The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-07-12
THE FORGET.ME.NOT.


| | laid aside my pen as the far-on chimes 0
the cathedral were tolling the midnight hour
I and sat dreamily gazing into the embers 0
the dying fire.
"Forget-me-no !"
Was dreaming? Or did a voice really pro
nounce the words close to my ear? l looked
carefully around. No one could have entered
through the bolted door. The arrangements
of the room were undisturbed. Clearly, wa:
dreaming
l settled myself again to think, when The
oder of the Forget-me-not in the little vas.
attracted my attention. The flowers seemed
moved by some fresh instinct of life; the hue
was deeper, the perfume was stronger, and
Could it be? Yes, surely Even as | gazed,
the flowers lifted their heads and from the
midst Of the tiny cluster of bloom came again
IN clear, ringing tones, the self same words
which | had heard, '.Forget-me-not -
Was it thou Blumchen?" / asked, won
dering
EYES," said the flower in the same silvery
accents. ''Dost thou not know that ust at
midnight all plants of my race are permitted,
for one hour, the gift OF speech? Listen, and
] will tell thee why we are so gifted above all
others.
In the Garden Of Paradise, when the pure
Eve walked among the flowers, and gave each
name according to her liking, all flowers
and plants had language of their own, and
this it was given to Eve to understand and
during the long hours she conversed with
them and they told her many things but,
above all, she loved the tiny blossoms of a
little blue flower, and kissed it often, and
twined it in her sunny tresses. And the flow
ers all loved her, but best Of all, the little blue
flower, which she named Heaven blossom, be-
cause its hue was so like that Of the skies.
But at length came the dark day when sin
entered into Paradise, land the Lord com
manded the pair to leave their Eden-garden,
and wander in the bleak wilderness, beyond
the gates And as, for the last time, the weep
ing Eve passed, hand in hand with Adam,
through the fragrant lanes of Eden, the flow
ers shrank trembling from her, and bowed
their heads with shame, or gazed scornfully
upon her; and this, more than all else, rent
the heart Of Eve, that those whom she had
named and caressed and called her children,
should shrink away from her in scorn and
shame. And her tears fell faster and faster, so
that, when she reached the gates where stood
the Cherubim with that flaming, terrible
sword, she scarcely saw at her feet the little
tuft of Heaven-5lossom, until it murmured, in
piteous accents, Forget-me-not
eve bent down and plucked the tiny plant,
WulCu SllIdIlh uOt uOlu Dul ueStlGu
lovingly toward her and she pressed it to her
lips and to her sorrowing heart. Then she
turned, and, with one long sad look upon her
lost kingdom, went slowly out, past the Cheru-
BIN and the flaming sword into the bleak
and all that remained to her of the
glorious bloom Of Paradise was the one little
sprig Of Heaven blossom which she held in
her hand. Be no longer named bloom of
Heaven, dear blossom 7 cried the grateful
Eve; 'hencetorth 1 shall call you by a dearer
Forget-Me-Not.
$50 Eve kept the flowers near her through
Ill the dark days that followed; and when
Adam had made for them a home in the new
place. she planted it, and tended it carefully,
md it became to her an emblem of that old
life Of purity and happiness before thefall
90 In time, this new land also was enriched
with many flowers, some of them even as
beautiful as those Of the lost Eden but, best
IF all, Eve loved the tender Forget AIe-Not
md later, when the little Cain and Able |
played around the home, she told them the |
story of the faithful flower, and they, too |
,rew to love and cherish it, and it told them
many and many a story of the glories of that |
Iarden Of Paradise, wherein the angels had
walked and talked with their parents of old
And when Eve died, the loving flower |
covered her grave with thick clusters Of its
blossoms. And / am sure that the first flower
which met her sight in that new lite beyond
he tomb was her dear Forget Me-Not.
The children Of Adam long cherished the
title flower but, after many years. when the
world became more and more wicked, and
he hearts of men were turned away from
Tod, they lost the power to understand its !
language.
z When the waters swept away after the
)eluge the first plant that blossomed was the
but it no longer spoke to the
hildren Of men. 1t was voiceless for long,
ong years. until, one day, child upon the
ills Of Galilee bent down and kissed its BIOS
oms clustering in his path. 1t was the Christ
hid And from that hour each night at
midnight, if one who loves flowers listens, the
blossoms of the Forget Me-Not may tell this
history.
clark the Cathedral chimes are striking
he first hour after midnight. | have spoken.
Adieu p
The flower now dropped drowsly upon its
lender stalk, and was silent
[Alice Williams, in st. Nicholas for July.