The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-09-21

| spdCop anu bucu tWO mOfo tOgotuoI-
salmon-colored flowers splashed with
scarlet, and scarlet dappled with white
and white streaked with rose pink.
The moccasin flowers were as yellow
as gold, or they were pale crimson spot.
ted with black. All of them were rock
ing softly and singing to themselves;
and although it was only moonlight.
butterflies and moths and humming.
birds we're futtering among them, pay
ing them evening visits. The old fairy
took little silver spade in her hand and
dug hole five or six inches deep, in
among the most beautiful of the flowers.
Gomez said she, nodding to the cloth
shoes, and they drew themselves to the
edge of the hole, and sliding in, laid
themselves side by side at the bottom,
as if they were going to sleep. Good
by" said the. fairy, gently. until the
blossom Of your lives makes all the is
land fragrant" With that she drew the
mold between the flowers.
Doubledarling wondered what was to
be done with the soldiers old slipper,
because everything there shoes and
flowers, and all-were in pairs, and what
could be done with one old slipper? She
heard the fairy say: II suppose you
know nothing about your comrade?"
And the slipper had answered quite
mournfully, mo, mum; was not born
a twin"
The fairy pounded three times on the
ground with the spade, and called out
loud three times, Mrs. McGlory! Mre.
McGlory! Mrs. McGlory!" At that every
lady's slipper in the garden turned it's
head to look. and from somewhere there
came shutting along over the grass the
jolliest-looking old shoe that anybody
ever saw. 1t was broad and fat, and it
seemed to be laughing at every seam
with little smiles here and there where
the stitches were broken.
The old fairy motioned it to come and
stand beside the soldiers slipper, and
then it did actually laugh aloud, and all
the lady's slippers gave little rustic
like chorus.
"There!' said the fairy to the soldiers
ow. because her mate fell into the fire
and was burned to death. She is very
cheerful, and has been waiting for
companion, so bestow her upon you"
The old slipper made stiff, military
salute. standing up very high on his toe,
and Mrs. McGlory made bob Of cour-
tesy, and the couple battered off to-
gether down one Of the paths, to bury
themselves wherever they found pleas
ant place in the garden.
1t is no wonder that Doubledarling
| forgot all about the Santa Claus tree
while she was in such crowd of lady's
| slippers. and while the mother of all the
| fairies was holding SO interesting con-
versation with delightful old shoes; but
when the last one was planted. and the
silver moon had dropped down, and the
butterflies and humming birds had gone
to sleep, she began to ask in a hushed
and sleepy voice, which she herself could
hardly hear:
| Where where where does the
Santa Claus tree grow?"
| All the time she was saying it, the
| odors from the flowers seemed to be ris-
| ing in cloud all about her-red and
rose and particolored-until she could
hear nothing, and see nothing, and feel
| noLnlng DuC waves OF color ana fragrance
as if the flowers were all melted and dis
/! solved in the air; and then she felt the
| fairy's hand upon hers, and she opened
her eyes, and it was her grandmammas
hand, and bright wood fire was burn
ing in the CRATE. and red reflections were
dancing all about the room, and great
just in front of her face. and Grand
mamma was wishing her Doubedarling
happy birthday. st Nicholas, March,
1877