Year: 1870

BY HENRY WARD BEECHER.


The sun was going down upon Florence
as she sat with her mother upon the veian-
dah, and her face was sad, though the sun
light fell full upon it.


Mother, am sorry that 1 ever had any,
thing to do with Mary Arlington"


"Why so. my child?"


because she only uses my kindness to 7
herown selfishn, SIS. / have helped her i'm
her lessons. and 1 got her off when sh e
was IN trouble with her teacher, Miss At
kins, and you know that let Miss Atkins
t'nnk tnat L had broke the rules. ratbe r
than that she should be exposed. And sh e
has never thanked me. And know that
she says hateful things about me benin d
my back. am tired of being kind % her,
and getting nothing for it but her selfish.
ness"


''Well, my dear, did you act kindly for
the sake OF getting something back for it
Ought we not to act generoua,y for our own
sake. even more than for others sake?"


Il don't see any use in being generous,
When II only makes people worse"


but our Master says-'if We love them
that love you, what reward Cor merit) have
yer Do not even the publicanG the sameY
1t Is very pleasant to receive kindness for
Kindness. But no one is acting as a Chris
tiau that lie not willing to show kindness
and self-denial to those who are ungrateful
and selfish"


Nothing more WAS said at this time
Florence had the matter upon her heart al
the evening. and was glad when bed time
came, that she might sleep off all her trou-
bles.


She soon fell asleep and began to dream.
Now Drsamland is Fairyland. All manner
oIqueer people are moving about in Dream
land, and very remarkable things happen
there. Florence had gone to sleep without
shutting her chamber window, and the wind
must have been a little cool; for she dream
ed that the snow lay upon the ground. And
she saw man with large bag slung dia-
gonally across his breast sowing some kinds
OF seed. 1t seemed very strange to her to
see him casting seed on snow, and SO she
dream that she asked him, "Will the seed
come up IN the snow?"


When he heard her, he turned his face
and she thought she never saw farmer
With so noble a countenance. His ewes
were large and sad, and yet there was also
look :. ssczs Of calm hopefulness.


''We sos our upseed grass on the snow,
in hopes that by and by the snow will melt
and then thsseed, sprouted by its moisture
VIII come up" And fixing his eyes gently
upon her. as if he would mark the effect O
has words, he said. ssThey who in this
world would SOW the seeds of goodness,
must do as We farmers do, and often SOW
upon the bosom of the snow"


She awoke-so plainly did his voice
sound IN her ears. Rising. she closed the
window, and again fell asleep.


IL short time she began dreaming more
strangely than before.


She thought that she saw poor woman,
who was living upon piece of very hard
and rocky ground, trying to plant thereon
some Hover seeds. But every time she
opened her hard the wind seemed to puff
them away. AT last, when her seed wa
almost gone, Florence thought that what
fhd seemed to be the wind began to look
like birds, and little by little they changed
to beautiful spirits; and she saw that they
caught IN their hands the seed that would
have fallen on the rock, and threw it up
ward; and the seed seemed to fly up and
up till it was all gone out of sight.


While she stood looking up, she thought
that the skies opened; and she looked
through aud saw those beautiful spirits
planting the very seed that had been cast
forth out of the palsied hand of the poor
old woman. No sooner did they touch the
5'oun' ehni lhey epIduB up hSdln lntO al
manner OF beautiful flowers more beauti-
ful hundred times than any lilies or
roses, or jessamines, that she had ever seen
on earth.


AS she stood admiring the wonderful
sight, she turned and saw the very same
person by her side that had been sowing
grass seed on the snow. But now he was
clothed radiantly, as if the brightest clouds
had been made into garments; and his
face, that was beautiful before, seemed to
her more beautiful than all the flowers.
Then he looked very kindly upon her. and
said, My dear child. do you not see that
only here and there seed fell to the
ground and came up. but that all the res
went throu. b and were planted in heaven
So It Is with kindness among men. The
earth catches a few only of the seed of kind
ness shown, but all the rest go through and
are planted in heaven. And so nothing
good is ever lost"


At this he laid his hand upon her head,
and such thrill ran through her body that
size sprung and awoke. Her mother it was
who had touched her, saying, Come, Flor
ence; it is morning. The bir IL are calling
you. Come"