The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-05-26

free. l thought it was fine. too, bat
now-oh, B-njie, my little brave sol
dier Benjie!"
The kind mantle of the dark shut
in the per little mother, with her
grief.
The goth Of May was raw and wet,
but the morning of the 3oth dawned
clear. The world. washed clean of its
stains, shook of its raindrops, like
Jewels, in the sun. A choir Of little
birds sang a high, sweet song-the
"Star Spangled Banner" was tin
the apple orchard, and the little boys,
trudging by, whistled war tun,s. The
Day of Remembrance found no one
forgetting. The old. old graves. and
the new ones-so terribly newt
awaited their flags and flowers, side
by side.
Diantha Berry cut off her pink
blossoms early before the sun touched
them and laid them, one by one. in
the little basket Benjie had liked.
She cut with unstinted hand, choos-
ing the fullest ones and the most per-
feet. One-two-three-she counted
them aloud, as the scissors shipped
through their slender stems. She had
made up her mind to give little Benjie
Is of the beautiful clusters. Benjie
had put on long pants when he was
15-oddly enough, that got into her
thoughts when she cut the fifteenth
flower off. Then she cut another.
smiling whimsically = Little Benjie
had gone away to the high school
when he was 16. She could see him
now-the tall Notwithstanding down
the road in the morning. and back
again at night. She could see him
stop at the crooked elm to swing his
hat twice-once for Leah and once
for her. She could hear his voice
coming in at her window-'You make
splendid spice cakes. Miss Diantha.
I ate one once"
The big. hungry, fattering boy!
Seventeen, IS blossoms dropped into
the basket Little Benjie had liked.
Mis- Diantha had a new idea.
I'll cut off % for Little Beniie-
one for every year that the Lord let
him stay. I'm glad 1 thought of it.
Yes. I'll cut off %"
The great tree geranium, shorn of
most of its glory, stood in the window,
alone. Diantha had taken her little
basket of flowers and had gone away
down the road. 1t was at the crooked
elm she stopped. Little Benjie had
always stopped there, years ago.
With sudden distress Diantha thought
of the poor little mother he would
never wav his cap to again.
"Poor Leah!" she cried, aloud. The
fountain of her pity was unsealed at
last. The bitterness and anger were
swept away-she forgot, for the mo-
ment, everything but Little Benjie's
mother. alone in her pain. She re-
membered how it had always been
her part to comfort Leah, when they
were little girls together. She would
go back now and comfort her.
Leah" she called at the door, a
minute later. Leah, I've come. You
didn't answer my letter. and mebbe
you don't want me, but I've come. 1
couldn't help it."
The suffering woman's face was q
study of joy and wonder. The won
der prevailed.
II never got any letter, Diantha,"
she said. slowly. Diantha sprang to-
ward her eagerly.
Not my letter askin' if I could
come over to see little dead Benjie?
Didn't you get that, Leah Swallow?
I sent it acrost by Mis- Daggett's lit
tie boy-and the Lord knows how
eager / waited for the answer! l
couldn't seem to give it up"
Il never got it, Diantha. Do you
think l wouldn't have answered?
You don't know how l waited, too"
Leah. Leah-dear child, what a
dreadful mistake it all was, and how
we've ben sufferin' for it! l might
have comforted you a little mite-and
l needed ~comfortin', too, Leah. Is it
too late now? See. dear. / was goin'
down to decorate Little Benjie's grave
with my geraniums. There's Ozone
for every year he lived. Put your face
in 'em, Leah; see how sweet they arer
I'll carry them down for you. dear
they're yours, now. You can send me.
because you can't go, and Little Benjie
will understand"
She had drawn the slight figure into
her arms, and was rocking it back
and forth as mothers rock babies.
The long misery was over. After all.
it had only been the forgetfulness of
a little child.
After awhile she took up the basket
of flowers and started again for the
but at the door Leah called
her back. half timidly.
There's something I'd like. Dian,
tha," she said. tiff you wouldn't
mind arranging the flowers kind of in
the shape of a flag. 1 wanted to.
was so fond of his flag."-An-
ME Hamilton Donnell, in Country
Gentleman.