The Portland daily press., 1900-07-19
EAGER FOR FLOWERS.
Experience of Two Distributors In New
York.


They were members of the L. S. S.
so they thought, those two young women,
that they would like to take part in that
line Of its work that develops in summer
from the many flowers sent in as sun
shine offerings They went into the i.
S. S office one day this week and asked
if they might help in the distribution of
some flowers. They had made a fortu-
nate selection of days, for only few
moments before large box had arrived
filled with the prettiest flowers, field
and garden, and all prepared in charm
ing little punches by two other young
Sunshiners, Minnie and Petrina Burns
of Long Island. The box was a delight
to look upon IN its artistic arrangement
and the young women burst into raptu-
rous EXPLANATIONS.
1t was too large for one to carry, so two
smaller, paper boxes were foundy and the
flowers were divided, so that each had
nearly fifty bunchess They did not
know much about the 'slums' Of the
city, so asked for directions, and gayly
started for Mulberry Bend with their
boxes of odOrous sunshine for "the dear
little East Side children
In little more than half hour they
returned, One was tall and dark and
glowing, one was short and blond and
rosy, both were trinity gOwned and full
Of Yitality-When they departed. When
! they came back both were dishevelled
/ and pale. On white shirtwaists were the
imprints of dirty fingers and the small
member hat was sadly awry. And this
is the tale they told, in duet:
81 could NOT have bolinvoIi If r,r,ce,f i,Io
that anybody could long so passionately
for flowers They positively mObbed us
! IN their eagerness to get them. While the
/ covers were on our boxes they paid little
attention to US, but the moment that
! broke one end off the cover and gave q
bunch to a black eyed, curly headed lit
tie girl they seemed to rain DOWN. This
from the little one. Her friend took I'D
the tale with, "YOu ought to have seen
Katharine disappear. She was gone from
my sight IN about minute in a crowd
OF boys and girls Of all sizes, with men
and women on the outskirts. l was sur
rounded by a similar bowling mob, but,
fortunately, was tall enough to keep my
footing. l dashed to her rescue inst in
time to save her from being forced actu-
ally down the flight of basement steps
near which we were standing, inadver
tently. / grasped her arm and got her
to the curbstOne, amid a wild chorus of
A flower, lady, Please give me a flow
er, l1&s. Can't / have one? / amt
had a flower this summer while grimy
hands clutched at the boxes.
The small member interrupted: 81
thought I was gone Their black little
faces were thrust stidingly close to mine.
Their dirty little hands were tearing at
my arm and l felt myself relentlessly
dragged at the viii of my captors. Big
boys pushed little ones aside, and small
girls tried to creep in under the arms of
the big boys. One pretty little creature
with curly hair waited patiently while
one after another of the flowers tried to
| give her was snatched almost from her
hands. l never envied Helen her height
as / did then There she stood, pale but
/ determined, dominating the horde by her
side, while poor little me was at their
mercy At last gasped, Mine are gone,
thank gOOdnessl and made q mad dash
for liberty and the middle of the street.
Helen seized my arm and we escaped
alive. Seriously, though, it was Inn
mensely pathetic. The eagerness of the
poor things showed how gtarved for
beauty their hearts are. They could not
have scrambled more energetically for
dimes. 1t was touching, too, to see the
young men and women who CHANGED to
be near press toward us with half BASH
full If l could have just Onel' In plead
Ing tones" The other said: sit was
strange experience and rather exhausting
but am not sorry to have had it. I
know now that flower IN issiOns are n OF q
waste of time, and that there may be as
much sunshine in the impractical flower
as In the most utilitarian gift"