Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1902-01-08

| ugly eyes FIRST rested on the flower. his
I heart was teached with a strange feeling.
/ He could not keep his face turned from
| those delicate petals. The rose pleased
him. He felt an irresistible desire to be
as near as possible to an object so beauti-
! full and fragrant. But TO express his
| tender sentiment he found only these
words:
"Wait, | win eat you upl'
| The rose trembled. Why was she fas-
tened to the stem!
The little birds were free and twittered
around her, hopping from branch to
branch and at times flying far away.
! The butterflies, too, were free. How she
envied them. Oh that she had wings
like them 10 escape from those mischie-
vous eyes! She had not learned that the
toad sometimes lay in wait even for
butterflies.
Il will eat, yor up" repeated the rep
tile in a tone which he tried to render
sweet, but which sounded only the harsh
err. He undertook to climb and get near
the rose.
II will eat you up he kept saying as
he gazed increasingly at the flower. The
rose saw with horror the clammy. repug-
nant paws catching on to the twigs below
her. but the toad had great trouble in
climbing. His fat body was made for
crawling and leaping on a smooth sur
face. After each fruitless effort he looked
up eagerly at the branch where the flower
was swaying and exerted himself anew.
The rose believed its destruction near
and prayed, ''Oh. that | might die some
other DEATH
The toad climbed higher and higher.
hut f ha xrrbar he. old al
and the young branches commenced he
met new difficulties. The smooth green
bark was armed with sharp thorns. He
pricked his paws and body and rolled
down covered with blood. He now stared
at the flower with venom in his heart.
81 tell you," he squeaked that l will
yet eat you up"
Night was coming on, and it was need
full to hunt for his supper. Dragging
himself alo%g he watched for imprudent
insects. Anger prevented him from gorg-
ing himself as much as usual. His
scratches were not dangerous, and he re-
solved to take a good rest and then return
to the flower which had such a strange
fascination, though it was now odious to
him.
The next morning the rose had almost
forgotten her enemy. She was approach
ing full bloom and was the most beauti-
full one in the parterre. Still there was
no one to admire her. The young master
was helpless on his bed. His sister did
not leave him and did not appear at the
window. Only the birds and butterflies
fluttered about the rose. and the buZzing
bees at times plunged into the corolla for
the honey aud few away covered with
the yellow dust of the flower. A night
ingale pcrched on the bush and COM
menced song which was quite unlike
the hoacsc rroaking of the toad. The
rose listened and felt happy. She thought
that the bird was singing because she
was there. and perhaps she was right.
She did not notice that her enemy was
again slyly working his way up the
branches. This time the toad did not
spare his paws or sides. He mounted
higher and still higher. In the midst OF
the sweet Song of the nightingale the rose
heard the dreaded croaking:
Il told you that I'd eat you up, and
will eat you up"
In fact. cliuging to the nearest twig, he
was devourtug her already with his eyes.
One moment more and he would he able
to reach her. She felt that she was
about to perish.
The young master had for a long time
lain motiouless. The sister, seated in an
armchair at the bedside. thought that he
was asleep. For several nights her wake
full eyes hail watched over the sick one
Little by little the hand holding the book
was relaxed, her head inclined. and she
fell into n dozr.
"Macha." cried the brother
She started up. In her dream she was
Eittiug nj rho xvD1nu- tho no
fore. and her brother was playing in the
garden. When she opened her eyes and
saw him stretched on the bed, thin and
feeble, she sighed mournfully.
"What. my dear?"
"Macha. you told me that the roses
were open. Can | have one?'
Eyes. dear Certainly"
She looked out on the parterre where
the superb rose fourished in beauty and
fragrance.
"Oh. There is just the one for you.
A splendid rose! Shall | put it in a
glass on your stand?"
Yes. | would like it on the stand"
The younr girl took her scissors and
went to the garden. She had been con-
fined to the chamber so long that she was
dazzlcd by the sun and benumbed by the
cool air. Sine reached the shrub just
when the toad was about to spring on the
flower.
what horror" she exclaimed
Selling the branch, she shook it smart
ly. The toad fell heavily TO the ground
Recovering himself. he leaped furiously
at the young girl. but could not get much
higher than the hem of her dress. She
threw it TO a distance with the tip of her
shoe. He dared not come near again.