The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1906-09-22
A 4. Of J / 5 Boy ] I.
"a TALE: or MEM ORAL DAY.

gimme one Z them snOwballs :"
Mrs. Clark hastily turned
around from among her flaming
peonies and Guelder roses. ss''No,
sir, Twill not,'''' she answered,
sharply: then. seeing who it: was:
"Why,@ Willie Rollon, whatever,in
the word do you be wantin' one O
them snowballs fer?''
ITO put on my papa's grave"
Willie made answer. ooh, please
gimme me one, Missus Clark! I'll
give you ten cents fer one.''
'Huh! If you have money to
spend fer flowers, it'd do you more
good to pay me that five cents
your mother owes me for milk, in
stead O. squanderin' it fer flow
ers," she snapped. 'some people
do like to make big fuss. What
good will it do your father, eh?
Will he know it?' + =
swell, other people put flowers
on the. graves of the ones they
loye,' he answered in a low voice.
Eyes, n they kin afford to- buy
them too. If you want to buy
flowers, you'd better go to the
greenhouse'n buy 'em-with yer
ten cents,'' she snorted disdain-
fully.
Willie had never heard Mrs.
Clark speak like this before. He
could plainlyssee that she was out
of humor, and not knowing what
to say, he slowly counted out five
pennies and thrusting his little
hand between the pickets, he laid
them on the grass inside the fence.
''There is yer five cents, Mrs.
Clark" he said, and hurried away
before she could say word.
Willie Rollons, aged nine, had
long looked forward to this day.
How he had struggled and toiled,
as only the son Of poverty can, to
amass his ten pennies that he
might buy flowers for his theirs
grave! To his mind, ten pennies
represented an enormous sum.
e" And now''-struggling to keep
back the tears-"fve O. them are
goneW
In. the distance he could hear
the notes of a band sounding
through the balmy air. Several
>old'@soldiers, Respondent. in their
uniforms of blue, and carrying
great punches Of pretty flowers,
passed by him, on their way to
join the parade by which Rockton
celebrated every Decoration day
He gazed obviously at the flowers.
Il must get a flower some place."
he resolved.
With dull leaden feeling
clutching: at his heart, he strobe
T determinedly Onto the green
house."
The greenhouse was we'll filled
with people on the same errand
as himself. Making his way to
where he saw a big red peony, he
timidly asked: GLOW much is this
f1Ower?''
''Thirty cents; but it's already
sol d. replied the florist.
/ Willie's heart sank. "Could |
buy flower fer five cents?"<he in
quired in a very faint voice. -
''Do you want to decorate a
grave,w the florist inquired sar-.
castically, meaning to be funny:
But the sarcasm was lost on Will
lie. y ~..:
eyes, sir" he replied, eagerly.
~ want it fer my fathers grave"
"Ohw calculated the florist in a
different tone. "!Here, little fell
low plucking big red carnation,
of the kind he retailed at ten cents
that morning, and sdeftly twining
a bit of smilax around il, he hand
ed it to Willie, sa ying::: st<Nowss run
along or you'll miss the parade"
Willie silently handed his !. pen.
MES to. the florist and hurried
away = =. :. rs ~
!: / The. parade was Already thread,
ing its way 1.-THE place of the dead
az he reached the street. Boylike,
he has Stoned: to.catch up to the.
leaders. =.: .I z.$ s: =-~ -
8} b he "a cedG up the street many
eyes noted the figure of the little:
fellow and his poor lone fiower;;ss
but " illie was happily uncon-