Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1870-10-19
THE WHITE LILY.

- Not o. drop more, DdlHeLH'
THE WHITE LILY.
'PIease,' said wistful voice, give me
/ a flower. Tom is so fond of flowers
| Ella Bronson was on her way To a
! friends with a bOquet of choice flowers.
She stopped at this appeal, and looking
] down saw a little, pOOrly-clad girl,
about tweyle years old.
'And who is Tom p asked Ella touch
ed.
/ My little brother. He fell and hurt
his back, and now he can't move him
self; and the doctor says he'll never get
well; and he does wish for flowers so.'
/ Ella hesitated for moment, but only
for moment. To take single flower
from her boquet would spoil it, so per-
| fectly had it been arranged; and it was
for friend, moreover, who was about
to be married But the pleading face
of the child, and the thought of the sick
brother, were more than she could bear.
| She remembered too, the words of
Scripture Tnasmuch as y9 have done it
unto one of the least of these you have
done it unto me- She selected the fin
est flower in the bOquet, large white
! lily, and gave it to the child.
!
| There she said put it in water and it
will keep ever so long, And here she
added, as the girl, with grateful look,
| turned to run away, lis something to
buy few cakes for your brother. Where
do you live?
The child told her, adding, ooh won't
Tom be glad, and then disappeared.
It was not long before the little thing
reached home. It was a hot close room
at the top of the house, looking into a
dirty inelosure behind.
rs that you, Lizzy?' asked a weak
voice. Pm so glad
The speaker was lying on a straw bed
on the floor, and he looked up, smiling
into his sisters face.
See here, TOm,' said the sister, pro-
| ducing the cakes. .'These are the very
kind you like But that's not all, , she
added, triumphantly producing the lily.
| Just look at thisp Toms eyes fairly
glistened with delight. In his eager
ness he half rose in bed, exclaiming,
| iOh what beauty. Where did you
/ get it {? But the eXeTtiOn was too much
| for him, and almost as soon as he had
grasped the bud, he fell back on his
/ bed.
How pure it looks he added, weakly,
after pause, TT makes me think of the
angels. You good, good Lizzyp
See, I'll put it in bottle, said Lizzy
| with some water, and it shall stand on
the floor close by you. But why don't
you eat your cakes y
Tom shut his eyes. i can't LiZzy,'
he said. 4 amt hungry. You must
eat them yourself. I will lie and look
at the flower.
Lizzie was frightened. Tom must be
very bad, she knew, ifhe could not eat
cakes. t
Eat little bit, DEAR she begged.
TT will make you feel better
I don't think I shall ever be BETTER
answered Tom.
The tears rolled down the sisters face.
DON'T talk so, Tom, she sObbed. You
shan't 90. [ can't live without you.
Who will there be to care for me =
Tve been thinking said Tom, grave
Iy, 'and think great deal, lying here,
that when Pm gone, father will be diff
ferent. You know and here he drop
ped his voice, and looked carefully
around, as if to see lest any one should
be listening, you know that father
drinks; and that's why he comes home
so late, and says he can't afford to send
you to school; and why he is so cross;
and why, sometimes, he beats yOu-'
sister. 4 wouldn't mind, if it wasn't
for YOU
But I do mind it Lizzie; and it breaks
my heart to lie here and see it. But,
sometimes I think, when I die, father
will be different. He says he loves me
and it may make him good you see.
What is it the Bible saysY Through
such tribulation.' Yes it is through
such tTibulatiOn, we win the crown.
What was that verse we learned at
school? keep forgetting it. The one
about being tired
'Oh!Iknow,' said Lizzy. Come unto
me all that are weary and heavy laden
and will give you rest.
Come unto me- repeated the brother.
He does not deceive, Lizzie. He will
give US rest. He loves you and me too,
and he will take care of us. He is go
ing to give me rest, up in heaven
But the sister was not to be comfOrted.
Tom was all the world to her. To lose
him was to lose everything.
The day wore on. Night came Tom
lay looking at the lily, and no one
knows how many sweet thoughts it sug-
gested to him. Now and then, his sis
ter stopped in her work, and came to
see ifhe wanted anything. He always
thanked her with sweet smile.
Father is late tonight, he said at last
when the darkness came; and he sigh
ed.
He will be here sOon,' said Lizzy ut
tering words of hope, inwhieh she hard
ly believed herself, TRY to sleep a little,
DEAR
So Tom, at last fell off into doze.
Ten o'clock came, and yet no father.
Worn out with fatigue and anxiety, Liz
zie crept into bed by her brothers. side,
and sank into sleep also.
1t was nearly midnight when the fa-
ther came in. The noise woke Tom up.
He half arose ON his elbow and looked
around. At that moment the moon
emerged from a cloud, and its light,
falling through the window, lit up the
sick boys face with glory as cfl
seraph's.
The father started back, sobered at
once. 1t seemed to him, as if q halo,
direct from heaven, encircled his child's
head.
Father said Tom, wistfully, looking
into his fathers face. She won't have
any one but you, when l am dead. Let
her go to school again, please; she is so
fond of school,
'Oh! my son, my son, interrupted the
penitent father, bursting into tears. !
You will get well yet
Twill never get well, said Tom But |
don't cry father, 1 shall see mother, you
know. And, by-and-by we'll meet !
again. Shan't we? Kiss me, please
and then so to bed or we will wake sis /
ter
The father chOked back his sobs, kiss.
ed the boy. ] promise to be kind to !
Lizzy,' he whispered. 'She shall go to /
school. I will never drink another /
drop. AS God is my Witness he added |
solemnly, 'T never will.n
Tom took his little, arms from around |
his fathers neck, where he had put
them for the last kiss, and then sunk
back on his pillow exhausted.
How sweet the flower looks in the
moonlight thought Tom. What a
happy boy I am to have it And to
have father promise to be BETTER and
he went on, 'and to say he'll love Lizzy
and that he'll send her to school,
And he forgot himself in sleep.
The night passed. Morning dawned
and Llzzy woke before the sun rose.
Her GFst thought was Of Tom, y