The Indiana State sentinel., 1886-04-28

NO" continued Miss Haywood Flor
ence has said nothing; but Kate happened
to hear a few remsrks, and pat two and two
together. She was also in the outer store at
the florists when you bought your lily. and
saw that it had five blossoms instead of
three" 81, couldn't help it," stammered
poor Elsie, quite overcome with confusion.
And 1 am sure you wouldn't If you could"
remarked Miss Hey0ood kindly, "for have
heard where the missing lilies went. One
graced a wedding ceremony, adding largely
to the JOY of poor Swedish bride,
and the other rests on the breast OF
a dead child having cheered and COM
forted an almost broken hearted mother
Both were acts worthy of our Esster-iower
mission" "How do you know? asked Elsie
in the deepest establishment. "From our
clergyman, who married Lena aud Hensel,
ana read the burial service over baby Nanette.
Both bride and mother were very comnfuni-
catiye, and sang the praises OF certain little
Elsie Dunham."
'Yes she has done more than any of Us,
and shall be the queen of the Easter fairies,
as we mean to call ourselves exclaimed
Kate, and the warm-hearted girls all crowded
round Elsie, until she was completely over
whelmed at 80 much notice and ran away
to hide her bushes in the parlor. There she
found all the floral offerings set out on the
piano, and soon Miss Haywood followed,
suggesting ''as they had some distance to go,
the flower fairies had better start on their
Easter mission" And a pretty sight they
formed, as with their arms full of sweet
scented blooms, they wended their way into
narrow courts and alleys, where little ragged
children begged for lust one posie," and
men an6 women hocked to doors and win
dows to see the walking flower garden"
pass by.
Old Tony the cobbler, wept tor Joy, when
the beautiful azalea was set on his window
ledge and he understood that it was really
his very own; and as for lame Nat, his art
ist soul was in his eyes, as he turned from
the. white lily to Elsie, mumuring You have
brought me the best medicine could have;
for l have dreamed of such flowers as these"
Although Esie's knitting-needleS clicked
steadily both early and late, it was nearly
midsummer before the blue ribbons and
forgetme-nots crowned her soft golden hair;
but she never regretted it. or il she had, a
visit to Nat would have made her perfectly
satisfied. With pencil and brush he trans
ferred the lilies to paper, and worked over
them many days, until an exquisite picture
was the result. This he one day displayed
to Elsie, and she begged him to allow her TO
show it to her beloved teacher. Miss Hey
wood was both astonished and delighted
with the boys effort, and took it to firm
famous for its Christmas and Easter cards.
They too, recognized the touch of true art
ist and purchased the design, paying Nat
a sum large enough to take him out of the
hot dusty town. into the sweet, clover
scented country, where, amid 'green fields,
and pastures fair" he spent the Lappiest
summer of his life, painting little gems of
landscapes and coming home in the fall
still on crutches to be sure, but with the
roses of health on his cheeks, and the sparkle
OF life and hope in his dark eyes. The fol-
lowing year, one of the choisest Easter cards
OF the season, was graceful design OF white
lilies, on a silver background. The daily
papers noticed it, connolsseurs purchased it;
but few knew that it was the work of poor
cripple in an attic room, and was suggested
by, and copied from Elsie's three Easter
lilies.