Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-11-16
Minnie May Duffield- The
Story of a Violet.

The first I can remember was being
carried through the air in the beak OF
bird.
Suddenly I heard shout and a
small boy jumped out of some bushes
near by. The bird dropped me and flew
away. ! fell on a soft bed of moss. The
grass and moss talked to me very
kindly and I soon felt very much at
home with them.
I laid there long time till one day
noticed that my coat was ripping down
the back and soon dark green sprouts
shot out of it. tended them very care
fully and would not frolic with the
grass and the little breezes for fear OF
hurting them.
which was always quarreling with Its
neighbors. He got n>ld at me once for
telling him l did not believe him while
he was telling me all sorts of untrue
tales about one of my best friends. He
never spoke to me afterwards but l did
not care for knew I would get into a
quarrel with him sooner OR later.
One day as / was admiring my
leaves heard voice behind me.
and l began to talk and soon became
very good friends. The spider could
tell the most exciting adventures. One
day. the spider did not come and l was
very anxious about him. For three days
he did not come, but on the fourth was
there bright and early. l asked him
what had happened. He told me that he
had been in a big house and some one
had tried to kill him. He had crawled
into crack and did not dare come out,
but that night he had ventured to do so.
He said he must go home, so we said
good bye and he went.
He had been gone but little while
when I heard shout. and looking be-
hind me saw little girl coming with
dog in her arms. She put the dog
down and came over to where I was.
growth. The little girl knelt down be-
side me. "Oh, here is a violet" she
cried. She got UP and ran away. But
she soon came back carrying thing
that was very sharp on one edge. She
kneeled down beside me again and
began to loosen the dirt around me.
Pretty soon I saw that she had dug
me up. She called her dog and carried
me away. She took me to little nook
near a house where she dug hole and
put me in it. Then she pressed the dirt
up around my roots. She then went
away and I saw no more of her that
day.
The next day however, she came to
me and sprinkled water all around me.
How good it felt, for I had not had a
good drink for long time.
Nothing happened for long time,
until one day ! had visitor Can you
guess who it was? It was my friend. the
spider. was very much surprised as
well as glad to see him for l was
afraid we would never see one another
again. He told me how he had hunted
for me and wondered where was. I
asked him if he would not stay with me
as it was SO far back to his home. He
said he would gladly do,so.
One day he remarked to me My
how pretty you are; look at yourself"
did so and saw that there were three
beautiful flowers peeping out between
my green leaves. How proud was of
them.
Pretty soon saw the little girl run
ming toward me. "Oh," she exclaimed,
isn't this violet beautiful"
She ran and called her mother. They
came and looked at me and her moth :
er said I was very pretty. They soon
went away but the little girl came back
to me. She stopped down and picked
my three flowers Now I will take
these to poor sick Ruth for she can not
go out of doors and play like other
children How happy l was when I
learned this. that was going to make
some one else happy. The little girl
WeHI OuL VI tne gate ana uO"n IHe
street. Pretty soon she returned and
said, You should have seen Ruth's
face brighten when she saw thase vio-
let's"
long time afterwards I noticed
that my leaves were whitening and. tina,
they would soon die. 1t became Glider
and colder and ] knew winter would
soon come, SC / settled down for my
long winter sleep, to wake up again in
the spring to tell you this story
Minnie May Duffield. age 10,
Prairie Ave-. Box Fl. Ottumwa, Ia.