The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1905-08-11

the syringa-bush gone walking down
the street, Miss Rebecca could hard
ly have been more astounded. A
child wanted to kiss her! It was
the first time in all her life that such
a thing had happened; but she drop
ped her sickle, and, STOPPING awk-
wardly, offered her cheek to be hug
ged against very wet kiss.
watts bear hug. Now go home,
but come again"
He trundled off, and Miss Rebecca,
still in daze, went slowly on with
her work.
The birds sang blithely from the
elms, the soft wind dallied with the
grass, the bumblebees buzzed about
the flowers. 1t was very lovely day,
thought Miss Rebecca.
By degrees she got back to her
normal state of mind; and, when she
went in to get her solitary dinner,
she could say, with something of a
self-disdain, What nonsense"
But the next morning she was out
in her yard long before her usual
time, digging up dandelion roots that
had grown there in security for many
years. AS she worked, she listene l.,
and at last there came sound
the gate-latch clicked.
Miss Rebecca looked up. There
stood the small boy, and with him
another small boy They both came
in, boy number two hanging back and
looking ready to run. That was the
aforementioned attitude of children.
It was what Miss Rebecca was accus-
toned to, but somehow it gave her
pang to see it. Would boy number
one be affected by 'it?, Apparently
not; for he came straight on, drag
ging his companion after.
This little boy likes nice flowers,
too" he announced. yves come
for some"
Without word Miss Rebecca went
to her syringa-bush and stripped OFT
an armful of blossoms for each. And
of her own accord she knelt for the
kiss.
"What is your name?" she remem-
bered to call as they went out Of
the yard.
Tommy" said boy number one, and
Jimmy" said boy number two.
The next day saw pretty much the
same scene in Miss Rebecca's door
yard, and the next acd the next and
the next, only with each new day the
procession, headed by Tommy, was
larger than the day before. Miss Re-
becca gave and gave and gave. She
finished the syringas and plundered
the ounce bush, until one morning
she woke to the fact that the bios
SONS were almost gone. Another WIS.,
1t and she would have given her last
spray, even of buds. And then the
click of the gate under Tommy's fin
gers would sound no more.
The day suddenly seemed less
bright, and the air grew heavy. She
should miss Tommy.
Then she thought of her roses.
They were blooming, now, in all their
beauty. But her roses were for the
church festival. 1t was impossible
to think of their going elsewhere.
No, Tommy could not have her roses.
She gave the last of the ounce
blossoms to the outstretched hands,
and worked the rest of the day with
dull persistence. 1t was the last she
should see of Tommy, she was sure Of
that. Still, when the morning came
again, she took her sickle and made
a pretence of cutting the grass. She
trimmed the edges to the smallest
spear of green, and let no dandelion
or plantain leaf escape her; but no
Tommy came.
So it went on for two long morn
ings.
On the third day Miss Rebecca put
on her second best hat and dress and
stood irresolutely at her front door.
She would go and see the committee
about her roses; perhaps she would
go round by way of some of those
back streets. She could just as well
as not, and she hadn't been round
that way for ages. There was no
knowing what changes had taken
place
She perred over her glasses in the
direction of the back streets, and
her heart gave a thud; for there,
trudging toward her, alone, almost
at her gate, was Tommy.
"Ain't you got just one more nice
fiower?" he greeted her. "Ps come
for one more"
Miss Rebecca sat down abruptly on
the top step.
Tommy" she commanded. come
here"
Tommy marched up to her.
"You go of and get all the other
little boys you can find and the little
girls, and come back here quick, and
there'll be some more nice flowers;
do you understand, dear-all the nice
flowers you can carry?"
What did one day of glory and self
Importance matter! Tommy had
come for some more flowers, AMI
there were the roses. She would beg
Soma for the festival or huv Gonna