Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-07-26
A LITTLE WOMAN.


afraid she was running away.
Perhaps [ ought not to say running:
for she walked grayely and deliberately
along the street, looking about her with
an Onservant air. She had on a Tutfied
white apron, and brown stuff dress,
and over her head she had thrown an
apron OF blue and white check in place
of a bonnet. The apron was so large,
and the little woman SO small, that,
while the chubby hand held it snuglv
under her round chin, one corner trailed
on the ground behind her. The apron
also served as shawl for rag doll
with no features to speak of, whose
head, with CHASTITY wound on top,
peeped out under the little mother
arm. A great many people We're COM
ing and going, but the little woman did
not notice them. She was singing to
herself and the doll:
It's His hand that leadcth me-"
She only knew this one line, so she sang
it over and over as she went on, walking
close to the fences, and peeping into
yards where flowers were growing, and
into Easements, where she had Climpses
of tables covered with red cloths, and
shining casters towering in the middle
like revolving batteries. She was di-
rectly III the wake of a fat woman who
turned the stream of travel one side.
and left quiet little path for her small
follower
Presently the little woman stopped.
She had come to a yard, filled with
trees and flowers, around an old
fashioned brick house. The flowers
We're old-fashioned, too, but they were
all of the sweetest, and over them the
cherry-boughs were like one great white
bouquet. The little woman forgot to
hold the apron under her chin, and it
slid down to the sidewalk. She took
her doll from under her arm, and held
her close to the fence that she might
see. too, and smell the blossoms, and
hear the fine, clear piping of the bees
at work among them. There was a
wonderful bird flashing about the trees
like a great golden blossom. The bird
seemed always just about to launch into
a song, but was SO busy he broke off at
the first syllable. A man came across the
lawn with wheelbarrow, in which was
a green shrub. He dug hole in the
turf, and began to plant the bush: but
he saw the eager little face, and the
dolly with her wooden brains oozing
out behind. He nodded good-naturedly.
where you going, sis9'
''Anywhere.' said the little woman.
''What YOU looking at?"
Goods tiowers,' was the grave an
swer.
The man laughed again, and pushed
up his hat.
'.Them's the Guv' nor's flowers; want
some?''
The little woman only nodded, but her
eyes grew large and round with wonder
and expectancy as the man broke a
white bough from the cherry-trec, and
a purple spike of q hyacinth. He put
them in her hand, saying: 'sNow run
home. or that there young lady will be
took up by the p'lice; looks like she'd
had a row.
The little woman had neither eyes
nor ears for anything but the flowers
The man went back to his work, and
she went slowly on. One block, two
blocks, six blocks, then she came to Il
little triangular park at the intersection
of the streets-a very small park, with !!
only grass and few trees in it. and an |
iron drinking fountain for horses Just |,
outside the fence. Two dusty horses |
were drinking from the round iron bowl, |
and Il dog was eagerly tapping the slen-
der stream that spilled over upon the |
stones below. The little woman went |
into the park. and sat down under a
tree. She was just beginning to be
afraid she was lost, but she could not
be very unhappy while she had her flow
ers. She sat very still looking at them,
and to her great delight a brown bee
came smiling at the white cups for an
instant as he passed. Stretched on the
grass near her was Il boy--a big boy;
the little woman would have called him
a man. He had red hands and sun
burned face, and coarse, clumsy clothes.
You would not have looked twice at
him. but the little woman looked and
looked. and saw he was crying. She
looked again, and then crept a little
holding her doll very tight.
''DOes YOU want some of Gods flow
erS?' she asked, holding the sweet
things toward him.
The boy took them eagerly-took
them all; but just as the little woman
was going to cry he gave them back
to her, so she broke off piece of The
cherry bough and one little stemless
hyacnth, and gave them to him. The
boy had but lately come to the city.
He was hungry, he was friendless, he
was utterly discouraged, he had taken
the first step downward. But when he
smelt the familiar scent of cherry BIOS
sons, and saw the pure, pitiful eyes of
the little woman looking at him, it
brought back the homely brown house
among the hills. and the little sisters
who believed in him and trusted him.
'I'll try one day more he said reso-
utely, land if can't get work, I'll go
home; I won't stay here and go to the
Dad"
Surely they were Goods flowers
which the little woman had given him.
She sat quietly under the tree, talking
sometimes to her doll, and counting the
lyacinth bells over and over. She
NEW now she was lost. but was not
really frightened. She felt sure some
one would come by and by and find her.
The market-house clock began to strike
.welve. With the first stroke babel
# sounds broke in. Steam-whistles in
every key, bells that changed slowly, |