Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-05-01
The May.FIoWers.


On sunny hillside grew little col
Ony of May-fiOwers. They had slept
quietly through the long winter, tucked
up, snug and warm. in their covering of
SNOW: and now the bright sun looked
down on them, and the wind stirred
them, and the birds called to them, and
they raised their strong, hardy leaves,
and lifted up their stems of small buds,
and rejoiced that spring was near. A
little girl came out among them. She
said to herself: Il am going away to-
morrow. l can't stay to see the dear
May-flOwers open, so l will take some of
them with me, and keep them in water,
and they will remind me of this beauti-
full place, and perhaps they will bios
SOM"
"Oh," said the May-howers, please
don't take usI'
But the wind blew so that Mary, the
little girl, did not hear them, and she
pulled stem after stem, till she had as
many as she could hold in her small
hands. Then she looked around her at
the blue sky, and the branches of the
trees against it, and the soft, dead leaves
flying in the wind, and the patches of
white snow in the hOllows; and away in
the distance the lighthouse and the
blue water.
She said goodbye to it all, for she was
afraid she might not see it again soon ;
and the little May-fiowers said goodbye
to it, too.
The next day Mary tied the May-flow-
ers together, and wound piece of wet
paper around their stems, and they
started on their journey.
The cars were crowded and hot, and
Mary held tie IiGwrrs very tight for
fear of losing them, and the tall people
rested their elbows ON them, and the
stout ones pushed against them, and
they thought they would die.
But soon the paper was taken off, and
the string was united, and they were
put into vase of water.
The little May-fiowers dropped for a
time, and could not hold up their heads.
Mary set them in the open window,
and gay bird in a cage sang to them
but they mourned for their pleasant
home, and they did not like to stand
with their feet in water, and they said:
"Let us give up in despair
Then the bird sang, "Cheer up! cheer
up chirrupl chirrup!
They did not listen to him at first, but
by and by they said to him:
"Why do you say that to us? Do you
know that we have been taken from our
home and our friends on the hillside,
where the sun shOne, and the birds sang
all around us? How can we live and
be happy here, and with our feet in the
water. toOg"
But the bird said: "Cheer up! The
sun is shining on you, and am singing
10 you as well as l can, and how much
better it will be for you to blossom and
be beautiful, and make some one happy,
than to do nothing but wither and be
thrown away. Do you think l like to
be here, shut up in this cage, when
have wings to fly? No! If this cage
door should be left open, you would see
me fly up to that chimney in second
Gould 2" said the little flowers.
"Yes, indeed" said the bird.
Would you?" said the flowers.
"Yes," said the bird, "and then into
that tree, and then away to the woods
somewhere. But while l am here,
think l may rs well sing and be gay"
perhaps he is right" thought the
flowers; so they lifted their heads and
looked up.
Mary gave them fresh water every
day, and loved them dearly, and talked
to them OF the beautiful hillside; and
the cheerful bird sang to them, and at
last the little buds began to grow and
make the best of it.
One bright morning, just two weeks
after they were gathered, the largest
bud opened its petals, and blossomed
into full-grown May-tiOwerl
1t was white, with lovely tinge of
pink, and oh, so fragrant Mary almost
cried with delight, and she kissed the
dear flower, and carried it to every one
in the house to be admired, The bird
stood on tip-toe on his highest perch and
Tapped his wings, and sang his best
song.
"Was 1 right? ?" said he. did 1 give
you good advice?"
"Yes," said the flowers, "you were
right. To blossom and be beautiful, and
make some one happy, is better than to
give up in despair and do nothing
Annie Moore; st. Nicholas for May.
-<H$----