, 1890-01-23

gone from their accustomed rlutcs, hlll
othcrs, newcomers new, graceful
| the old friends had slowly dropped
or been hastily removed, That
was the way of the world, doubtless, bur
| there are some people who never get
/ used to the ways of the world. Milly
was hapy one ul these.
| She had one friend though should
rather say one acquaintance, for he
was scarcely mOre-and that was the
| little crL lsing sweeper the poor boy
| Jim.
Their misfortunos were bond be
tween them, perhaps they were both
! crippled though slightly, from infancy.
lie was hunpbaCked, she was lame. lie
was swift of loot and of eye and could
/ pilot her dcNtruusly over the muddy
way, safe from horses feet or splash of
whcelsi she, the girl, was stronger OF
hand, brighter Of face and of courage.
| She had moro than once taken the
bcsom from Jiin's hand and swept away
the mud tor pedestrians blithely and
chcerily, so that she earned more cop
pors for rim In minutes than he knew
| how TO gain in a weary mornings work.
| His hands were so weak ana delicate ;
hers, used to activity, were positively
muscular by contrast.
There was one drawback --hc never
seemed to comprehend about the flow.
ers. lie would stand on one leg by the
! brilliant shop window, staring piteously,
taxing oil his ragged cap ana putting 1t
/ ON again with "a gesture OF pcrploNtty,
scratching his head sometimes tor great
or doubt.
"Hou see, Jim" Milly whispered to
| him one day, II love them so-the flow
ers. They are 80 beautiful, so very beau
tiful. II quite gives me pain, an odd
feeling here III my throat, only to look
| at them
Then wouldn't have nothing to do
with cm, returned the boy decisively.
III they hurt you whats the goOdY.
"Its the hurting that brings me back
| to them somewhat stainnered Millyi
| who Couldu' explain.
Jim guled at her with his wide-opened,
| long-lasEcd eyes,
"Nou are u queer 'un, and no mis-.
/ take lac said dt last iii, look OUT
/ YOU were almost right under the van
this time. Milly. | wish, ! wish was a
duuk, that | do-rd give you flowers
and grand things every day wouldn't !
Just"
THANK you. Jim, dear: oh, thank
you. That makes 1t just the same as II
| you did
why how can that be2n asked the
! boy, lcaning on his broom and staring at
her harder thau ever
"OrCourse It does. Don't you scer'
| asked VI lilN, To whom definitions seemed
almost the greatest difficulties OF life.
| There are some people who have so
! little tu say that they spend their days
in trying To make the suanty substance
moro; meanwhile the thoughts of othcr-
surge tcmpcs,uuusly against their icttct.
! ing speech. and these people must al
| ways appear ignorant and dull.
| one day-it was bright May morn
] ing-Milly had come to an end OF ali her
commissioned work. Nor had she any
ideas for thc iuture she was tired, over
| done perrlaucc-she had been working
both carly and late this last week. The
cuiurs ut the many'potalcd flowers in
the shop opposite seemed To- flash more
brightly than usual the sun was strong
and hot: the three-CoTncred piece Of sky
overhead was positively blue, From its
cage Oh a nail outside OF noighbOr' 4
window came the sweet song OF u cap.
tive thrush. Some eticrYcsccncc of
I -priuutifue rose and bubbicd in the girl s
yuuug veins, She could not stay within
her dark and squalid room; she rOse to
her feet IN tmpatiencc.
A moment lulcr she had reached the
street. She stood outside the door ut
the house gazing inquirngly from side
to side. No Jim was not there lac was
nowhere In sight. We'll, hr would soon
return. dOuUlless. There were few
safely. Sow the deed was done; Jim
! should presently hear OF her proves,
! Aud surely the reward was worth the
| effort. The H. Ner shop had never
seemed so beautiful Bunohes oi
lilac. labuTnum and hawthorn were
blooming ON one side; on the other
we're positively stacked pink, red and
/ white peunir,. psnslcs and the aucmuucs
and blue bells at the woods, while
marshmaliOws and Cowslips shouc more
golden thun tile sunshine.
I Mi.ly knew no names or properties oi
I flowers In hcr eyes there were NO com
mon ones, ami the dollhouse gcranlums
and itineraries were only by color more
| glorious than the penny bunchcs otwall
/ Howe aud field daisies and struggling
forge s-nJts that were specially pro-
/ yidn weary l.undOnors'
| To Z was all "A beautiful dream
| there Iust hard, impossible wall
between hcr ana suclI luNurics, like the
glass AGAINST which She hattcncd her
pale, liijie pinChed features. sh" could
sec through the giass ccftaInly, but she
could get no nearer; no, nor yet touch
| or smell. She could only sigh, aud the
sigh (complaint-likol made matters
worse. iOr Il dimmed the clearness Oi
the glass for moment.
Two ladies came ont Of the shop; ono
passed ON; the other, seeing the girl,
/ pnus,d. The hands Of both ladies were
[ uiicd with lunches uf flowers, possibly
Milly's eyes were more hungrily watch
iug dian she knew.
"Nuu poIr little girl !" said the lady
[ who stood in the doorway. She held
out bunch of something bright.
"Nuuti you like these HOwersP Yes,
you may take thcm.'
She smilca, she went on hcr way.
! M.ly hud said nothing; not word ui
thank, even. She only graspcd the
! tiny uos"gny a. though IL were made oi
gold. She stared vacantly at the lad les
till they were out OF sight
Then she laughed softly TO her.
self. What would i'm say? Where
was Jim2 Why was he still
abscn,2 She must certainly come out
again In the afternoon, it only 20 tel
him the delightful news. II was the
first time that any real iuwers had beei
given to her, ana actually belonged "a
herself. Nhv, they were quite soft, like
velvet, not grimy and gritty like mos
things, and with u perfume yes, that
must be the meaning Of tho word pei
iume- something quite, quite bewildor-
ing.
fhc road was free of carts and car
now, surely. This was the moment
one rush fOTNarl---oh, the craInp in he
still leg! Forward. no, back In haste
A noise of horses hoofs, with a thou
sand voices ringing in her ears and
in the midst of all, vision OF Jim +,
face, white and set as Il had never beer
bcforc-then the earth rising up to NEE
her violently, as something large and
dark l0omcd before her eyes aud seeinet
to strike her down.
"Sho Is coming to, poor little thing.
These were the first words that MillN
heard
"Where am ~ she asked family.
Her own voice sounded further OF