Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1872-12-07

Mrs. Hathaway s.roked his cheek
tenderly.
"There, there, dear: don't cry. Fa-
ther says you may have the flowers,
dear child; only don't ask him for mon
ey, nor worry him about it in any way
I will see to that; and don't neglect
other duties. Now, so to sleep. Have
you said vouf~prn, ,ers ?"
"No, mother, 1 Couldn't felt SO
wicked. I will now though
Mrs. Hathaway sighed, and turning
the blankets about them-for it was
q clustering night in February-wcnt
down stairs and crcpt into bed beside
her sleeping husband.
Marc! came and went. April breathcd
her mild air on The snow-drifts, and
melted them all away. The merry
summer months came at last, and the
world Was full Of bloom, and ouors,
and freshness; but the sweetest comfort
Of all the summer to Mrs. Hathaway
was the little rainbow-hucd patch un-
der the sunny south-windows. 1t was
such a new thing to her to have flowers
in her yard, and she loved them SO.
"Thcy seem to glorify the old place, )"
she said.
The boys were up an hour earlier
mornings, i'll their combined efforts to
keep the weeds from strangling their
lovely pets. Then they trained vines
over the windows, forming pretty
background for their plat; and Mrs.
Hathaway, who had never known the
comfort of blinds since she cane to
live in the plain, comfortless home, sat
in their cool shadow, and sewed, through
the sultry afternoons, while the sum-
merair cooled her heated forehead, and
tumbled her fair, brown hair.
Over and over again, she blessed her
boys for thinking of this, and wondered
wha: she would do without them, any
way. Their father found no cause to
grumble over neglected tasks, for their
mother always performed little forgot
ten duties herself, when they failed,
and 50 hid their fault from their fathers
eyes.
One July afternoon, Jerome and
Charley Winthrop, two of the neighbours
boys, leaned over Mr. Hathaway's gate,
and called TO Lee:
Ha!loo, Lee! Don't you want to so
over to the pond, fishing? There is Il
boat there ROW, and We can row down
to Tie river and have & swim in the
cove. what do YOU say?'
Lee hcsitatel. No one bat Il boy
knows what temptation it was; and
he loved SO to fish. 1t wasn't often he
had such u chance, ana his father had
given him that afternoon to do as he
liked with it. He believed he would
go; SO he dropped his weeding-knife,
and started for his hook and line.
AS he came back, he spied his mother
among the raspberry-bushes, and he
turned back and laid his tackle upon
the shelf again.
II can't go this afternoon, boys;
come to think, 1 promised mother
would transplant some asters, to-day;
but l would like to go right we'll"
I'm sorry you can't 60" said Je-
rome. "Give me one of those red flow
ers, will you"
Lee picked one of the prettiest, and,
handing it to him, said:
"Why don't you have fower-bed,
Jerome ?"
Father says it's nonsense; aud he
even plowed up the daffodils, in the
spring. I did tease him for one; but
he shamcd me out of it. like to work
in flowers, too!' said the boy, dolefully.
A few minutes after, they crossed the
hill, and were out Of sight, while Lee
worked away, whistling a tune.
Two hours later, the sultry sun had
slipped behind threatening cloud, and
there was promise of heavy shower
The thunder muttered sullenly, and
little zigzag tongues of fame Kissed at
each other in the gray sky, and the
great drops ratified down.
By-and-by, there was a lull. Just
then, one of the village girls ran by,
white and breathless.
" What's the matter" shouted Lee.
"Oh, something terrible" gasped
the girl. "Jerome and Charley Win
throp were both drowned in the pond"
And the child ran on, with terrified
heart and swift feet.