The citizen., 1908-12-11

IA going to! 1t ont be begging,
esther; but earning, fair as can be
When the plan was submitted to
the TWO other members of the ways
ana means committee, her mothers
eyes Frightened, and Mrs. Dubbs pro-
nounced it "a foine idee!" and offered
TO look after Mrs Lany while Linda
was "a-sellin' her violets.
Bright and early the next morning
the little girl was out in the May
sunshine. filling her basket with the
| trembling dew wet blossoms. Up and
down she bobbed, here and there she
peeped, searching for the largest and
falrest, while all the time a robin
sang near by as if to assure her that
he approved of the plan. A SQUIRREL.
loo, safe in the crotch of a tree.
| peeped out at her, his bright little
eyes shining with interest.
When her basket was full of loose
~ piled flowers and leaves, she with
drew to a favorite shady nook to ar
range them. What pleasant work it
was, sitting in the cool green wood,
with the mass of blue and purple, yell
low and white, in her lap, the sun
shlne shimmering in dancing fiecks
through the trees. The breeze came
now and then to see what was going
on, and the robin nearly sang himself
off his perch in the intensity of his
admiration.
There! now they're done; and
amt they pretty?" she cried, looking
up at the two friends who had
watched her with such gratifying at
tention. The squirrel at once with
drew, deeming discretion the better
part of valor, but peeped out again as
Linda scampered off. She returned
with her arms filled with moss, soft
and green, which she fitted snugly
into the bottom of the basket. Then
she saturated it with water and laid
in the flowers, pressing the stems
into the moss to keep them fresh.
Mrs. Dubbs left her washing and
ran over to see how she had fixed the
violets, and to promise she would
see to Mrs. Lany's dinner if Linda
were not at home by noon. The child
was sure she would be back before
then, but consented to slip a piece of
bread in her pocket, to serve as
luncheon if needed.
Giving good-by kiss to her moth
er, Linda trudged bravely off, clutch
ing in one hand the basket, and in the
other, a shabby pocket-book. At the
end of the half-mile stretch of level,
treeless country lying between hen
home and town, she met the doctor,
who pulled up his horse in amaze
ment at the sight of the queer little
figure coming towards him.
Good morning. Going to market?"
he said.
Linda blushed, then pulled the
paper from her flowers.
mo, sir. I'm selling violets.'
@Oh," said the doctor. Aren't
they pretty? How do you sell them?"
feeling in his pocket.
"Fve cents bunch, sir" she an
swered. eagerly, and tried not to show
the full extent of her joy at the bit
of coin slipped into her hand.
"I've change for only two punches;
but you can call it a good luck
penny, and maybe it will bring more.
Keep at it, and you'll go home with
an empty basket; SO don't get discour-
aged if you don't sell your flowers
at once"
Linda set her basket down to gaze
ecstatically at the bright dime, hold
ing her breath the while as she
dropped it into the shabby purse as if
it were a fairy coin and might be spir-
tied away at any moment. The bit of
silver made the thin pocketbook seem
emptier than before; but Linda eyed
it admiringly, and her heart swelled
with pride at sight of her first earn
ings.
BY and by she gathered courage
to offer her flowers at the houses she
was passing. There was usually
swarm of not over-clean children VINO
crowded about her and wanted to see,
but the busy women who came to the
door seemed half-angry at the inter-
ruption, and said mo" to her inquiry.
When the houses grew finer, the
yards trimmer and the children fewer
and cleaner, she met with no better
success. Usually a servant answered
her knock, said they did not want any
flowers at that house, and shut the
door with slam; or woman with
a baby in her arms, who said she did
not want any, came to the door; or a
less encumbered mistress, who an
nounced that she did not care for any
flowers that day-as if she might
some other day. 1t was always MOI"
everywhere, NO"
Once fussy old lady came out to
the gate, to see, and asked where she
gathered the flowers, and how much
they were, and where she lived, and
what her name was, and If she went
to Sunday-school. But she bought
no flowers, and Linda turned away
disappointed.
"The doctor said not to be discour-
aged" she said, changing the basket
to the other hand. II can't go back
and tell mother l only sold two
| punches. I'm going to sell more'n
that If it takes till dark to do it,
Coming at length out of yard
where, as usual, she had been re-
buffed, she nearly ran into a young
lady passing.
"Oh! what pretty flowers." she