Wichita eagle., 1890-02-11

1
weather was cold her slender form shiv.
cred under the threadbare black cape
her face grew more pinched and blue
than before, but she held her place brave
ly, studying the form, the ''make" Of the
| flowers till she knew them SO well thai
she could shut her eyes and reproduce
them on that wonderful canvas which
we all possess as free gift to paint oul
beautiful visions upon-the clear white
page of our own minds.
There was one thing that troubled her
the flowers died SO quickly. Milly had
neither time nor strength to pay frequent
visits to the flower store, and conse
quently never might she hope to see hel
favorites quite close second time. She
studied them, she loved them, she
strained her eyes to see them. Good
But few days later they were gone
1 from their accustomed places, and
others, new comers-new, graceful, fairy
things-were displayed where the old
friends had slowly drooped or had been
hastily removed. That was the way Of
the world, doubtless, but there are some
people who never get used to the ways
of the world. Milly was haply one OF
| these.
She had one friend-though should
rather say one acquaintance, for he was
scarcely more-and that was the little
crossing sweeper, the poor boy Jim.
Their misfortunes were bond between
them, perhaps; they were both crippled
though slightly, from infancy. He was
| humpbacked; she was lame. He was
swift of foot and of eye and could pilot
her dexterously over the muddy way,
safe from horses feet or splash of wheels
she, the girl, was stronger of hand,
brighter of face and of courage. She
had more than once taken the besom
from Jim's hand and swept away the
mud for pedestrians blithely and cheerily
so that she earned more coppers for him
in ten minutes than he knew how to
gain in weary mornings work. His
hands were so weak and delicate; hers,
used to activity, were positively nuscu-
lar by contrast.
There was one drawback-he never
seemed to comprehend about the flow
ers. He would stand on one leg by the
brilliant shop window staring piteously
taking off his ragged cap and putting it
on again with a gesture of perplexity
scratching his head sometimes for greater
doubt,
'You see. Jim," Miily whispered to
him one day, 81 love them so-the flow
ers. They are so beautiful, SO very, very
beautiful. 1t quite gives me pain, an
odd feeling here in my throat, only to
look at them"
'Then l wouldn't have nothin' to do
with EN-" returned the boy decisively.
''If they hurt you what's the good?"
''It's the hurting that brings me back
to them, somehow" stammered Milly,
who couldn't explain.
Jim gazed at her with his wide open
ed, long lashed eyes.
''You are queer 'un, and no mis-
take," he said at last. eli, look out!
you were almost right under the van
this time, Mill. 1 wish, wish was a
dook, that I do-Td give you fowersa and
grand things every day; wouldn't !
justw
'Thank you, Jim, dear; oh, thank
you. That makes it just the same as if
you did"
"Why, how can that be?" asked the
boy, leaning on his broom and staring at
her harder than ever.
''Of course it does. Don't you seer
asked Milly, to whom definitions seemed
almost the greatest difficulties of life.
There are some people who have 50 lit
tie to say that they spend their days in
trying to make the scanty substance
more; meanwhile the thoughts of others
surge tempestuously against their fetter-
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 all her
commissioned work. Nor had she any
ideas for the future; she was tired, over
done perchance-she had been working
both early and late this last week. The
colors of the many petaled flowers in the
shop opposite seemed to flash more
brightly than usual; the sun was strong
and hot; the three cornered piece of sky
overhead was positively blue. From its
cage on nail outside neighbor's win
dow came the sweet song of a captive
thrush. Some efTervescence of spring
time rose and bubbled in the girls young
veins. She could not stay within her
dark and soualid room; she rose to her
feet in Impotence.
A moment later she had reached the
street. She stood outside the door of the
house, gazing inquiringiy from side to
side. No. Jim was not there; he was
nowhere in sight. Well, he would soon
return, doubtless. There were few We
hicles to be seen; she might cross safely.
Now the deed was done; Jim should
presently hear of her prowess.
And surely the reward was worth the
effort. The flower shop had never SEEM
ed so beautiful. Bunches of lilac. labur-
mum and hawthorn were blooming on
one side; on the other side were posi-
lively stacked pink, red and white peo-
nies, pansies and the anemones and blue
bells of the woods, while marshmalows
and cowslips shone more golden than
the sunshine.
Milly knew no names or properties of
flowers; in her ewes there were no COM
mon ones, and the hothouse geraniums
and cinerarias were only by color more
glorious than the penny lunches of wall
flowers and field daisies and struggling
forget-me- -notS that were specially pro-