Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-08-29

me seioW sduu anu Iue ripping sea
What do they make? Pray tell to me
All! you need not count. That's moi
the way
To find out the sum of happy day
e. M. Morris
GROW, MY CHILDREN, GROW"
Across the green lawn slanted the
warm May morning sun, and over the
blue hills hung shimmering veil o.
heat. The robins stood with ear down
to the grass, as if listening. Now and
then they would dart their bills into
the ground and pull out long, fat, un.
willing worms.
Everywhere between the grass
blades the dandelions thrust up theil
golden, sunlit heads, little dewy imi.
tations of the great father sun that
was slowly climbing up the eastern
sky, Oh, they were lovely, the dande
lions, and happy; happy in their owr
beauty, happy in the May air, happ!
in just being alive. They lifted theil
yellow faces out of the wet grass and
laughed with the joy of it.
Over their heads the Fairy of all
good dandelions went hand in hand
with the South Wind, whispering
whispering:
Grow, my children, grow! Blossom
down there among the grasses; but
remember, your beauty is only for a
day. Tomorrow your youth will be
gone. Do not be sorry for that, how
ever, for your real work begins after
that. In your hearts nestle the seeds
of next years dandelions, and from
under your gold must creep the white
wings that will carry them to new
homes in the earth Your stems must
grow stout and long, and carry youl
seed wings high, so that the South
Wind may bear them in his arms"
All the little dandelions cried: 1--WE
know, we know! We hear you and
we will remember. We will grow and
carry our ghost flowers high above
the grass
So they laughed and played with the
Fairy and the South Wind, and every.
body who looked at them was glad be.
cause there were dandelions in the
world. Children played with then
and made wreaths of them for theil
pretty heads and chains for theii
necks; grown people plucked them by
basketfuls TO make wine; golden
banded bees tumbled tipsily over
| them.
Did l say everybody was glad?
There was one other, one who looked
upon them as troublesome weeds. 1
was he who took charge of all the
carefully kept flowers in the beds
This man looked across the lawn and
said to himself:
I'VE must get rid of these trouble
some dandelions. They are spelling
the grass
The grasses heard him and cried:
do not kill our dear sun blossoms
We love them and the earth is wide
enough for us ALL"
But the gardener did not under
stand them. He only said again:
They are spelling my grass" So the
dandelions were doomed.
Swish, hush, swish! went the cruel
knives. Among the sobbing grasses
and along the trinity kept walks fell
the gay yellow heads. At noon the
gardener looked across the level lawn
and smiled contentedly. Everywhere
he saw only the closely cropped grass,
| for the dandelion stems and leaves
did not show.
81 think I've settled the dandelions
for this year." he said, cutting them
so early"
Had he?
Down among the grasses lay the
yellow heads whitening; the naked
stems stood shuddering, and the noon
grew to afternoon. Evening came
| and second day, and all this time
through their pain and suffering the
| dandelions remembered the words Of
the Fairy:
Grow, my children, grow! When
your youth is gone your real work be
gins
On the second day the dandelon
heads still lay among the grasses OF
in windows by the garden walks, but
above each withered blossom was un'
! furled a host of white wings, each one
ready to bear away tiny seed for
next years blooming. Every little
broken flower head had done its duty
And what of the poor naked stems ::
They, too, remembered, and they had
grown and grown-as strong and stur
dy as if proud little dandelion laugh
ed above them. Rank upon rank they
stood there, stiff and agly. What
would have been thing of beauty ii
crowned with a snowy ghost-ilower
was now merely a reproach to the gar
dener.
The dandelions had doubly done
their duty. Next year, be sure, the
gold will spread again above the
grasses and make the world glad for
day New York News.