The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1872-11-15
FANNY FERN.
a Noble wOman's Lovers.

.. Hearth and Home SAYS: Ouce III
J. on time, when little country gi
70 came to New York to mske her firl
Ie visit, her first thought was to MAI
d age to get directory and look OF
: the number of certain houses. Sh
d forgot for the time the park, th
e stores, the pictures, the thestre. bu
| stole off quietly, looking up th
a names OF the streets until she founr
!, the right one, then pursued it unit
|. she came to q brown stone house
n whose windows were all thrown open
e where flowers were blooming on tn
e WindOw-ledges, and canary sing
+ ing gaily in q gilded cage Walkin;
r rapidly on until she saw the number
81 knew it, she said, delightfully."-
OF course her home wouldn't looI
like the rest. It's just like her. Sh
always said she liked flowers anC
birds and air and sunlight"
The little gIrl walked up one side
and down the other, paced backward
= and forward, watching the windows
Presently a lady csme to one, ben
3 over rose in bloom, gathered a few
l leaves and disappeared. The littl,
! girl had stood perfectly still, watch
ing her with eager eyes, and wher
J the lady was gone she started back
J to her hotel with feeling of salts
Y faction, and yet filed with longing.
"Where have you been wandering
through the streets OF this great city
1 alone 2" was the inquiry.
"l've been to see where Fanny
Fern lived, and 1 saw her too; she
came to her window. She lives in a
big brown house, with the windows
all open, and the rest of the people
have theirs all closed. 1 knew it
was her house, too, before l got there.
The birds and the flowers told me
she lived there. Oh! 1 do wish
could go 20 see her! But then I'd
be just like any other little girl to
her, and of course she can't see them
ALP
| After that, whenever the little
girl csme to the city, she went over
and walked before those windows.
When she was on Broadway half its
attractions were missed, for she had
heard that there the bold, free step
and genial manner of Fanny Fern of.
ten distinguished her from the crowd
of promenaders, snd so she fruitless-
ly kept her watcn, but never accom-
plished her desire.
Finslly tie word came, Fanny
Fern is dead. 1t seemed that it
could not be so. Dea.h, and the
Fanny Fern the children knew, so
bright, so loving and 80 gay, seemed
far apart. After the sad news she
who had paced up and down before
before that cheeaful house a little
girl retrsced her steps. The blinds
were down, the emblems OF mourning
draped the door, but the flowers
still bloomed upon the lodges. AS
she walked up aud down how vivid
ly came up before her that bright
sunny afternoon, and the lady bend
ing so tenderly over her flowtrsl
She remembered, too, What heav-
en- of delight was opened to her In
that dreary age of childish literature,
when one Christmas morning she
drew from out her mothers long
stocking s'Little Ferns for Fanny's
Little Friends" Who ever so en-
tered into children's sympathies and
feelings before ? Morals were thrown
to the winds. Indeed, Fanny seemed |
to hate them as much ss the children |
did But, instead, every childish |
leaf thrown off by her bsppy pen
breaihed the purest, largest morali-
ty. Children's hearts expanded un-
der her words like buds under the
warm sunlight Love was the fruit
of every line. The world never
seemed so fair before, nor earth so
delightful, as when she dreS her
sunny pictures. The vision of that
Island, green to the waters
edge, in which she wished to gather
all the children and make life beauti-
full and bright for them, haunted my
childish dreams. "Would'nt it ever
be ?" To day even it is remember
ed with sigh of regret. Every
child who read 'Little Ferns" felt \
.he beating of her great warm, loving
heart.
There was a love that could in
close every little waif. Ranks and
conditions were unknown The /.
'tsrVeling from Five Points, grimy .
With dirt and STEPPED in vice, showed !
% her His possible good; the little, .
yrinDing, naked negro Was cliId, :
therefore, heir to her love.
No impression of common brother q
rood, no realization that we are all !
children Of the one Father, have ever G
,een experienced comparable to those n
weakened by the pathetic little 6
ketches that caused our hearts to @
Iche With SORROW aud glow with love h
or poor little. unfortunstes. Nor :
vas it that patronizing condescension i
If pity Tor the poor that taints our
'lder philanthropy.
1t is a great thing TO so impress
he minds CT children, to fill them
With beautiful thoughts, to inspire
bem with universal love, and to lift {
hem above all that is petty and un-- I
worthy. Such impressions are last
NC, end to-day the world is bright J
IT, happier aud better that there
,Dce lived upon it Fanny Fern.