The Penn's Grove record., 1882-04-01
The Century Plant.

Must L eer Tor thee be yearnlng?
-Bj1rnstjerne Bjprnson
The Century Plant.
Now, mamma, we're all ready, F"
| cried a chorus of sweet voices, and four
pair of bright eyes looked pleadingly
into hers.
"There is time for q long, long story
tonight" said Addie, of the golden
locks.
"N'ever, Never so big, mamma
added little Dick.
"And, mamma said Julie, ''let 1t
be about the old blue jar; you know
you have often promised to tell US
about it, and we have all chosen 1t for
to. night."
"The old blue jarl Well, Robbie,
push it around here where we q all
see it, and you shall hear its story"
1t was a large, old-iashioned jar, or
small tub, of Dutch ware; dark blue,
with funny white figures all over 1t.
It was on small wheels, and Robbie
rolled it carefully out Of its corner, SO
that the bright freight fell upon it.
The children drew their low chairs
closer to mammals, and she began:
zone evening, ever so many years
ago, it was very stormy. AL day long
the snow had been falling, and every
thing was covered with a soft, white
mantle. We were poor in those days,
and had no pretty home like this.
Your grandfather, my papa, you know,
was dead, and grandma worked very
hard to get food and clothes for her
three littie.girls-your aunt Mamie,
Aunt Julie and me. We lived in a
tiny house, and everything in it was
very plain and cheap. There was but
one pretty thing, and that was a mag
nificent century plant, which stood in
this blue jar. We childIen knew Its
history by heart, and loved it nearly
as we did each other.
When eur grandmother was a little
girl, and came from England to Amer
lea, she brought it in q little blue mug.
1t was a wee, little thing then, but it
grew nicely, and after she was mar
ried her husband brought her this jar
from Holland. Ke was a sea captain,
and sailed often across the ocean The
jar was put on wheels SO she could
move it easily, for it was large and
heavy by this time.
"There were a great many hostile
Indians in those days, and one after
noon my grandmother say a band of
them coming over the hill toward her
home. Grandfather was away from
home, and she knew that the Indians
would just as likely kill her as not.
So she took her baby and rap through
the woods to go her nearest neighbours.
halls mile away. But it was nearly
dark, and she became bewildered and
lost her way. Grandfather came home,
and found that the Indians had ran
sacked the house from top to bottom.
Some hunters in the woods found his
wife and child and brought them home.
My grandmother was completely
exhausted, and could only tell them,
very feebly, that she raj from the
house and got lost. Very soon after she
died from the effects of her exposure.
The baby was not at all injured
by her night In the woods, but grew
TO be a lovely woman. Her father
gave her the century plant,an she had
1t still when she was a widow with
three little girls to take care of.
1T had blossomed that winter for
the first time in its long life, and to US
children it seemed the most beautiful
thing In the world. A very tall stalk,
crowned with beautiful yellow bios
SONS, rose straight up from its long
curling leaves. and filled the humble
little room with its bright bloom.
This snowy, cold evening we were
sitting by the fire, waiting for mamma
to come home, and talking of the
queer old jar. We had pulled it out so
that the plant stood fully In the fire
light. Presently the door opened and
our mamma came in. We sprang up
to meet her N took her umbrella,
another her waterproof, and little
Julie brought her slippers. We loved
our pretty mamma as we called her,
very dearly, and often wished we were
boys so we could work for her."
"You al imagine that we were
frightened enough when she turned
very white, and laying her head down
on the table, began crying very hard
With us she had always been bright
and cheerful, and we thought some.
thing dreadful must have happened.
In a few minutes she looked up, and
smiling through her tears called us to
her.
"My dear little girls" she said, "you
will think you have q very foolish
mamma, but just for a minute it seem
ed almost like parting with n OF
you !" and then she went on to tell III