The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1877-03-15
The Little Girl Who Stole a Lily.

The Little Girl Who Stole a Lily.
Nellie and Mabel were out in the
swing under the maple trees. when Ma
bel said:
ooh, Nellie, let's tell stories"
This was substantially as much as say
ing, "You tell new story, Nellie, and 1
will tell the same old story [ always tell
for Mabel knows only one story, and
this is it
"Once there was a boy, and he went
out in the barn, saw great big bear,
and man come and shoot him.
I have heard her tell this story several
times, SO I am quite sure that have
given it correctly. Sometimes Nellie
listens to it, and sometimes she kindly
excuses Mabel from repeating it. This
time she herself had brand-new story
from Aunt Josie's lips, so on this occa-
sion she kindly excused her sister.
"Well," she began, "a long time ago,
Mabel, long before you Were born, be-
fore either of us was born, there was
funny little old man lived all alone in
heliC OIo hOtloC III tIc WOOSlS duu
all around his house he had the most
beautiful garden, ali kinds of roses, and
lilies, and larkspurs, and pansies, and
trumpet-creepers, and his flowers We're
always in bloom winter and summer, and
they were so fragrant that they perfumed
the air for miles and miles around his
house was just covered with morning.
glories, and there were such focks and
fiocks of bees and butterflies and hum
ming birds all about it that with their
bright colors they made it seem as though
| there was another garden floating in tie
| air.
"Well, one day little girl YVES going
through the woods looking for wild
! flowers, and when she saw the beautiful
garden she wanted some of the flowers
very much, but she was awfully afraid of
the old man, and did not dare to ask him
or any. So she stole in and stole along,
and she would stop and smell of one
flower and gaze admiringly at another,
till at last she came to a great large lily
/ SIo"1HS at ZIG ettSS VI IL DeauGl1ul
| fountain.
And oh! it was SO lovely, and the little
| girl wanted it so much, that before she
stopped to think she picked it and ran
away as fast as she could
"But she could not get out of the gar
den. Instead of running away from the
house, the path took her right up to it,
and when she tried another one, that led
her right up to the house, too. So she
tried to run through the bushes, but they
! caught her dress on their branches, and
the little pansies and the mignonette
tangled themselves SO about her feet.
till at last the little girl was forced to
stand still-right before a large sun
flower
"'P Put the lily back Put it back
Put it back ? said the sunfower.
can't put it back, said the child,
crying; L can't find the place where it
grew, and [ can't get out of the garden
"Then she noticed that, instead of one
| lily, she held two in her hand, and little
buds of lilies were growing out all over
the stem. She tried to throw them
away, but they chung 70 her. nnd the little
buds fastened themselves to her fingers.
and ears, and nose.
You may stay here with u.s. said
Sunfower, and the flowers all smiled and
nodded.
"Then her clothes were turned to way
| ing green leaves, and all the bright but
tons on her clothes changed to yellow
lilies her toes grew long and fastened
firmly in the ground, and in the place of
her head, with its yellow c,1rls, was
growing large yellow lily.
"'She shall be called Flower de Luce
said Candytuft, looking up to her.
Lucy, for short, said Snapdragon.
Then the little girl knew she would
never be anything but flower, and she
hung down her head and felt very sad.
But by and by the humming birds came
and kissed her, the butterflies futtered
about her and rested on her soft petals,
the bees which she used to fear SO much
came and nestled in her bosom and slipped
the honey from her golden cups
''And at night, after the great sun had
gone down, the stars came out and
twinkled above her, and the flowers
talked and sung together under their
peaceful light
" So after all the little girl was happy as
lily, and seldom thought of the time
when she was a naughty little girl
H m, said Mabel, that was a good
story. Do you suppose she ever turned
back to little girl again ?"
81 don't know" said Nellie &c there
was some more of it, but Aunty didn't
have time 20 tell it, because papa and
George came home, and she had to get
them some supper"
Let's ask her to tell the rest to-
night
Well" said Nellie. And just then
the swing-board topped over backward,
and the girls went in one direction and
the apples flew in another, and [ don't /
believe either one of them ever thought |
of little Lucy again York Tri6- |
une.
My TIRDS IND 4RSENILS