Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-11-02

blocks. six blocks, then she came to
fittle triangular park at the intersec
tlon OF the streets "A very small par
with only grass ard few trees in i;
and an iron drinking fountain fo
horses just outside the fence. Tw,
dusty horses were drinking from th
round ircn bowl, and a dog wa
eagerly tapping the slender stream
that spilled over upon the stones be
low. This little woman went into
! the park and sat down under tree
She wac just beginning to be afrai,
she was lost. bit she could not b,
very unhappy while she had lie.
flowers. She sat very still looking
at them. and to her great delight ;
brown bee came shifting at the whit,
cups for an instant, as he passed
Stretched on the grass near her wa.
Il boy-a big boy; the little woman
would haze called him a man HI
had red hands and a sunburned face
and coarse, clumsy clothes. You
would not have looked twice at him
but the little woman looked anC
looked, and saw he was crying. She
looked Hgaip and then crept a little
nearer, noisifng her DOH very tight.
docs yOu want some of Gods
howars?" 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 hough, and one little stem less
hyacinth, and gave them to him.
The boy had but lately come to the
city. He was hungry, he was friend
less, he was utterly discouraged. he
had taken the first step downward.
But when he smelt the familiar scent
of cherry blossoms. and saw the pure,
pitifnl eyes of the little woman look
lag at Linn, it brought back the
honely brown house among the hills,
and the little sisters who believed in
him and full trusted him.
I'll try one day more" he said
resolutely, and if l can't get work,
I'll go home; / won't stay here and
go to the bad
Surely they were Gods flowers
which the little woman had given
bin.
She sat quietly under the tree.
talking sometimes TO her doll, and
counting the hyacinth bells over and
over. She knew now that 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 twelve.
With the first stroke babel of sounds
broke in. Steam whistles in every
key, bells that changed slowly, bells
that rang wildly, clocks striking from
a dozen 1eeples, and through them
all the sharp, deep boom of the
market clock. The street was full of
hurrying people, going home to din
her. Gathering over the pavement
came an empty express wagon; the
driver hesitated. then turned up to
the brilnming water basin, and let the
big gray horse plunge his nose in the
cool water. A flock of brown spar
rows were taking shower-baths in
the overflow; and as the driver
waited. his eyes followed them with
amusement from the water to the
branches where they dried their
feathers. What was Tat under the
tree? A child lying asleep on the
grass7
Looks like my little woman"
said the driver, jumping over the
fence, and coming up to the tree in
three strides.
'Sure's you live, it's herself" he
said, as he picked the little sleeper
up in his arms. He stopped again
for the doll, and thrust it headtirst
into his pocket; but the little hand
clung to the flowers even in sleep.
The big horse whisked them away,
but with the jolting of the wagon the
great blue eyes opened.
"What do ye s'pose II other'll say?"
asked the driver, pressing the soft
cheek against his rough coat. "Where
was ye goin', anyhow"
"Just went a-walking." said the
little woman, "and I couldn't go back
again cause the house got lost"
When the terrified mother had as
sured herself that her darling was
safe and sound, when the little wom-
an was eagerly crowding her withered
flowers into her tin cup, the father
looked up from his dinner to say
''Cnrious how l happened to drive
by the park to day; I haven't been
that way for a week."
""Tis His hand that leadeth me-"
sang the little woman over her flow
ers.
The father looked at the mother
and nodded.
Might be-" he said thoughtfully.