Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-07-31

Sad Fate of the Dissatisfied Rose That
Wanted to Fly.

Wanted to Fly.
A wild Rose opened her pink leaves
n after another, one June morning.
and smiled in wonder at seeing what .
beautiful world she was in. She grew
in a h~edge-corner, on a low bush which
had never bloomed before.
For awhile she was very we'll satis-
fed with peeping through the elm
branches above her at the blue sky,
with sometimes a glance at the sun,
which always made her wink; or look
ing around her at the clover and cle-
mats and buttercups.
A little bright-haired child came and
laughed in her face, and then touched
her leaves gently with his soft fingers
"You are pretty! pretty!" she said.
mo, you need not be afraid of me. I
will not pick you. You are prettiest
just where you are"
But the Rose looked longingly at the
boy, as he ran about after a butterfly.
"NWhy can't walk and run tooP"
she said. Il don't like to stay in one
place all the time. 1 am tired of look
ing at the same things. / want to sec
what is on the other side of the hedge,
"Oh dear!!' said the child. "FloWers
don't walk. 1 never saw a tree nor a
flower walk in my life. How funny il
would be! You are just to keep still
and look pretty"
A Bluebird flew into the tree, and,
sang a song so fall of chirps and trills,
onH fuuiffnr, tho+ tho P0ca Lo1l L-.,
breath to listen.
"Why can't 1 fly" she said to the
Bird. "Here 1 have to stay, while YOU
can go and see all the beautiful things
in the world"
"The beautiful things come to you,"
said the Bluebird. "The birds sing to
you, and the children laugh because you
are sweet to them. The Sun smiles ALI
day at you; the wind waits to whisper
to you as he goes by, and all the dews
and showers give you their kisses. Biz
sure you are placed just where you
ought to be-"
But the Rose was not contented
I'm sure 1 could fly" she said, "if
this stem did not hold me here so tight
Look at my leaves-they are as brighS
as the Butterfy's wings. If I could:
only get free, l know they would bear
me up and carry me away-away of to
see all the wonderful things in the great
world on the other side Of the hedge.
How cruel that l should be held down
to that ugly brown earth!"
She fretted and sulked, never dream
ing, poor silly little thing! that her life
came from the humble earth.
She strained and stretched in her
efforts to free herself, so that at last her
slender stem became weakened and q
puff of wind broke it off.
"Now l am free !" she cried NOW
see me fly"
She spread her leaves wide and waved
them with all her might, but they were
not wings. They could not carry har
mp into the sunny air, and she sank
down upon the earth she had despised.
The Sun beamed pityingly down upon
her. and the Wind would have helped
if it could, but they only wilted2 her
now that she had left the bush which
had given her all her sweetness.
The Bluebird looked sadly at her as
she lay in the dust.
"Poor Little thing!" he said. IF
she only had been contented where she
was SO well off! !"
The child found her with her tender
leaves faded and dying.
"lt isn't pretty any longer!" and
she flung it into the road where a wheel
passed over it and crushed it.-YoutA's
Companion. -