American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-12-26
The Song OF the Canary.

III was time to SOW the seeds in the
| flower garden. So the gardener brought
out the seed box and set it upon the grass
| plat while he put on his thinkIng-cap
| for few minutes.
Each kind of seed lived in little pa
| per house by itself, with its name plainly
printed on the front-door, for the seeds
| of one family are never allowed to asso-
ciate with those of other families as
long as they are nothing but seeds.
| After they grow to be plants and flow
| crs it is quite another thing. Then they
| are old enough and big enough to choose
| their own companions, and if the pop
pies see fit to nod to the marigolds, and
| the morning glories to throw kisses to
the geraniums, it is nobody's business
but their own.
Well, in one of these paper houses (by
the by, girls and boys call them small
envelopes, but then girls and boys don't
know what they're talking about half the
time) had lived the ady-slipper seeds all
the long, cherries winter.
"Oh, dear, isn't this inei" they all
said to each other the gardener, drop
ping his thinking cap, lifted them out of
the box, isn't this fine? We're going to
see the world at last" And they rolled
over and over each other in perfect de-
light
The gardener carried them to the nice,
smooth fiower-bed, tore off the roof of
their house and laid it upon the fresh
brown earth, while he began loosening
the ground a little with his rake.
The lady-slipper seeds crowded to the
place where the roof of their house used
to be, and peeped out.
Then they all commenced whispering
together as fast as they could: "Oh! how
lovely! Here's everything the canary
sung about this morning-the great trees
nearly touching the sky, the tall green
grass, the birds singing, and-(don't
crowd and push SOY. And oh! oh! oh!
are we going to live here always, and do
listen to the birds sing? don't crowd
and push so)-and-"
Before they could say another word
the gardener took up the paper house
and, pouring some of the seeds into the
palm of his hand, scattered them on the
ground, and began raking the dirt over
them.
Those left behind commenced talking
again, this time not SO fast, but in a low,
frightened whisper: "Oh, dearI" (such
a different "Oh, dearw from the first
one)-" what has he done with our broth
ers and sisters? Shall we never see them
again? And will he cover us up in the
ground too? 1t is dreadful to think Of
better a thousand times be back in the
seed-box listening to the song of the
canary"
BE quiet a moment, do, dear Ones"
said a wee brown seed, and listen to me.
Have you all forgotten the last song we
heard the canary sing?
FIRST a seed SO tiny,
Hidden from the sight;
Then two pretty leaflets
Struggling toward the light;
Soon bud appearing
Turns into a flower,
Washed by silver shower,
Growing sweeter, swecter,
Evry happy hour!'
Kissed by golden sunshine,
Washed by silver shower
echoed the others. "That was the song,
sure enough. Can we believe it?"
The songs of the birds are Gl,oays
true" said the wee seed, for they are
taught to them by the angels"
ave do believe-we do believe" cried
the others, hopefully. 1--WE are no
longer afraid, though the gardener is
comiI G. He will put US in the dark
ground, but we shall come up again, no
longer seeds but green leaves, buds and
flowers"
But one little seed that had said moth
ing all this time now hid itself away in
a corner, saying: "rm not going into
the ground;" and when the others rolled
out into the gardeners hand the
paper house f1uttered away with her in it
to short distance from the fiower-bed
and fell on the ground between two cold
gray stones.
Nearly two weeks went by, and the
lonely seed, looking toward the spot
where the lady-slipper had been sown.
one warm summer morning beheld rows
on rows of bright green leaves peeping
out of the ground and heard them say
ing gayly to each other: "Well met,
brother" "Good-day, sister" "How
pleasant it is to be in the air and sun
shine once more"
But no one saw or spoke to her, poor
little thing!
Time went on, and the plants grew
larger and stronger, and at last came
pretty, tender buds, which soon unfold
ed into fragrant flowers of every beauti-
full hue, and the sun, wind, rain and
dew loved them dearly, and the bees,
birds and butterflies thought them the
sweetest things ON earth.
AS for the lonely little seed, 1t lived
lreary, friendless lif', between the two
cold gray stones, and every day it said
to itself, over and over again:
"Oh, would that /, too, had had faith
N the sSng of the canary, then should
nav been beautiful and beloved with
ny brothers and sisters
Kissed by golden sunshine,
Washed by silver shower,
Growing sweeter-sweettr,
Evry happy hour! "
-U,rUUret E,1in0e in 81 NicIOLIs