The Van Buren press., 1893-09-02
WILD DAISIES.
Some OF the Uses to Which They Can BE
Put In Work and Play.

WILD DAISIES.
Some Of the Uses to Which They Can BE
Put In Work and Play.
The two Colt girls came to see little
Mary one afternoon.
1--WE thought maybe you would like
to go picking daisies" they said.
"Mother said noe might go if we'd each
bring her home a big bunch. She's 60
ing to dry them for daisy tea"
What are daisies good for?' asked .
neighbor, who had just dropped in to
borrow an almanac.
For night sweats,' said the eldest
Colt girl, in capable manner. "Moth-
er dries them up garrett every sum-
mer"
Mary's mother took down her little
girls hat from the nail.
"You may bring me bunch, too"
she said.
Away they went, the Colt girls and
little Mary, beyond the wall into the
broad fields. white with daisies. They
gathered their hands full and their
aprons full. If it was play, it was
pleasant, and If it was work, it was the
prettiest work in the world.
At last they came under the shade of
a great spreading apple tree, and sat
down on broad rock to rest and to
arrange their daisies
Daisies are good for fortune-telling,
said Fanny Colt. "Shall l tell your
fortune, Mary? See, l pull off the leaves
one by one, and each leaf has word.
The last word is your fortune. First,
will tell you what you will ride in.
Coach, carriage, wheelbarrow, whipi
coach, carriage" and so on and on to
the end of the daisy. With each word
Fanny pulled out a white petal and
threw it on the grass. The last petal
was "wheelbarrow," and then they all
laughed.
"Now I'll tell what you will live in" !"
said Fanny" and she began again with
fresh daisy: white house, yellow
house, brick house, wood house." Over
and over she said it, ending with:
You'll live in a wood house."
81 do now" said Mary.
| Fanny took another daisy.
"Now we'll see what you'll wear"
she said. silk, satin, muslin, delaine;
silk, satin, muslin, delaine-"
The last petal was silk"
"How said the eldest Colt girl. 81
wouldn't wear silk If l was going to
ride in wheelbarrowr and then they
all laughed. They laughed at every
thing; it was so pleasant out in the
fields that bright, warm June day,
with the birds singing and the daisies
nodding all about them
Then Mary learned the words and
told Fanny's fortune, and then they
both told Hester's. They didn't care
whether they got coaches or whips,
silk or delaine, it was enough to be
sitting under shady tree, pulling
daisies.
"My aunt that lives with u.s." said
Hester, 'can make little face in the
center of daisy, and trim off the
white leaves so they will look like a
rutfled cap"
"Father says daisies are weeds" re-
marked Fanny, "but / think they are
good for lots of things, even it they are
weeds"
81 love daisies," said little Mary.
Suddenly Hester started up.
"Fanny!" she exclaimed, don't you
remember mother was getting ready
to fry doughnuts? l Lam going straight
home"
So she and Fanny departed, each
with an apron full of daisies.
But Mary stayed under the tree long
enough to make her daisies into great
bunch which took both hands to carry
Then she went happily home.
Here are your daisies, motherF' she
said. "Are you going to dry them up
garrett"
"Not these" said her mother, smil-
ing, and she brought out two blue and
white ginger Jars and little red crock
so that Mary could make bouquets for
the sitting-room and tea-table. Mary
looked at the daisies with their golden
centers and pure white encircling
petals. Thoughts came into her heart
that she could not put into words, but
she said softly:
81 think daisies are good for great
deal, I do!''-Mary L. b. Branch, in
Youths Companion.