The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1894-08-17


1.-The boy threw down his bundle,
took the dasics with another "Thank
you,n and hurrid away as fast as his
poor foot would let him TO an old,
queer-looking wooden house near the
market, where, huggng his treasure
closely to his breast, he mounted the
shaky stairs until he reached the gar
ret. Pushing open door here, he en-
tered a neat little room, with only one
window in it, but that dormer fac
ing the south. The floor Of this room |
was bare with the exception of two
or three round rag mats, and the walls |
were decorated in the oldest manner |
with pictures cut from old magazines |
and papers, bits of colored glass, strips |
Of glittering tin twisted into gro
tcsquc shapes, and red and green mot
to-papers fashioned into some sem
blance OF flowers.
On bed near the window lay a
little pale-faced, brown-haircd girl,
with wistful, gray eyes, and a smile
like sunshine breaking through a
cloud. In her hands she held a pair
of knitting-needes, with which she
was knitting with marvellous quick
ness some coarse thread into wide,
strong lace. Beside the bed stood a
small table, holding Il box Of water
coors, a camel's-hair brush or two, d
lead pencil, a cup filed with water,
and piece Of paper, on which was a
rude attempt alta painting Of bunch
of daisies.
See what I've brought you, Phc-
micm cried her brother Joyful. TO
days your birthday thirteen years
uld--almost as old as | am. Bat you
thought I'd forgotten it; but didn't,
dcaric--no. indeed
Daisies. dasies ~ cried the girl,
!, with a sweet, glad laugh, dropping
her work, and holding out her pretty
slender hands. 80, brother, dear
good, darling brother, Will they live
and grow ?"
"The gardener says they will, anc
he ought to know" answered hel
brother. "And now you needn't bc
aching your poor little head any more
trying to think exactly how they
look, for you can study them all da.
long. But, good gracious / mus
1 go and sell my papers, or we'll have
, no berries for dinner, and that woul(
t be dreadful" And giving his sister ;
, kiss, he hurried away again, as happy
: | believe, as any boy in that great cit,
a on that pleasant summcrday.
e 81 am so glad, so veA, very gla,
k that you have come !" said phemie Il
= the dasics as soon as he was gone, a
c she set them on the table and gazed a
t them with tears in her eyes, land
d beg of you to live, dear dasies. | an
e poor, weak little girl, and can 81
e up but a few hours each day. but
r long while ago could run about lik
other little girls, and l lived in tn
o country, where thousands of dasie
t grew, and | have never f0rgOtte
II them. Mamma was alive then, bu
she's dead now, and father left
here a year after she died, and we hav
1t never seen him since. He didn't cal
:" for daisies, or us. How good of brotht
Ig Frank to bring you to me daisies
+, shall knit so much better and faste
Is and earn so much more money, wit
your bright faces smiling at me. An
le some day | shall make a picture
he you. have been trying to paint or
in from memory that shall be almost
le pretty as your own dear selves" An
m she leaned back against her pillow
singing softly to herself, and viii
~ her fingers piled the knitting needle
ld her spirit, lead by the spirits OF I'll
ed meadow flowers, wandered to gree
ne fields, and listened to the hum
IS, the bees and the song of IL
of birds, and grew lighter and happl
Is, every moment. Frank, coming
gently at noon, heard her say, wit
ld closed eyes and clasped hands, de-
he God, a helpless child thanks Thee #
IN daisies !"
en- And the daisies all lived and /
ey creased in numbers until the roo
ut overnowed with them. On floor al
ly shelves they bloomed IN cracked pitc
rd crs, broken jars, old fruit cans-oyer
se thing that Erank could find to +
n, with them. And Picnic did paint
Wy beautiful picture Of them at last, al
ed through this picture came much go
ne fortune to that humble garret hon
For Frank, showing it in his brother
he love and pride to kind gentlem;
re, whom he served with papers, was 81
nc prised to learn that it was worth mo
ep than his sister by knitting lace
ng three long months could earn. a
l now to the end of the story I
i'll very prettiest New Years cards til
appeared to celbrate the birth OF IL
~, was one on which the New Yea
lle greeting was printed on ribbon
ne circling the stems OF a bunch OF dasl
un Those dasies were Phemie's dasi
hit And the young flower painter, growi
ot, stronger day by day, is at this NONE
icy the happy mistress of two pleasal
prettlly furnished rooms and u m
on of studio, and the lovely flower pl
eu urcs painted in that mite Of stu
an always finds generous aud ready p
~. chasers.