The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-08-24


little child went out to the garden
! to play. 1t was his mothers garden
| and 1t was filled with rose bushes. The
mother had often taken the child there
| to walk with her. and as she bent
over the bushes and touched the dark
green leaves and the hard prickly
! buds. she would say.
Soon these buds will open and then
the roses will tell you their story.
But the child didn't understand how
the buds could open or how a flower
could tell a story.
But on this beautiful afternoon, as
the child entered the garden, he saw
that one of the hard. prickly buds
had become a great red rose. He bent
over and touched ii and he said:
Good morning. big red rose Can
you tell me a story?"
And the rose slowly opened Its dark
red lips. and il said,
What kind of story shall 1 tell
YOU, little child?"
The child waited for a whole min
ute.s for he was so surprised TO find
that the rose could speak. Then he
| said:
! Tell me the story of how you grew.
/ The last time / saw you, you were
f. hard. green bud; and today you are
big red rose,"
oh" said the rose, don't you
know how / grow? l do just as my
Father wants me TO do. l let my
roots go way down deep into his warm,
moist earth. and I turn my head way
/ up to his warm, bright sun"
''Is that how you grow" said the
+ little child. w.
( Yes" said the big red rose. 'My
. Father takes care of me Don't you
see? When the hot sun makes my
{ 49, ~ glp
/ in my cool. dark bed, which your
mother calls the night; when / awake
| in the morning / find that he has
kissed my cheek with the dew; and
when I'm thirsty he sends down his
showers, and / drink and drink. l
just trust him and do what he wants
me to do"
"Oh, l see" said the child. very
much surprised. and he walked slowly
toward the house to tell his mother.
The next morning the child went to
the garden again, and beside the big.
red rose there was standing rose
bud, which was trying very hard to
open its eyes To the light But they
were still tightly closed. The child
| bent over the rosebud. and he said;
| Good morning. little rosebud, Can
you tell me a story"
But there was no answer. So the
child spoke loudly:
Good morning. little rosebud! Why
don't you open your lips to speak to
me?"
Then he bent down low so that his
ear almost touched the rosebud, and
he heard this faint whisper:
Little child, / can't open my lips.
and fear that / shall never be beau
tiful like the big red rose, for n green
bug has crept into my heart and Is
eating out my life
"Oh, dear" said the little child.
why don't you drive the green bug
away"
Alas! can't" said the little RISE
bud "If only had hands like yours
could brush him away; or If | had
feet like yours ! could have run when
l saw him coming. But ! must stand
here and wait"
The little child sighed, for he was
greatly distressed. He bent down
close to the rosebud, but he could not
seen the green bug. 1t was way down
deep in the heart of the rose.
But listen. little child" said the
rosebud ito what l have been think
ing. When ] see little boy. like you
get angry at his brother or sister.
say TO myself. "A little green bug Is
creeping into that child's heart, and
it will keep his life from opening r.
wonder you boys and girls have no
feet" And when the rosebud had fin
ished this long speech it was all out of
breath. And the littel child didn't
say a word, but he walked slowly to-
ward the house to see his mother
A few mornings later the child went
out again TO the garden TO play. The
big red rose was still standing there.
bur many Of ITS petals had fallen on
the ground. and the edges of the in
side petals were turning brown. But
the rose was still very sweet.
Good morning, big red rose" said
the little child. Can you tell me an
other story"
And the rose opened its dark red
lips and II said,
What kind OF story shall I tell
you today. little child?"
And the child bent over the rose and
put his nose close down to its up
turned face, and he said.
Tell me why you are so sweet"
And the big red rose replied:
II Just open my face wide to the
sun and I open my heart wide to
everybody. The bees come and suck
honey from my heart and little chill |
dren come and kiss my lips. just
a. he