The Louisiana cotton-boll. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], Attakapas, La.) 1872-1883, 1873-06-11

power to bcstow? I know there are
many Of the poor who have fine feelings
and keen sense of the beautiful, which
rusts out and dies because they are too
hard pressed to procure it any gratifca-
ton. Poor Mrs. Stephens, for example,
/ know she would enjoy birds, and flow
ers, and music as much as do. | have
seen her eye light up as she looked upon
these things in our drawing-room, and
yet not one beautiful thing can she
command. From necessity, her room,
her clothing, all she has, must be coarse
and plain. You should have seen the
almost rapture she and Mary felt when
| offered them my rose.
Dear me! all this may be true, but
I mover thought of it before. I never
thought that these hard-working people
had any ideas of taste %
"Then why do you see the geranium
or rose so carefully nursed in the old
cracked teapot in the poorest room, OF
the morning glory planted in box, and
twined about the window? Do not
these show that the human heart yearns
for the beautiful in all ranks of life :?
You remember, Kate, how our washer
woman sat up whole night, after
hard days work, to make her first baby
| a pretty dress to be baptized in"
eyes, and remember how I laughed
at you for making such tasteful little
cap for it. >"
q " Well, Kate, I think the look of per-
feet delight with which the poor mother
regarded her baby in its new dress and
cap, was something quite worth crea-
ting: l do believe she could not have
felt more grateful if I had sent her
barrel Of -four"
"Well, we'll, cousin, [ suppose you
are right, but have mercy on my poor
head it is too small to hold SO many
new ideas all at onee-so go @Hh your
way ;" and the little lady began practic-
ing q waltzing step before the glass with
great satisfaction.
It was very small room, lighted by
only one window. There VS. no carpet
on the floor, there was a clean, but
coarsely covered bed in one corner;
cupboard with few dishes and plates,
in the other, chest of drawers; and
before the window stood a small cherry
stand, quite new, and indeed'it was the
only article in the room that seemed SO.
A pale, sickly-looking woman of about
forty was leaning back in her rocking
chair, her eyes closed, and her lips
compressed as if in pain. She rocked
backward and forward few minutes,
pressed her hand hard upon her eyes,
and then languidly resumed her fine
stitching, on which she had been busy
since morning. The door opened, and
slender little girl of about twelve
years of age entered, her large blue
eyes dilated and radiant with delight,
as she bore in the vase with the rose
tree in it.
ooh! see, mother, seel Here is one
in full bloom, and two more half out,
and ever so many more pretty buds
peeping out of the green leaves"
The poor woman's face frightened rs
she looked, first on the rose, and then
on her sickly child, on whose face she
had not seen so bright a color for
months.
"God bless her" she exclaimed un-
consciously.
'..Miss Florence-yes, knew you
would feel SO, mother. Does it make
your head feel better to see such q
beautiful flower? Now, you will not
look so longingly at the flowers in the
market, for we have q rose that is hand
somer than any of them. Why, it
seems to me it is worth as much to us
as our whole, garden used to be. Only
see how many buds there are. Just
count them, and only smell the fowerl
Now, whore shall we set it up!" And
Mary skipped about placing her flower
frst in ono position and then in an
other, and then walked off to see the
effect, till hor mother gently reminded
her that the rose-tree could not preserve
its beauty without sunlight.
"Oh, yes, truly" said Mary; "well,
then, it must be place here on our new
stand. How glad / am that wo have
such a handsome new stand for it; it
will look SO much better. And Mrs
Stephens laid down her work, and fold
ed piece of newspaper, on which the
treasure was duly deposited.
"There," said Mary, Watching the
arrangement eagerly, "that will do
no, for it does not show both the open
ing buds; little further round q lit
tie more; there, that is rights" and
then Mary walked around to view the
rose in various positions, after which
she urged her mother TO go with her to
the outside, and sec howit looked there.
Glow kind it was in Miss Florence to
think of giving this to us" said Mary
Though she had done SO much for us,
and given us so many things, yet this
seems the best of all, because it seems
as if she thought of us, and knew just
| how we felt: and so few do that, You
know, mother"
What bright afternoon that little
gift made in that little room. How
much faster Mary's fingers few the
Iivelong day rs she sat sewing by hel
mother; and Mrs. Stephens, in the
happiness Of her child. almost forgot
that she had headache, and thought
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