Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-01-14
A Pretty story.

There came two travellers from dis
tant country to very thriving and fruit
full land. They were footsore and weary,
and covered with the dust of the way.
Seating themselves by the roadside, they
drew from their wallets some food they
had brought with them, and in so doing
found that each had taken with him a
handful of flower seed unlike any in this
land they had come to. "Tush," said
one, "how foolish to carry this worthless
rubbish further. Let us cast it away" }"
As you WILL " said the other. So they
threw away the seed and scattered it to
the winds. That of the first traveller was
blown down the hill to the lake side and
fell in the marshy ground there, but the
other traveller threw his upon the green
near by. When they resumed their journey
one of them said "Should those seeds
we have cast away take root and their
flowers grow up, they will be a marvel to
the people about here | wonder what
they would call them?" ut matters lit
tle,h said the first traveller. Ny
flowers will grow in an unwhol-
some place, and little bad or good can
they do. No one may ever see them p
Mine" said the second, will at
least gladden. the eyes of the peo-
pie, il they do nothing more. F"
And they passed on to another part of
the country and never returned to it,
But in the meantime the flowers grew up
and bloomed into beauty. And let us
see what became Of them. The flower
which the first traveller said could never
be of any account at all and never do
harm or good, grew in the shallow water
of n lake. 1t rose above the clear liquid
and nodded in the light breeze that
swept across it, One moonlight light
there came to the water edge two low
ers-a valiant knight and beautiful
maiden-and as they walked along they
smoke of the beauty of the scenej and
the lady noticing the flower growing on
the lake brink, pointed it out and said: :
"Bebold that strange howeri How beau
tiful it is. would wish SO much to
have it.
At that the gallant knight hurried
down to the lake and waded in to pluck
the strange flower, but just as be reach
ed it quicksand caught him and ne
was drawn into the treacherous pond.
In vain hestruggled. His fate was sealed.
He knew he must perish, but faith
ful in his love to the last. he pulled the
flower and cast it on the shore, crying
to the frightened maiden
Forget me not, and so he died.
This was the fate of the first flower.
II left tale of fidelity to all time, and
Is called to this day the " Forget me
not" So were the rash words of the
first traveller proved qstrpe, and the
maxim made clear that, In thc small
est things lesson hides.
The second flower, as the second
traveller said, did gladden. the eyes OF
many 9 weary waytarer who passed the
spot But it did more. Some OF re
seed fell by d little cottage, and when It
rose up from the 500 it grew along the
corners, and clih.,hed sionE the Ivy up
to the root. ~
Now, it CHANGED that little cir, Jay
sick within the cottage. She had long
been i'll, and they feared that she would
die. The only pleasure she had was to
lie beside the window and watch the
bright green fields and the blue skies.
One morning there came in from the
open air bright yellow flower The
sunlight fell upon it and it glistened like
gold. The little damsel was pleased
with It and tended it all the day. Then
other flowers, like the first, rose above
the window-sill and 6lled the room with
fragrance. They cheered the childs
hours of illness and were pleasing to
her senses. During the long nights she
pined for them, but the merning
brought them back to her as beautiful as
ever. Thus did they gladden. the life OF
the invalid, and the people called them
" morning glories, for they always
brought with morn Joy unto the cot
taee.