for kindness. But no
one is acting as a Christian that is not
willing to show kindness and self-deni-
al to those who are ungrateful and sell
fish," ef. ..,..-,
Nothing more was said at this time.
Florence had the matter upon her heart
all the evening, and was glad when
bedtime come, that she might sleep Oft
her troubles. .--a t-.
She soon fell asleep and began to
dream. Now Dreamland is Fairyland.
All manner of queer people are NOV
ing about in dreamland, and very re-
markable things happen there. Flor
ence had gone to sleep without shut.
ting her chamber window, and the
wind must have been q little cool for
she dreamed that the snow lay upon
the ground. And she saw man with
large bag slung diagonally across his
breast sowing some kind of seeds. IL
seemed very strange to her to see him
casting seed in snow, and so she dream
ed she asked him, Will the seed come
up in the snow?'
When he heard her, he turned his
o
farmer with so noble a countenance.
His eyes were large and sad, and yet
there was look in them of calm hope
fulness.
ave sow our grass seed upon the
snow, in hopes that by and by the snow
will melt, and then the seed, sprouted
by its moisture, will come up" And
then fixing his eyes gently upon her,
as if he would mark the effect Of his
words he said: ,"They who in this
world would sow seeds of goodness
must do as we farmers do, and often
SOW upon the bosom of snow" She
awoke-sO painfully did his voice sound
i'm her ears. Rising she closed the
window, and again fell asleep.l
In short time she began dreaming
more strangely than before.
She thought that she saw . poor wo-
man who was living upon q hard and
rocky ground, trying to plant thereon
some flower seeds. But every time she
opened her hand the wind seemed to
puff them away. At length, when her
seed were almost gone, Florence
thought that what had seemed to be
the wind looked like birds, and little
by little they changed to beautiful
spirits and she saw that they caught
in their hands the seed that would have
fallen on the rock and threw it upward;
and the seed seemed to fly up and up
till it was gone out of sight. i
While she stood looking up she
thought that the skies opened; and she
looked through, and saw those beauti-
full spirits planting the very seeds that
had been cast forth out of the palsied
hand of the poor woman. No sooner
did they touch the ground than they
sprang up in all manner of beautiful
flowers more beautiful hundred
times than any lilies or roses or jessa-
mines that she had ever seen on earth.
As she stood admiring the wonder
full sight, she turned and saw the very
same person by her side that had been
sowing grass seed ON the snow. But
now he was clothed radiantly, as If the
brightest clouds had been made into
garments, and his face, that was beau
tiful before, seemed more beautiful than
all the flowers. Then he looked very
kindly upon her, and said, "My dear
child, do you not see that only here
and there seed fell to the ground and
came up, but all the rest went on, and
were planted in heaven? So it is with
kindness among men. The earth
catches few only of the seeds of kind
ness sown, but all the rest go through
and are planted i'm Heaven. And so
nothing good is ever lost" ..t,gf...
AT this he laid his hand upon her
head, and such thrill ran through her
body that she sprung, and awoke. Her
mother it was who had touched her,
saying, "Come, Florence, it is morn
ing. The birds are calling. Come"