Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-04-20
A LITTLE STORY FOR THE MUIR
SERY.

The sun was going down upon Flor
ence as she sat with her mother upon the
veranda, and her face was sad, though the
sunlight fell upon it.
Mother, | anu sorry that / ever had
anything to do with Mary Arlington?
Why so, my child?"
Because she only uses my kindness for
her own selfishness. have helped her in
her lessons, and got her off when she was
in trouble with her teacher, Miss Atkins,
and you know that | let Miss Atkins think
that had broke the rules rather than she
should be exposed. And she has never
thanked me. And l know that she says
hateful things about me behind my back.
/ am tired of being kind to her, and get
ting nothing for it but her selfishness."
well, my dear, do you act kindly for
the sake of getting something back for it ?
Ought we not to act generously for our
own sake, even mere than for others
sake?"
"Idon't see any use in being generous
when it only makes people worse"
But our Master says: Ii We love them
that love you, what reward Cor meriD have
ye? Do not even the publicans the samey
1t Is very pleasant to receive Kindness for
kindness. But no one is acting as
ness and self-1enial TO those who are un-
grateful and selfish"
Nothing more was said at this time.
Florence had the matter upon her heart all
the evening, and was glad when bedtime
came, that she might sleep off all her
troubles.
She soon fell asleep and began to dream.
Now Greenland is fairyland. All manner
of queer people are moving about in
dreamand, and very remarkable things
happen there Florence had gone to sleep
without shutting her chamber window,
and the wind must have been little cold,
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 seed. 1t
seemed very strange to see him casting
seed on the snow, and so she dreamed that
she asked him, viii the seed come up
in the snow"
When he heard her, he turned his face,
and she never saw farmer with SO noble
a countenance. His eyes were large and
sad, and yet there was also look in them
of calm hopefnlness.
eve SOW our seed grass 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 fixing his
eyes gently upon her, rs If he would mark
the effect Of his words, he said, "Thcy
who, in this world, would SOW the seeds OF
goodness, must do so 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 a 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 hand the wind
seemed to puff them away. At last when
her seed was almost gone, Florence
thought that what had seemed to be the
wind began to look 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
upon the rock, and threw 1t upward; and
the seed seemed to fly up and up till it was
all gone out Of sight.
While she stood looking up, she thought
that the skies opened; and she looked
through and saw those beautiful spirits
planting the very seeds that had been cast
forth out Of the palsied hand Of the poor
old woman. No sooner did they touch
the ground than they sprang up again into
all manner of beautiful flowers, more beau
tiful q hundred times than any lilies, or
roses, or jasamines that she had had ever
seen on earth.
As she stood admiring the beautiful
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 beautiful before, seemed to
her more beautiful than all the flowers.
Then he looked very kindly upon her, and
said: My dear child, do you not zee that
only here and there q seed fell TO the
ground and came up, but that all the rest
went through and were planted in heaven
SO it Ia with kindness among men. The
earth catches few. only, Of the seeds Of
Kindness sown, but all the rest 60 through
and are planted in Heaven; and so moth
ing good is ever lost"
At this he laid his hand upon her head,
and such thrill ran through her body
that she sprang and awoke. Her mother
II was who had touched her, saying,
"Come, Florence; 1t IL morning. The
birds are calling you. Come."-H. ".
HeIrHar