The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-02-18
THE STORY OF THE SEEDS
BY GEORGE MACDONALD.

Long, long ago, two seeds lay beside
each other in the earth, waiting. 1t was
cold, and rather wearisome; and, to be-
guile the time, the one found means to
speak to the other.
"What are you going to be?" said the
one.
"I don't know" answered the other
"For me-" reioined the first, 81 mean
to be a rose. There is nothing like a
splendid rose. Everybody will love me
then"
cts all right" whispered the second;
and that was all he could say; for some
how, when he had said that, he felt as if
all the words in the world were used up.
So they were silent again for day or
two.
"Oh, dearl" cried the fret, i" have had
some water. I never knew until it was
inside me- I'm growing! I'm growing !
od-byP'
"Good-by!" repeated the other, and
lay still, and waited more than ever.
The first grew and grew, pushing itself
straight up, till at last it felt that it was
in the open air, for it could breathe. And
what delicious breath that was! 1t was
rather cold, but so refreshing. The flower
could see nothing, for it was not quite a
flower yet, only plant; and they never
see till their eyes come,-that is till they
open their blossoms-then, they are flow
ers quite. So it grew and grew, and kept
its head up very steadily, meaning to see
the sky the first thing, and leave the earth
quite behind as we'll as beneath it. But
somehow or other, though why it could
not tell, it felt very much inclined to cry.
At length it opened it's eye. 1t was
morning, and the sky was over its head;
but, alas! itself was no rose-only tiny
white flower. 1t felt yet more inclined
to hang down its head and not to cry; but
it still resisted, and tried hard to open its
eye wide, and to hold it's head upright,
and to look full at the sky.
81 will be a star OF Bethlehem, at
least!" said the flower to itself.
But its head felt very heavy, and a cold
wind rushed over it, and bowed it down
toward the earth. And the flower saw
that the time of the singing of birds
was not come, that the snow covered the
whole land, and that there was not a sim
gle flower in sight but itself. And it
hslf-closed its leaves in terror and the
dismsy of loneliness. But that instant it
remembered what the other flower used
to say; and it said to itself, "It's all right,
will be what 1 can" And thereon it
yielded to the wind, dropped its head to
the earth, and looked no more on the sky,
but on the snow. And strsightway the
wind stopped, and the cold died away,
and the snow sparkled like pearls and
diamonds; and the flower knew that it
was the holding of it's head up that had
hurt it so; for that its body came OF the
snow, and that its name was snow-drop.
And so it said once more, "It's all rightP
and waited in perfect peace. All the rest
it needed was to hang it's head after it's
nature.
"And what became of the other?"
asked Harry.
81 haven't done with this one yet"
said Hugh. 81 only told you it was
waiting. One day a pale, sad-looking
girl, with thin face, large eyes, and long,
white hands, came. hanging her head like
the snow.drop, along the snow where the
flower grew. She spied it, smiled joyous
ly, and saying, 'Ahl my little sister, are
You Gomez stopped and plucked the
snow-drop. 1t trembled and died in her
hand; which was heavenly death for
snowdrop; for had it not cast a CLEAN Of
summer, pale IS it had been itself, upon
the heart of sick girl?"
"And the other?" repeated Harry.
"Ihe other had a long time to wait; but
it did grow one of the loveliest roses ever
seen. Aud at last it had the highest
honor ever granted to q flower; two low
ers smelled it toZether, and were content
with it."-David Elginbrod.