Year: 1874

It was all she had when she came to
me-a bunch of June roses. Their
sweet scent now carries me back to the
time-the warm, sunny, summer morn
ing-when she stood at my door in her
little cotton gown, the roses trembling
in her timid grasp, and her great brown
eyes wet with tears, looking up, pite-
ousIy, into mine. Ten-twenty-hoW
many years ago is It An me land I
still livei Twas younger woman then.
My life was one long day of pleasure.
My husband loved mel Worshiped
him but yeti was not happy. Like
Rachel, I mourned and Wept, and
would not be comforted. "Give me
children, or die" was the bitter cry
I moaned incessantly. Then there
came to me one day, In answer to my
rebeIlious, wicked thought, a great
sorrow. Death instead of life lay on
my bosom, and found myself, while
still a young woman, widowed as well
as childless!


When I awoke from the terrible
apathy of grief, which held me for
time IN its pitiless embrace, I looked
around me, and thought, "There is
surely something for me to do in this
great world. I will make reparation
for my sin. May there not be in this
wide world some little child as lone as
?-some m0therless one, who shall
be waiting for-the childless 2" Then
determined to search for such one,
and made the tour, religiously, Of all
the charitable institutions, far and
near. It was to me a religion, for /
went with an earnest, penitent heart.
''I shall know her, when I see her, l
would answer the many friends who all
thought they knew the child 1 wanted,
and still I went on searching through
city and town. I found many little
ones who needed all the help that I
freely offered, but none that I felt In
my heart was the little child for whom
I longed-who should be waiting for
me-


A year passed thus, and by the grave
faces, and half-hesrd whispers of my
friends, I saw they thought my grief
had turned my brain, and that I sought
but a phantom of my imagination.
The time came, however, when found
my childi They were going through
the sick-ward OF sc Home for Friend
less Little Ones" in an eastern city,
one day In June, when, from little
cot in the extreme corner of the room,
I saw two great brown eyes looking up





hurriedly to run toward the bedside,
and stopping down passiOnately
kissed the beautiful face.


:" Are you my mamma ?' the soft
voice asked, tremulOusly, the little face
flushing with pleasure beneath my
warm caresses.


eyes, my darling" I whispered
back, "I am your mamma" and she
clasped her arms round my neck in a
| close embrace, that knit my heart to
| hers forever after


Ah, I knew then that my husband in
/ heaven had sent me to this little one
( for I saw him looking through her eyes
| straight into mine asked few ques-
tions concerning her, and they told me
J little /; knowing nothing more than that
| she was a waif rescued from the tempest
/ of the wicked, outside world but this
much I gladly learned-she should be
mine / wanted her at once-to take
| her with me in my carriage at the door
/ but it was nesessary, they told me,
1 in order that she might be legally mine
that form should be preliminarily
gone through with, before I could take
her from "The Home ;" and so I was
obliged to wait another day for my
child ] dreamed of her all night,



'' You have done well /"


With the dawn of day was awake
My prayers rose high with the rising ot
the sun, and I began to feel q blessed
I peace. I awaited impatiently the houl
when I should have my darling. Al
last timid knock ct the door made my
heart leap for Joy, and opening, ther,
she stoOd-a little child with q buncl
of roses They were her dover from
the only home she -knsW-e home o
charity-and yet the tears still trem
bled in her eyes, and the sobs were tom
from her baby breast at leaving it !
folded her close to my bosom, and tOlI
her she was my own little daugthe
now-that God had sent me to be he
mamma-and she laughed up at mI
through her tears, and put the roses il
my hand, saying


g bring them to You.


I called her Rosemarie, for she wa
nv rose, and I dated ali her birth
days from that sunny day IN June whei
she had come TO me with them. grey
/ to love her asno other mother ever love,
a child. She vas to me my aII-m


husband-my religion. But for her
! should some day, perhaps, have be
come s cold, hesrtless woman Of th
! world. She saved me-fron myself
And she was so lovely There was n
fault that / could see Ia her. Could
mother say more


} She had been mine for i've happy


happy years, and had grown to be