The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-07-08
LITTLE STORY FOR THE NURSERY.
BY HENRY WARD BEEoHER.

me sun was gong QOWQ upon Florence
as she sat with her mother upon the veran-
dah, and her face was sad, though the sun
light fell full upon it.
Mother, am sorry that I ever hadany-
thing to do with Mary Arlington"
"Why so, my child?'
because she only uses my kindness to T
herown selfshness. have helped her in
her lessons, and I got her off when sh q
was in trouble with her teacher, Miss At
kins, and yoa know that let Miss Atkins
think that 1 had broke the rules, rather
than that she should be exposed. And sh e
has never thanked me. And know thst
she says hateful things about me benin q
my back. l am tired of being kind to her,
and getting nothing for it but her selfish.
ness. ....sts
''Wen, my dear, did you net kindly for
the sake of getting something back for it
Ought we MOTTO act generously for our own
sake. even more than for others sake2"
81 don't see any use in being generous,
when Ii only makes people worse"
"But our Master says-'if ys love them
that love yOu, what reward (or merit) have
ye? Do not even the publicans the sameY
It is very pleasant to receive kindness for
kindness, But no one is acting as Chris
tian that is not willing to show kindness
and self-denial to those who are ungratefu ]
and selfish" ssa a1 80 9-r-.5
Nothing more was said at this time
Florence had the matter upon her heart al
the evening. and was glad when bed time
came, that she might sleep of all her trou-
bles. .-I-.E
She soon fell asleep and began to dream.
Now Drsamland is Fairyland. All manner
ofqueer people are moving about in Dream
land, and very remarkable things happen
there. Florence had gone to sleep without
shutting her chamber window, and the wind
must have been little cool; for she dream
ed that the snow lay upon the ground. And
she saw man with large bag slung dia-
gonally across his breast sowing some kinds
OF seed. 1t seemed very strange to her to
see him casting seed on snow, and so she
dream that she asked him, "Will the seed
come up in the snowS"
When he heard her, he turned his face,
and she thought she never saw farmer
with so noble a eountenanee. His eyes
we're large and sad, and yet there was also
n look IN then of calm hOpefulness.
1--WE sOS our upseed grass on the snow,
in hopes that by and by the snow viii melt
and then theseed, sprouted by its moisture
will come up." And fixing his eyes gently
upon her, as if he would mark the effect
his words, he said, ''They who in this
world would SOW the seeds of goodness,
must do as we farmers do, and often SOW
upon the bosom of the snow"
| She awoke-so plainly did his voice
sound in her ears. Rising, she closed the
| window, and again fell asleep.
In short time she began dreaming more
strangely than before.
| She thought that she saw poor woman,
who was living upon piece of very hard
and rocky ground, trying to plant thereon
some flower seeds. But every time she
opened her hard the wind seemed to puff
them away. At last, when her seed wa
almost gone, Florence thought that whai
bad seemed to be the wind began to look
like Lrds, 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 up.
ward; and the seed seemed to fly up and
up tillit was all gone ont of sight.
| While she stood looking up, hethought
that the skies opened; and she looked
through and saw those beautiful spirits
planting the very seed that had been cast
forth ont of the palsied hand of the poor
old woman. No sooner did they touch tbs
ground than they sprang up again into al
manner Of beautiful howers-more beauti
ful a hundred times than any lilies Of
roses, or jessamines, that she had ever seer
on earth. -itaL
As Sue stood admiring the wonderful
sight, she turned and saw the very same
person by her side that had been sowing
grass seed on the snow. But now he wa
clothed radiantly, as if the brightest cloud
had been made into garments; and hi
face, that was beautiful before, seemed Il
her more beautiful than all the flowers
Then he looked very kindly upon her, anI
said, "My dear child. do you not see tina
only here and there seed fell to tn
ground and came up, but that all the res
went throu- h and were planted in heaven
! So 1t is with kindness among men. Thl
earth catches a few only of the seed of kind
ness shown, but all the rest gothrough an
are planted in heaven. And so nothin
good Is ever lost"
At this he laid his hand upon her head
and such n thrill ran through her body tina
she sprung and awoke. Her mother it wa
who had touched her, saying. ''Come, Flol
= enee; it is morning. The Dir Is are callin
yOu. Come"