Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-11-24
A BEDTIME STORY.
How 4 Dream of Watty Graham S
Helped His Mother.

| New YGk World:-Little Watty
Graham, an invalid, lived along with
his widowed mother on the top floor
of tenement house. His mother sup
ported them by making ,.eckties, but
q day came when - ham was
| told she could HAY. =, : work. A
J great lump rose i'll her lnroat as she
thought of Watty, but it was a beauti-
! full day, and between the walk and
| the sunshine the spirits of Mrs. Ora
ham revived as she neared home. She
thought perhaps Mr.. Hardy will be
willing to wait a while for the rent
and / may get something better. Any
how, today NVatty shall be happy"
She bought some provisions, q pencil
and paper for Watty, who loved to
draw, and an old magazine for cents
Besides, fortune threw in her way a
bunch of golden rod that made Watty
clap his hands with delight 1t was
put in water in little purple jar and
| placed near him on the window sill
| The magazine was wrapped in n
newspaper in which Watty saw an Of
| fer Of $50 for the best design for wall
paper i'll gold and silver gilt, cream
color and white. Watty read it out
loud, but Mrs. Graham did not seem
to pay attention. BY and bye, when
it was dusk, she began to tell him q
story about the golden rod
There was once q little boy she
began, who loved flowers as You do,
Watty. His nome Was John. One day
st. Joseph, holding a staff with lilies
at the top. He asked his mother what
it meant, and she tod how Joseph's
staff had broken into bloom at the ap-
proach of Mary, by which she knew
him for her spouse. Hence, Easter
lilies are sometimes called st. Joseph
lilies.
j" Such a wonderful staff ought to be
made Of gold said little John. If l
owned the statue l would gid the
the staff and make it a golden rod
Not long after this John and his
mother moved TO the country, ond the
Lttle by had happy time with the
,-ruS and neeS and blossoms.
''One daT he brought home a great
armful OF flower ring yellow plant, for
which his mother knew no name. He
divided it into lunches and set them
here and there, his mother lending cups
from the closet to put them in; and,
by keeping fresh water supplied to
them, they made the little cottage
quite gay for a number Of days AS he
filled the cups one day he called out:
i" Mother, we will call this flower
golden rod. See, it is tire color Of gold
and the blossoms break out all along
a stem. 1t has put me in mind of the
beautiful story OF the rod that broke
out into lilies
" Why, child said his mother, you
are 4 genius. That is a really beauti-
full name for it. Next year we will
have some in the garden.
when people heard the lame little
John had given it, and why, they be-
gan to fail in love with the golden rod,
and it has now become very popular"
When Mrs. Graharl finished the
golden rod story Watty fell asleep.
i -.
He wandered through fields and mea-
dows with the boy who named the
golden rod; he lay en- bank and
heard the buzzing of bees and saw
J them go in and out of a great hole in
1; tree; he entered a grove that rang
with the music of thousand birds;
then he climbed hillside that was
a 4
L great bunch for his mother. His
! beautiful vision ended with one in
which he saw angels flying here and
there with golden staffs, sproutins
lilies. Others bore armfulS Of golden
rod; rs they glided about he heard
4 sound like the jingling of silver bells
beneath their robes. Those who had
the golden rod came and threw il
down i'll 4 heap by lis chair; the
/ others plucked the iii IS and laid them
on the table. Then all went out but
two, who began to make punches OF
golden rod and put a lily in tie hear
OF each bunch. These they tied will
little white ribbons and held them III
against the wall But while he watch
tb luelll LIS ulODleI VOICE CStillus
'Watty" brought him out Of dream
land.
In minute he was wide awake
Quick, mother" he called, my ienci
and paper" For an hour he drew
rapidly, and then handed Lis drawing
TO his mother. 1t WAS punches o.
golden rod, tied with ribbon. In tn.
! center Of each bunch was 4 lily
Across the top Of festoons of littl
bells on ribbon, Topped with invert
| ed lunches of the flowers; this WAS tn
{ border. He had written beneath
Cream color ground: bells and lille
silver-gilt; golden rod, gold; ribbon
white Walter Graham"
Walter had dreamed the design. Hi
mother sent it away, an in "A few day
came a check for $50 to Walter Ora
: ham, To- design of lilies and goldel
: rod.
5 Now mother, you can pay the rent,
: said Watty.
q "Watty," said she, Il had no NOR
: work; tomorrow we would begin t
j starve."
e. You never told me-" said Watty
t Thank God for the beautiful dream.