The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-04-18
THE sPRaNarIMR.
ichieaeo Nexs.l

S0Gy SAtk 10 kM8 UtQ OAk uGS SoOUS 0SAI0 ' hear them talking every day, but can not understand it is all very strange" The grandsire bade the child think no more of these things; the flowers were foolish prastlers-what right had they 10 put such notions into q child's head ? But the child did not do his grandsire' s bidding: he loved the flowers and the trees, and he went each day to near them talk.
 It seems that the little vine down by the stone wall had overheard the south wind say to the rose bush "Yoa are . proud, imperious beauty now and will not listen to my suit; but wait till my bolster ous brother comes from the north~-thcn you will droop and wither and die, all because you would not listen to me and fly with me to my home by the.seuthem sea.o
 These words set the little vine to think ing, and when she had thought for long time she spoke to the daisy about if, and the daisy called in the violet and the three little ones had very serious con. ference but, having talked it all over, they came to the conclusion that it was as much of mystery aS~ever. The old oak tree saw them.
 "You little folks seem to be very much puzzled about something" said the old oak tree.
 "l heard the south wind tell the rose- bush that she would die," exclaimed the vine, and we do not understand what 1t is. Can you tell us what 1t is to die2''
 The old oak tree smiled sadly.
 "I do not call it death" said the old oak tree. "l call it sleep-a long, rest ful, refreshing sleep"
 How does it feel?" inquired the daisy, looking very full of astonishment and anxiety.
 "Ycu must know" said the old oak tree, that after many, many days we all have had such merry times and have bloomed so long and drunk so heartily of the dew and sunshine and eaten so much of the goodness of the earth that we feel very weary and we long for re- pose. Then great wind comes out of the north and we shiver in its icy blast. The sunshine goes away aud there is no dew for us nor any nourishment in the earth, and we are glad to go asleep"
 Mercy en me cried the vine, "I shall not like that at alll What, leave this smiling meadow and all the pleasant grass and singing bees and frolicseme butterfiies2 No, old oak tree, would never go aslesp-i much prefer sporting with the winds and playing with my little friends, the daisy and the violet"
 And l." said the violet, "l think it would be dreadful to go asleep. What if we never should wake up again" !"
 The suggestion struck the others dumb with terror-all but the old oak tree.
 "Have no fear of that,' said the old oak tree, for you are sure to awaken again, and when you have awakened the new life will be sweeter and happier than the old"
 "What nonsensel" cried the thistle. "You children shouldn't believe a word of it. When you go asleep you die, and when you die there's the last of you"
 The old oak tree reproved .he thistle, but the thistle maintained his abominable heresy so stoutly that the little vine and the daisy and the violet were quite at a loss to know which of s5e i've tc believe the old olk tree or the thistle.
 The child heard it all and was sorely puzzled. What was death-this mysteri- ous sleep2 Would it come upon him the child2 And after he had slept awhile would he awaken2 His grandsire would not tell him of these things; perhaps his grandsire did not know.
 It was long, long summer, full of sun- shine and bird-music, and the meadow was like a garden and the old oak tree locked down upon the grass and flowers and saw that no evil befell them. A long l IA~r v&lan-Aax, t<& Hh<f fstkla skn daisy, and the violet The crickets and the grasshoppers and the bumblebees joined in the sport and romped and made music till it seemed like an endless car nival Only every now and then the vine and her little flower friends talked with the old oak tree about that strange sleep and the promised awakening, and the thistle scoffed at the old oak trees cheer ing words. The child was there and heard it all.
 One day the great wind came out oi the north. Huny-skurry back to their warm homes in the earth and under the old stone wall scampered the crickets and bumblebees to go asleep. Whir-whirr Oh, but how piercing the great wind was -how different from his amiable brother who had travelled all the way from the southern sea to kiss the flowers and woo the rose.
 "Weil, this is the last of usl" ex- claimed the thistle; "we're going to die, and that's the end of it allp
 "No, nor' cried the old oak tree, we shall not die We are going asleep Here, take my leaves, little 6owsrs, and you shaii sleep warm under them. Then when you awaken, you shall see how much sweeter and happier the new life is."
 The little ones were very weary, in- deed. The promised sleep came yery gratefully.
 "We would not be SO willing to go asleep if we thought we should ne' awaken" said the violet.
 So the little ones went asleep. The little vine was the last of all to sink to hel slumbers she nodded in the wind and tried to keep awake till she saw the oi oak tree close his eyes, bat her efforts were vain she nodded and nodded, and