Year: 1873

as this that streams through our win
dow. The beautiful things that God
makes are his gifts to all alike. You
will see that my fair rose will be as vel
and cheerful in Mrs. Stephens room as
in ours"


"Well, after all, how odd! When
one gives to poor people, one wants tc
give something useful-a bushel OF po
tatoes, a ham, and such things"


"Why certainly, potatoes and ham
must be supplied; but having minister
ed to the first and most craving wants,
why not add any other little pleasures
or qualification we may have it in oui
power to bestow? I know there are
many of the poor who have fine feelings
and q keen sense of the beautiful, which
rusts out and dies because they are toe
hard pressed to procure it any gratifica'
ton. Poor Mrs. Stephens, for example,
I know she would enjoy birds, and flow
ers and music as much as I do. l have
seen her eye light up as she looked upon
these things in our drawing-room, and
yet not one beautiful thing can she
command. From necessity, her room,
her clothing, all she has, must be coarse
and plain. You should have seen the
almost rapture she and Mary felt when
1 offered them my rose"


"Dear me! all this may be true, but
I never thought of it before. | never
thought that these Woodworking people
had any ideas Of taste?"


"Then why do you see the gerauium
or rose so carefully nursed in the old
cracked teapot in the poorest room, ol
the morning-glory planted in box, and
twincd about the window? Do not
these show that the human heart yearns
for the beautiful in all ranks of life
You remember, Kate, how our washer
woman sat mp whole night, after n
hard days work, to make her first baby
pretty dress to be baptized in"


eyes, and remember how 1 laughed
at you for making such tasteful little
cap for it,"


"Well, Kate, think the look of per-
feet delight with which the poor mother
regarded her baby in its new dress and
cap, was something quite worth crea-
ting: do believe she could not have
felt moro grateful if l had sent her a
barrel of flour"


"Well, well, cousin, l suppose you
are right, but have mercy on my poor
head it is too small to hold 80 many
new ideas all at once-so go on your
- and the little lady began practic-
ing waltzing step before the glass with
great satisfaction.


1t was very small room, lighted by
only one window. There was no carpet
on the floor, there was clean, but
coarsely covered bed in one corner; a
cupboard with few dishes and plates,
in the other, a chest of drawers; and
before the window stood small cherry
stand, quite new, and indeed it was the
only article in the room that seemed so.


A pale, sickly-looking woman of about
forty was leaning back in her rocking
chair, her eyes closed, and her lips
compressed as if in pain. She rocked
backward and forward few minutes,
pressed her hand hard upon her eyes,
and then languidly resumed her fine
stitching, on which she had been busy
since morning. The door opened, and
slender little girl of about twelve
years of age entered, her large blue
eyes dilated and radiant with delight,
as she bore in the vase with the rose
tree in it.


"Ohl see, mother, see! Here is one
in full bloom, and two more half out,
and ever so many more pretty buds
peeping out of the green leaves"


The poor womans face frightened as
she looked, first on the rose, and then
on her sickly child, on whose face she
had not seen so bright color for
months.


"God bless her!" she exclaimed un-
consciously.


"Miss Florence--yes, I knew you
would feel so, mother. Does it make
your head feel better to see such a
beautiful flower? Now, you will not
look so longingly at the flowers in the
market, for we have a rose that is hand
somer than any of them. Why, it
seems to me it is worth as much to lis
as our whole garden used to be. Only
see how many buds there are. Just
count them, and only smell the flower!
Now, where shall we set it up!" And
Mary skipped about placing her flower
first in one position and then in an
other, and then walked off to see the
effect, till her mother gently reminded
her that the rose-tree could not preserve
its beauty without sunlight.


"Oh, yes, truly" said Mary; "well,
then, it must be place here on our new
stand. How glad 1 am that we have
such handsome new stand for it; it
will look so much better" And Mrs.
Stephens laid down her work, and fold.