The Afro-American advance., 1900-05-26

great wreath at his head. / guess
can spare lot of them to Little
Benjiel | shall have him all 10 my
self--Leah's got a spell of rheuma tism.
II 'twarn't for that. couldn't go at
all"
She experienced fierce joy, and the
sound OF IL was in her voice. She was
glad that Little Benjie's mother was
sick. Across the yard there was no
glimmer of light. Little Benjie's
mother sat In the dark. too, and
unused. A faint remnant of daylight
kissed her wan face gently 90 1t van
ished.
''He was such a little mite OF boy,
Benjie was, when | put him into
pants" her thoughts kept on, with
relentless cruelty, "and | sent him
over TO Diantha's to show 'em to her.
When he came back, all his little
pockets were full o. goodies, can
see just how he looked. struttin'
acrost the yard, takin' long steps like
man. And | can hear how Diantha
laughed, She couldn't have been
much fooder of Little Benjie-she al
ways called him Little Benjie--if he'd
have been her own boy. But after
ward-afterward when he laid still
and cold. In his blue clothes she for
got she'd ever loved him, She forgot
then. II he'd been her own boy.
would she have forgot2 Would she
have kept away from him then be-
cause of little foolish quarrcl?"
In the bitterness OF her soul. Leah
Swallow flung out her arms and cried
out sharply. The rough motion tor
tured her pain-raeked body, but she
scarcely felt Il.
"Bcnjie Beniic." she moaned.
"Benjic mothers boy, why didn't /
hold you back9 l need you SO. Why
did let you go9 Weren't there other
boys enoughP Weren't there boys
whose mothers had other boys at
home9 And you were all had. Ben.
| jie! We Thought IL was so fine. dear
| the soldier clothes and the sound a
the band playin' the Red. White and
Blue and the glory OF scttin' Cuba
free, thought IL was fine, too, but
now oh. Beniie, my little brave sol.
dier Beniel"
The kind mantle of the dark shut
In the poor little mother. with her
grief.
The Goth OF May was raw anG. wet,
but the morning of the 30th dawned
clear. The world. washed clean of it's
stains. shook OF its raindrops, like
jewels, in the sun. A choir Of little
birds sang high. sweet song the
''Star Spangled Hammer" was it-in
the apple orchard, and the little boys.
trudging by, whistled war tunes. The
DAY OF Remembrance found no one
forgetting. The old. old graves. and
the new ones so terribly new.-
awaited their hags and flowers. side
by side.
Diantha Berry cut of her pink
blossoms early before the sun touched
them aud laid them, one by one. In
the little basket Isenjie had liked
She cut with unstinted hand, ehooS.
Ing the fullest ones and the most per.
feet One e-two-three she counted
them aloud, as the scissors shipped
through their slender stems. She had
made up her mind to give little Hen lie
Is of the beautiful clusters. Benjie
had put ON long pants when he was
is-oddly enough. that got into her
thoughts when she cut the fifteenth
flower of. Then she cut another,
smiling whimSieahy ~ Little Bcnjie
had gone away To the high school
when he was 10, She could see him
now--the tall fcllow'-swingiag down
the road in the morning. and back
again at night. She could see him
step at the crooked elm 10 swing his
hat twiee-oaee for Leah and once
! for her. She could hear his voice
coming Ia at her winsow~'You make
splendid spice cakes. Miss Diantaa.
| ate one once.
| The big. kungry. Gathering boyi