The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1885-04-30

u
because, when she was a little baby, his
father had brought home some Scotch
roses, and his mothers face lightened up,
and she exclaimed:
"We'll call the baby Rose"
Rob had almost forgotten what roses
were, but he knew where there was a
florist where he might buy one, and he
emptied his pockets to see how much he
had.
He found three cents, enough he
thought to buy him rose to put in the
baby's hand, and so, after doing his er-
rand at the undertaker's, he turned his
steps to florists.
The same afternoon Harry BrentOn, a
young law student, went into florists to
see about some roses that he had ordered
to send to Edith Westford, who had con
sented to attend a party with him that
night.
'You're lucky to have engaged those
ahead, Mr.. Brenton,' sad the florist, lay
ing out a double handful of Jacquemnots
before him, 'for don't believe there's
rose to be had in town this afternoon.
I've never seen such a rush for flowers at
this season."
AS Harry was paying for the flowers,
he noticed small boy with ragged
clothes and dirty, mourntul face, gazing
upon them eagerly.
"Say, mister, is them roses ~
YES" snapped the florist, who had
been tormented all day, by an incessant
demand for advertising cards. "What
do you want here 2"
"Would We sell me one o them for three
cents 2"
They're all sold cost fifty cents, too.
If that's all you want, clear OUT
Rob turned away disconsolately. They
might as well cost fifty dollars DIS far as
his inability to buy one went. and in spite
OF himself tear rolled down his cheek
Harry who, in spite OF a rough manner,
was really tender hearted, noticed it, and
such a strange request and such tokens
OF grief from small ''mucker," whose
only use in life, in his opinion, was to
hold horse, and chase tennis balls, eX-
cited his curiosity, and he asked in a
sharp, but not unkindly tone:
''What do you Want of a rose, Johnny"
al want it for my little sister,
"DOes she like roses ?"
"She did, but she's dead now"
"Oh y A pause. "Say, what TO you
want OF rose for her now, then p
'They're coming to bury her this after
noon, and | wanted a rose to stick in her
hand, so as to look nice. and now |
| haven't got morey enough"
Harry began to be interested. and had
half mind to give him one of those he
had intended for Miss Westtord, but he
concluded to inquire little further into
the boys story, and at last became so
| lDtpraSfpG that ba took bic tha
surprise Of the florist, who had been wait
ing his order to have them sent, and told
Rob that he would go along with him and
see what could be done.
1t was his first visit to a tenement
house, and The squaor and misery of
their surroundings, and the woman's sad
story, and, most of all, the pitiful, silent
figure on the bed, moved him more than
he cared to confess, vet in his embarrass-
ment he knew neither what to say or
what to do
In the midst Of his deiberaton, how
ever. heavy tread and a knock were
heard, and the two men entered, one
carryinga little stained pine coffin.
'ls this where's baby to be buried 2"
asked one roughly.
Harry nodded assent, while Mrs Nc
Gregor sat down despondently by the
side of the body, and Rob sank down on
the floor and wiped his eyes with the
skirt of her gown
81 didn't have nothing to put on it,
she said to Harry, 'and couldn't wash
it or do nothin' to make it look nice |
wish I'd had somethin' white, 50 | could
a fixed it,
"An' | couldn't get no flowers put in
Rob.
Harry's fingers were twisting the string
to his box of flowers.
'Fve got a few flowers here" said he,
and if you'd like them, why here they
are"
And he pulled open the box and in
went every Jacqueminot into the little
colin upon the ragged, yellow flannel and
the dirt that shrcuded the little body that
had been placed there.
He looked at it moment, while their
laces frightened up; then he put the
choicest rose into the dirty little hand
and arranged the rest about the body,
over the strip of coarse muslin tackled
about the edge of the coffin, and turned
away, while the men, who had been look
ing on IN surprise, came up to remove it.
| S' -iiSoiOSol, SIt saw llltlll llloN Z
toward the coffin, staggered to her feet
and came toward Harry. "Oh, can't
see them take it away, sir . | can't
can't !"
"No, no." said Harry, soothingly, lead
ing her to little room at one side.
'Here, go IN there, and I'll see that it's
all right; she'll be better off; you'll come
out all right Here, this will help YOU
along, and Pll look in tomorrow and see
how you are getting on"
With such awkward attempt at cOnso-
latlon ard with the more substantial
sympathy Of five dollar bill, Harry got
her out Of the room, while she was max
ing an effort to thank him, and repeated
his promise of help, and with an awkward
sense OF his clumsiness, yet with the
satisfaction that ne had given them some
aid, he followed the men to the sidewalk,
where one of them had backed up a
covered wagon.
AS the wagon ratified over the pave
ments Harry stood watching it, then
shlverlng at the bleak and snowy air,
and at the mockery of a funeral, he
| turned from Starr Place and walked
briskly away.
Several hours later he called upon
Miss West5ord to explain why he could
send no flowers. ''Pve searched the city
through" said he, ''and there's not one
to be had"
Then he told of his visit to Starr Place,
giving a rough picture of the misery
there, slightly and half sneering at his
own charitable acts. "They live in such
beastly hole, don't You know, and
everything was SO disgusting, and they'd
no end of bad luck, and the little beggar
was so set on roses, that, hang it all
couldn't refuse him."
Miss Westford saw through his indif-
terent manner, and guessed at bis real
actions, and the story moved her so
much that she was content at the loss of
her Jacqueminots, and exclaimed as he
finished:
"Mr. Brenton, you're an angel"
Harry was a trt1e embarrassed at this
praise.
"Why, | didn't do anything for them,
you know" he began.
"Yes, you did. | know you did exact
ly the right thing. You needn't feel so
tlattered, for there isn't ordinarily any
| thing angelic about Won Won FORGOT