Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-11-22

hhat y DaISy Cah DO.
Il cannot do much" said a little star,
TO make this dark world bright;
sly silyery beams cannot struggle far
Through the folding gloom of night,
But am part of Gods great plan.
50 III cheerfully do the best that cann
Ont on meadow, where the sun shone
all day long, where the buttercup and the
dandelion grew, and where the south wind
loved to linger, Il little daisy struggled
MP into tho snnshino thv first daisy of the
season.
What a glorious world it waa,to be
sure! Each day she watched the clouds
as they Iloatcd over the deep blue sky, and
smiled ut the sun rs he came with his
beautiful golden fingers through the long
grass to help her grow faster-as happy a
little daisy RS you could wish to see.
Some days troops of rosy-checked chill.
dron would come tripping through the
meadow, picking the dandelions and but.
tcrcups rs they went; but as yet the daisy
was so little that they did not see her.
One day II lark when tired with his long
flight, perched on the bough of an old
apple tree near by, and sang song so
sweet and sad that the daisy was troubled
What was it aboutp She wondered if the
other flowers unders ood; but they did
not look as if they cared.
Lark" said she at length, very tim
idly, will you tell me the story that you
are singing about?'
The lark stopped to listen; the daisy
had such low timid voice that it was
hard for even him to hear.
" On yes he said, " will tell you the
81 l,1t II 10 n cod opo 4 1-ot - 10, -
happy ending"
Tell it to me, please. You know
here in this meadow | hear of nothing
except what the birds and the wind tell
me-"
Well" commenced the lark, II took
a long flight this morning through the
cloud mountains. But at length my
wings were so tired that came down to
rest on the window sill of a large house
on the hill.
The window was open, and the sun
shone into a room which was full of
little children, not happy, rosy children
like those you see here, but white and
sick, and many Of them lying on little
beds.
"Liko flower beds?" asked the daisy,
as that was the only kind she knew about.
Not at al" answered the lark scorn-
fully; " chidrcn's beds"
"Ah," said the daisy, humbly, not lik-
ing to ask any more questions.
{" Right by the window in the SUM-
went on the bird, " there lay a little boy
rs whitc--oh, as white as your petals, and
his eyes, which were large and dark, were
full of tears"
"' This Gun and air will make your pain
better, Bennic,' 4 lady was saying to him
as she stood beside the bed; but he only
shook his head
Suddenly it came to me; will sing
to him, and that will make him happier
50 thought of one of he sweetest song
| knew, and sang with all my might,
Then you should have seen his face change
little daisy. The tears left his eyes, and
he smiled with delight, while some of the
other children clapped their hands. Then
flew away, for had done all | could"
Oh" sighed the daisy, q" how | wish
could do something for somebody; but
cannot move away from this meadow
The sun and the wind love me, and the
rain drops kiss me often, but do nothing
for them"
"Ob, yes said the lark consoingy,
''you grow for them, and you are happy
in yourself;" and thon he flew away
singing. The sun shone Just the same,
and white fcathery clouds drifted over
the sky, but the daisy hung her head, and
felt sorry aud dissatisfied for the first time
in her sunny life.
In the slow, hazy afternoon, when the
shadows lay slanting over the meadow, Il
troop of children came laughing and
cha,lering by, picking the flowers as they
went
ooh" exclaimed dear little girl with
bright blue eyes; 81 see Il daisy-the first
one we have found today and STOPPING
down, she pulled the flower from its warm
home in the grass, and carried it away
with bunch Of buttercups.
II am going somewhere now," thought
the flower, like the birds and the wind
wonder WHEREOF She tried to talk 10
the buttercups; but they only looked
another way, and did not answer. 1t was
evident that they felt bad about being
taken away from their home in the mea
dow; but the daisy was so much taken up
with gong somewhere, that she did moi
mind.
The children with the flowers went
skipping through sweet.scented country
lanes then down n village street and after
wards, with busy, tireless feet, climbed
n great hill on which stood house with
Nursery and Child's Hospital" over tie
door.
These flowers" said the blue eyed grl
to the white capped nurse that opened the
door, "are for the sick children; will you
take them, please?" And leaving them
in her hands, they ran away through the
warm, sweet afternoon, with their faces as
bright as the flowers they left behind.
Meanwhile the daisy watched and won
dered.
"Surely," she thought rs she found
herself in q largo high room, with little
pale, sick children's faces all around her,
'this must be the place that the lark told
me about; and, yes, that atmust be Bennie."
A tiny boy, with large, dark eyes, lay
over by the window, his face white and
drawn with pain.
"Bennie, DEAR said the nurse coming
up to him, "what flower would you like?
"a daisy, please" he said, holding Out
his thin hand eagerely.
"There is only one," said the nurse, as
she laid the little flower down on the
pillow beside him, and passed on to the
other children.
"Dear daisy" whispered Benny, press
ing the flower against his check, II love
you"
The daisy opened her white leaves
trcmulously. She also was making some
one happy after all. But what was this
= strange stilling feeling that oppressed hort
In her sunny home in the meadow she
had never felt that way. But. doar me
t She must look her best for Bennie: SO sht
> held up her little head as bravely as She
could.
81 cannot sing TO YOU" the flower sale
to him, thinking of the lark; "but l cal