The Farmington times., 1900-05-31

great wreath at his head. guess
can spare lot Of them 20 Little
Bcuiic, shall have him all TO my.
SELF LCah's got a spell Of rheumatism.
II 'twurn't for that, ! couldn't 60 at
all"
She experienced a fierce joy. and the
sound Of 1t was IN her voice, She was
glad that Little Bcujic's mother was
sick Across the yard there was no
glimmcr Of light. Little Bcnjie's
mother sat in the dark, too, and
unused 4 faint remnant Of daylight
( kissed her wan face gently a. II van
ishcd
lie was such little mite ~ q boy,
licnjic was, when I put him into
pants her thoughts kept on, with
relentless cruelty "and sent him
over To- Diautha's 10 show ON to her
/ when be came back all his little
pockets were full o goodies | can
see just how he looked. Struttln'
acrosi the yard, takin' long steps like
a man. And can hear how Dinntha
laughed. She couldn't have been
much fondcr ol Little Bcnjie-she al
ways called him Little Benjic--if he'd
have been her own boy. hut after
ward aftcrward when he laid still
aud cold, in his blue clothes. she for
got she'd ever layed him. She forgot
I then. II he'd been her own boy,
would she have forgot? Would she
have kept away from him then be
, cause Of "A little foolish quarrcl?"
{ In the bitterness of her soul Leah
| Swallow flung out her arms and cried
out sharply. The rough motion tor
turrd her ptin-racked body, but she
scarcely felt IT,
"Bcniie. Benjic!" she moaned.
''Bcujc mothers boy, why didn't I
hold you back? need you so. Why
did let you go? Weren't there other
boys enough? Weren't there boys
I whose mothers had other boys at
/ home? And you were all ] had. Rem
/ jic! We thought II was so fine. dear
/ the soldier clothes and the sound a.
the band playin' the Rcd, white and
| Blue and the glory of scttin' Cuba
/ free. thought 1t was fine, too, but
now--oh, lleujie, my little brave sol
dier Bcniie!"
The kind mintle Of the dark shut
in the poor little mother. with her
grief
The Goth Of May was raw and wet,
but the morning Of the 30th dawned
clear The world. washed clean Of It's
stains, shook on itF raindrops. like
Jewels, in the sun. 4 choir OF little
birds sang n higi, sweet song the
''Star Spanglcd TANNER" was it--in
the apple orchard, and the little boys.
trudglng by, wi,istled war tunes. The
Day Of Remembrance found no one
forgetting. The old, old graves. and
the new oues--so terribly newt
awaited their ilngs and flowers, side
by side.
Diautha Berry cut of her pink
blossoms early before the sun touched
them aud laid them, one by oBs, in
the little basket Bcniie had liked.
She cut with unstinted hand, ehoos-
ing the fullest ones and the most per-
feet. One two thTee---she counted
them aloud. as the scissors shipped
through their slender Siems She had
made up her mind 90 give little Benjie
IS of the beautiful clusters Benjie
Ind put on long pants when he was
is--oddly enough, that got into her
thoughts when she cut tbs Aftrsn:h
I flower of. Then shc cut another,
smiling whimsicaliy - Little Bcnjie
had gone away TO the high school
when he was i6. sac could see him
now-the tail feliow!--swinginE down
the road IN the morning. and hack
again ut night. She could see him
stop at the crooked elm 10 swing his
hat twiee--once' for Leah and once
for her. She could hear his vosce
coming In at her wiH8ow--"You make
zplendid spice cakes. Mias Diantha.
] ate one once"
The his. huasry, aaiieFlag boyi