, 1890-01-23
A LONDON STORY.
By lady LIN isay, in Temple Bar.

Ivy Inil In tsdgt III loNiptt DAT
Mlly was tire poor little souls name
no one had ever called her anything o!sc
only Milly.
She made her scnnty living by en-.
broidery, residing in u fprlorn'looking,
darl; and narrow room that was yet
fortunate enough to boast one small
window on the street. Aye, that win
dow was Milly's glory; the joy and de
light of her existence. The street was a
dingy London one, hardly thorough
fnrc, and therefore not NOISY; but gay
and even ,lcectably worldly in the child )
eyes, for she wa, not much more than q
child a. yet. Though worn In face and
serious.looking she was young In ycars,
scarcely II surely at most, while IN
character she was very childish
still. London brel she was,
shrcwd and quick in many
things kccnly alive to the necessity of
daily work thoroughly eNpcctant OF the
money lowing ways Of hor employers,
aud ustutc with regard to life generally
nevertheless, fund of freshness and in
uuccucc I'm Miliy's soul was wont ottcn tn
burst forth like sweet pure spring OF
water coming from depths unknown,
ready to gladden. and sUlhce the arid
hearts of her ncighbOrs. She was
friendly to those neighOurs, who, some
OF them, bcircndel her. But she
had always been much alone She was
almost like u prisoner this little lnne
nnd feeble -hoiicd scunIstress, or rather
cntbroMorcss, who spent her uncurci'tor
youth bending over u frame of needle
work. carrying out lhc ideas aud designs
of Others; only occasionally, as rare
luxury. allowed to work her own wall
and her own nucias into the threads Oi
silk and pieces uf linen or satin ''lcll
over" Ifa boys will he the winds will,
what shall bo said of girls? l. II
lirht. cphcmc!al, like the sctiOnm2 or
stronger. like bindwGed IN gardcnsf Or
firm and brave and shining like the
marble that makes the coping stones oi
palaccs2 ! know not.
Milly cared little lur tho vehicles that
sometimes went rumhlIng down her
street. nor for the looking, poorly
dressed ucdc.trinns who were the only
freauDuturs ut that ncighOOrhOud, nor
Tor the loud voiced yendors OF cheap
goods In hnrrnws. II was the corner OF
a gray sky-ocCnsionally placid blue
Which she liked, and which tby spuccE.
ing well IN between heavy table ana
The window sill, and Crlniug her neck
painfully she could see and greatly en-
low. in contrast to the dingy atmosphere
of her lodging. But what She loved best
of ALI to gaze ON from her window was
the shop opposite-a shop So glorious, ~
lovely, 80 comforting ANA yet heart-stir
ring that thc child could never be salts
fed with looking and wondering at II.
A flower shop II was, What arc
n al and hnxI do tlnN
asked the l.ondoners. How are they
gathered and brought together in thciT
infinite beauty Ot tone and color, In thoii
brillinncy aud freshness In their tender
ness and sweetness. Flowers in pots
flowers in punches. flowers in sprays
struggling groups of flowers and stray
single blooms-all these filled and deCkcu
! the window puncs ofthc shop opposite
ali these gluidcned the eager, bcatin.,
heart of the little lame cmbroIdcress. II
| mnttered not, when her eyes were de
| lighted with this dream of fair color
| that she was lame; nor did she romcm
Der her many sorrows when, with lao
trembling hands, she threaded hci
needle and piled her loyclicst silks
1 gluncing up now ana then To gam IRON
| beyond the narrow street new draughl
| from her source OF inspiration. Fast
| tlew her fingers, fast grew the flowers be
meath her touch; like, yet not like I'll,
originals; pretty, pctchnnCe, yet dlsnp
pointingly different to expectation
/ thought the little artist, who rcalizCt
| without knowledge of the why ol
whereiore) this failure OF a great inteu
ton.
For she wanted TO copy nature,
! Nay, who that has once seen nature car
| be readily content with counterfeit
| Every now aud then, at sparse inter
walls of time wiIen she was thorough ly
disheariened and disguised with her owf
| handiwurk, Milly would fetch her old
| hat and cape out of the cupboard-hoi
cupboard where she kept everything
from n piese of dry breau to an empty
| backing bottle and an old Biblc-anJ
dress herself lubor.ously and crawl ove
10 the opposite side of the street ant
stand there, her face pressed against tn,
panes of tl,c flower shop window, til
she could stand upright no more. lfth'
weather were cold her slender form shiy
cred under the thrradbaro black cape
her face grew more punched and blu,
than before but she held her plac'
brnvely, studying the form, the mae
! of tho flowers, till sho knew thom 50 wei
7 that she could shut her eyes and repro
duce them ON that wonderful canval
! which we ali possess as free gift q
paint our benuiitul visions upon-th'
/ clear white page OF our own minds.
There was one thing that troubled her
/ the flowers died so quickly. Milly hat
neither time nor strength to pay fire.
ournt visits TO the flower shop, an'
consequently never might size hope q
soc her iayorites quite close secon'