The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1918-07-06
MESSAGE TO MOTHERS
WHOSE SONS ARE SLAIN
An AiIegory Dedicated to Memory Of
Mothers-By Marion Wathen
Fox.


Mothers-By Marion Wathen
Fox.
Once upon a time there was king
who owned a beautiful country. The
king was great and powerful but he
was also kind and loving; so his peo-
pie came to him with all their trou-
bles. Amongst other things he had
done for them was TO give each q
lovely garden. These gardens were
most loveingly tended by their owners
and were their most priced posses
sions.
One woman had only one flower in
her garden. So she expended all her
love and care on that and thought ii
the most beautiful and wonderful
aower In the whole country. Every
day she watched over the flower,
guarding Il carefully from the cold
winds that sometimes blew there.
But one day she came to her garden
and found the flower dropping and
faded. She hurried to the king.
20, King King, save my
ilOwer!" she cried in her distress
You promised you would always
| help me il were in troublel"
The king soothed her and said:
you did right TO bring your trouble
to me- Do you know love your
| flower. too. even better than you and
would grieve il any real harm came
to it. SO you can safely trust It to
me- | will watch il aud do
what is best for it
SO the woman went away happy
for she knew that no one in the whole
wide world knew better about flow.
ers OF loved them more than the
king.
The neighbors met her and said
Your flower is dying, all its color
has gone"
She laughed and said.
Mono, have told the king and
he has promised to save it"
She entered her garden Alas-no
sweet perfume greeted her, no love.
ly color. Just dropping flower with
fading color and withering leaves
She watered il with her tears. When
'the sun grew hot she, herself stood
between to shelter it, When the cold
wind came in the evening she stood in
It's way so that no cold breath touched
her flower Day by day she did this
But-the flower continued to droop
She hurried again to her king.
20, King, save my flower-save my
/, flowerl" she pleaded in her agony
1T is the only one in my garden and
love IT sol Others have many flow
ers and If one should die why not
theirs-they could not miss il somuch
as I--my one beautiful flower"
MY child, said the king gently, 81
made your flower, so surely ] love il
best will save it, 1t is too lovely
for death"
SO she returned to her little garden
feeling that now surely all would be
well, But when she reached it -hel
flower was dead.
For days the woman did not &c
near her king but only sorrowed fol
her flower
AT last one day the king came tC
r the woman 1T is time for you tC
Igo,' he said gently.
OH" said she in surprise, Il hat
= forgotten and was thinking stayet
= here always"
mo, and my other country is bet
. ter. Nobody stays here always
there are too many storms here Yol
l. know the gardens do not last here
I Come now and | shall take you to thu
sunshineland where gardens last
C and love lasts
e rs it far?' Questioned the woman
"NO-yery near"
+ So she took his hand and went.
4 And as she entered the new lant
/ the king said, Come and | shal
show you your garden"
: Gladly she followed him and
. there bloomed such a most beautiful
/. flower, more lovely by far than an,
| In the kings other country She ben
/ over IL and then--into her eyes came
glad light over her face sparkled
/. wonderful radiance. why, 1t is m
q own lovely lost ilower!' she cried Il
an ecstasy
"Oh, my flower! My lovely ow
y hower!" she exclaimed 81 though
you were dead and here you hav
been in this beautiful country all tn
: timei How did you live here will
y y out nc to tend you? Are you nc
thirsty at times--when il was too nc
. or too cold2 What did you do will
. out me when the storms Gamer
And the king at her side said, IN
u child, It Is never TOO hot or too col
e here. Flowers are never. thirsty /
e this land. Nothing withers or die
here. DO you not remember | tol
r you would save your flower? Tn,
s. is why | brought it here. could nc
:; save It there, il would only droop an
ID wither again. This is the only Ian
in which people can keep what the
,r love always You and your fowC
o. need never be parted again"
N 90, forgive me, my king d
O. not understand. thought though
you did not care
not carew and he looked at hC
with eyes so full of love that hel
caught the wonderful love1ight
m them and she cried in her ecstasy
al understand now understand