The Saint Paul globe., 1903-07-21
The Opening of a Heart
Copyright, 1903, by Daily Story Pub.
BY BELLE MANIATEs.

i BY BELLE
4
Copyright 1903, by Daily Story Pub.
! Co.
Clare Burnham sat in her carriage
| before the florists waiting for the
| flowers she had ordered to be brought
I out.
/ Her face and form were fair to look
upon. The simple but elegant costume
made her a model for Clifton femininity
to follow. Grace was in all her move
| ments and refinement in her features,
| but certain little shade of hauteur
4 in her manner, tendency to disdain
in the curves of her mouth kept peo-
| pie at arms length and she was called
| unapproaehable.
/ "Clare doesn't seem to make friends"
her mother had sighed
| "WelI, she isn't what you'd call a
mixer" laughingly admitted Mr.. Burn
| ham.
| The fact of her unpopularity had not
at all disturbed Clare until now. There
| had recently come to Clifton one God
| frey Frisbie, man strong, resourceful
and decidedly demoeratie in his ideas.
| He had met Clare Burnhaw and shown
| her much attention. Out of all the men
! she had met he was the only one who
! had awakened even a passing interest.
! 1t CHANGED that one day she overheard
a discussion Of herself and her traits
| of character.
"She is indeed beautiful-perfectly
perfect" she heard the voice of Godfrey
| saying, but. alas I am too faulty to
| live in such rarified atmosphere I find
| imperfection loveable. Miss Burnham is
| the personiffcation Of Dear Lady Dis
dain and not a friend to humanity"
/ This speech had awakened in Clare a
| tendency to introspection and she was
now wishing vaguely and listlessly that
| she was different"
/ She was recalled from her longings
by the voice Of the florist, who had
brought a large box of flowers.
Here Is a beauty, Miss Burnham.
thought maybe you'd like to wear it."
| She thanked him and he returned to
] the greenhouse. AS she was fastening
| the rose to her coat she heard little
voice say plaintively:
| Couldn't you gimme just one flow
1 err"
/ Turning in surprise she beheld on the
1 other side Of her carriage boy of per-
| haps ten years old gazing at her with
| big. pleading eyes.
! Clare was charitable to the extent Of
| never refusing to bestow when re-
| quested to do so.
| "Why, yes" she replied. s'You can
| have this one" and she handed him the
/ beautiful American Beauty rose.
ooh, thtnks!"
| Something in the quick turn in his
| eyes, now so bright, stirred the one lit
| tie tender spot in her heart. Three
/ years before she had lost her only
brother, who had been very dear to her.
Had he lived he would have been just
| about the size of this little street urchin
whose eyes had the same trick of quick
| uplifting.
/ What is your name?" she asked.
'Ben-Ben Watts"
Ben! That had been his name, too.
do you like f1owers?"
"Yes ma'am: this ere one is for
mother. She's dead and her funeral is
this afternoon-father couldn't buy
none. She liked flowers awful WELL"
Where do you live?"
| llZ3 River street.
"Get in and I'll take you home"
She had intended he should occupy
the front seat with the driver. but he
confidently scrambled in beside her.
Then the florist reappeared to see II
she was waiting to give further or
der. She was. She directed him to de-
liver Immediately at 1923 River street
| yards of snilax and a profusion Of all
kinds of flowers.
"Say, them h'aint all fur me-fur
| mother!" he gasped, as the driver -four
| ished his whip and they sped into the
suburbs of the town.
"Yes, Ben. And / will stay and trim
up the house with them-and go to the
| funeral, too. If you like"
Gee. You're all right! You're nicer
| than anyone I know-except him. He
f1'aint sent no flowers, though. l s'posed
| he would" he said in an aggrieved
| tone.
HAS your mother been sick long
Benz"
(The name almost choked her).
"Yes an awful long time, and the
medicine and things cost so much and
father had to lay off so much that we
| didn't hev money enough to hev nice
funeral He got nice coffin though
and we're going to hev two hacks-one
for father an me, an one fur some of
the neighbors."
"Well have all the hacks for all the
neighbors, Ben, and I'll go In this
carriage. Shall II"
| Sure! Say, but I'm glad 1 went to
the gren us. One hot day mother kept
a talkin' about flowers an went down
there and hung around to see if some-
one wouldn't give me some. and pretty
soon a woman cum out and she gimme
hull bunch of sweet peas! My! Moth
er liked them. So I jest hung around
there agin today, but you didn't see me.
I know'd though If asked you you'd
gimme one"
When they reached the humble abode
of the Watts family Clare dispatched
the coachman with note to her moth
er, instructing him to return at the
hour of the funeral.
Then she busted herself filing the
available pitchers, vases and glasses of
: the neighborhood with the flowers she