The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1912-05-16
THR LUCK OF ROBBIE.

''Hey, Rob! Come an go fishin'
down Silver Creek. Just a good day
for fish to bite"
Il know it's, boys, but I've got to
work"
"Work-on a holiday! Let it go,
an come on. Work can wait"
mot this work I've got a lot of
wedding an transplanting to do"
"Fussin' over flowers all of Satur-
day mornin'! Fore I'd let a lot of
old merry-gools an sturshuns keep
me from a days fun! You're silly"
"I'll do something for fun this af-
ternoon. that is, if l get through"
replied Bob.
"You won't git through Weeds'll
grow while you're pullin' 'em up.
Well, bye-bye, an luck to yer dig
gin'!"
'Rob's no good since he got that
flower craze" grumbled Sammy OAR
row. ''Fussin' over plants is all well
enough for wimmin folks, but for a
boy to waste his time that way makes
me sick! Race me to the creek,
boys!"
Meanwhile Robbie Ward bent over
his garden beds, patiently wedding
and transplanting asters, and train
ing sweet peas the way he wanted
them to go. 1t did not take him all
day, and in the afternoon he had
fine drive in the country with his
uncle, the doctor.
n ho al
them, and grew twice as fast when
he slept, until their thriftiness was
the wonder of all flower lovers.
When Children's Day came, a mag
nificent bunch of Robbie's sweet peas
stood on a table at the minister's
right hand, and received word or
two of notice. When the service was
over they were taken to the minis
ter's sweet wife, who was too i'll to
be at the church.
A few days later Robbies mother
asked him to go to the Old Ladies'
Home, and take a glass of currant
jelly to a dear old lady who had lived
there for many years.
You might take her a fewso of your
blossoms, too" added his mother, 81
know she loves them"
With a willing hand the boy pick
ed his very choicest blooms, and on
his return from the Home, he said:
''Well, mamma, she liked the jelly
and sent her thanks, bet she just
loved the flowers; she said she dotted
on nasturtiums, an she hadn't had so
many in years since she had a
little home of her own an raised 'em.
But she gave some away to the other
old ladies, because they made such a
time over 'em. How many live there,
mammal
II think there are but nine now"
when I have flowers more plenty,
wouldn't it be nice to take bunch
for each one? Don't you think so?"
Eyes, it would be lovely thing to
do"
And so each week through the rest
of the summer bouquet went to the
\ Home for each Of the nine old ladies,
and many, many were the thanks and
blessings bestowed on the thoughtful
little lad.
The more flowers I pick the more
seem to have" said Robbie. ''They
just hurry to blossom over night, so
we can have the very sweetest for
our breakfast table,"
'.Do you sell your fowers?"
Robbie looked up from his picking
to see two ladies leaning over the
garden palings and smiling at him in
beguiling manner,
''No'm, that is, haven't; give
lots away, though. Wouldn't you
like these?" and he offered his hands
full over the fence.
ooh, how lovely! Yes, we want
them, but we want to pay you for
them"
tYou needn't really, and-oh,
that's too much" as two bright ten
cent pieces lay in his hand.
mo, indeed, it isn't too much, and
we want the same tomorrow, and
every day we are in the place, if we
may
So for two weeks Robbie had TWEEN
ty cents daily for flowers, and when
the ladies went back to the city, they
took large basket full, leaving him
with crisp dollar bill in payment,
and an ambitious dream of raising
! flowers on a larger scale for the city
market.
"Robs lucky boy grunbled
Sammy. He's been the pet of the
hui town all summer on account of