The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-06-03

trains stop and where there are many
people,"
A quick CLEAN of brightness, like an
inspiration, illuminated the child's face.
There was a warning whistle, the lady
stopped and kissed the eager face OF
the little orphan, and the train bore her
swiftly away. The boy ran across the
prairie to the nearest of the sod houses,
little dug-out covered with sand, where
the few earthly possessions of his dead
parents were stored. This was the
child's home, although he boarded here
and there among the neighbors, doing
for them any light work within his
power. His living was not grudged,
but the community was hopeless one,
the people comprising it remaining
there only because they were too spirit
less to go elsewhere. The boys face
glowed with pleasure as he set about
reporting the rosebush in the rich black
prairie sod, having first looked in one
of the books to find instructions for so
doing.
"There may be strength enough in
the roots to throw up new shoots" he
said, " if l cut the stalk and branches
pretty close, and l will not waste so
much as an inch of it. / will make
slips of every cutting. 1 will split the
lower end of each one, put a grain of
wheat in the split, and then, setting
them in the ground, wait and see.
And while am waiting / will tell the
neighbors the good things the lady told
me-"
The neighbors were all interested.
The stopping of the great express train
and the sight of the people had aroused
them, and now the rosebush was left
over interest, and the promise of the
lovely stranger-lady to write gave them
something to look forward to. l am
sure Alex McLaren must have been a
remarkable boy. He had inherited good
blood from his Scottish parents, and it
cropped out in bright and suggestive
thoughts that were put into practice in
his daily life. The swelling buds of the
rose-slips had not put forth single
leaf when bundle of well-selected
papers, leaflets and tracts came to the
little dug-out. They were very precious
to the boy, but he said 81 must take
lesson from the rose-tree; must slip
these by passing them around to every
house, and asking God to let the good
thoughts in them take root in the peo-
ple's hearts"
We can be good right here just as
we'll rs anywhere" said one of the
women, after one of the leaflets had
been read aloud to the assembled COM
munity in her living-room. which was
the largest in the settlement. 81 never
thought of it before, but this lonely
prairie is just as near heaven as any
other portion of Gods earth, and we
can all do the best we know how for
Jesus sake, and we will"
"And we will" echoed all the
others one by one solemnly And that
was their covenant, and it was kept.
"The best we know how" governed
the farming, the gardening, the plant
ing of trees, the building of new dwell
ings, the housekeeping, and the faith
full daily study of all such books as they
had and those that were sent weekly
by their friend, who, as the months
went by, was glad to hear by Alexis
letters that the rose't slips were grow
ing and even blossoming, that every
family had one or more plants, and that
new intellectual and spiritual life
was manifest in the whole community
through her kindly efforts.'
A few years later this lady, attending
religious gathering in large western
city, met colporteur, who told of lit
tie village he had found on a lonely
prairie where everything was so much
in advance of any other place in all
that section that he fancied for time
that he must be under the spell of a
delightful dream. The people were
cultivated and courteous, their dwell.
ings were pleasant and homelike, and
there were roses, real, sweet, fragrant
New England roses, at every house
Religious services were held regularly
and there was good school, taught by
: youth who had educated himself even
in Latin and Greek. The colporteur
had been so much interested that he
had remained until church was organ
lied and minister called, and the las
| he had heard new settlers were coming
in, and he believed the place was des
tined to be large and prosperous one
so anxious were people to live where
they could enjoy church and schoo
privileges.
The lady eagerly took the first oppor
. tunity to question the speaker, anC
learned that, as she had supposed wheI
Z she heard of the roses, it was {" he
: prairie" as she called it in her heart
That place, she says, is one more proc
: that now is the time when good litera
ture should be sOwn broadcast over tn,
great West in the form of tracts ant
leaflets, when the number of worker
: should be doubled and trebled. Woul'
S not this be fine investment for th'
I money of wealthy Christians Mrs
!, Annie x. Preston, in american Mes
p Senger.