Golden Moments Read online

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  AMONG THE DAISIES.]

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  GOLDEN MOMENTS

  BRIGHT STORIES FOR YOUNG FOLKS

  Fully Illustrated

  BostonDe Wolfe, Fiske and Company361 and 365 Washington Street

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  SOPHIE'S ROSES.

  Fraeulein Hoffman always gave the girls at her school a holiday on thetenth of June. It was her birthday; and though the old lady would notallow her pupils to make her any presents, saying, in her firm manner,"Such things speedily become a tax, my dears," yet she was alwayspleased that they should decorate the schoolrooms in her honor, and hanga handsome wreath round her father's picture.

  So on the evening before the birthday the day-girls would bring basketsof flowers, and the big schoolroom table was brought out into thegarden, and there the wreaths and garlands were made amid muchchattering and laughing by the happy children.

  "There," said Marie Schmidt, with a satisfied smile, as she held up alarge wreath for general admiration. "That's finished at last! and Iflatter myself that the old gentleman never had so handsome a decorationin his lifetime as I have now made for his picture."

  The girls laughed; but gentle Adela Righton, the only English girl atthe school, said quietly, "Take care, Marie; Fraeulein Hoffman might hearyou, and it would hurt her feelings to think that we were laughing ather father."

  "I don't want to laugh at any one, you sober old Adela," returned thereckless Marie. "I only think the old gentleman's hooked nose and beadyblack eyes will look very well under my wreath of lilies and roses."

  Adela said no more, for she saw that her words only excited Marie; andfortunately at that moment a diversion was created by a girl coming intothe garden with two immense baskets of cabbage-roses and whitemoss-buds.

  "What! more flowers? Why could you not bring them sooner, you tiresomegirl?" exclaimed Lotta, who, having finished her garland for theschoolroom window, was more inclined for a romp than for any otherflower-wreathing.

  "Throw them away! bury them in a hole!" said impetuous Marie, getting upand shaking the petals off her dress. "We've done the wreaths now,Sophie, so your flowers have come too late. I'll tell you what, though:we might fasten a rose to the end of Fanny's pig-tails, and then theywould indeed be rose-red."

  "No, thank you, Marie: I prefer my pig-tails unadorned," said Fannygood-temperedly, for she was accustomed to jokes on her red hair.

  "Throw the flowers on the grass, Sophie! we really can't begin againnow!" declared Marie. "I'm going to teach the girls a new game. Now,children, stand in a row. Now hold out your frocks and sing with me."And Marie, leaning against a tree, proceeded to give her orders, and,being somewhat blunt, did not notice the grieved look on Sophie's faceas she thought of her wasted flowers.

  "Poor roses!" said Adela kindly, noticing Sophie's discomfiture. "Theyare too sweet to be wasted. May I use them as I like, Sophie?"

  "Oh, yes, dear Adela!" said Sophie, brightening. She was a fair, prettychild, with a shady hat tied under her dimpled chin; and seeing Adelastooping to pick up the despised flowers, her spirits rose, and shejoined the others in their game under the tree, and danced and sang withthe rest.

  MARIE TEACHES THEM A NEW GAME.]

  When Fraeulein Hoffman went early the next morning, as was her yearlycustom, to deposit a wreath on her father's grave, she found, to hersurprise and intense delight, that some one had been before her.

  The grave was literally covered with sweet rose-petals, and round theborder, in white rose-buds, were the words,--

  "Not lost, but gone before."

  Her heart was full to overflowing at this kindly act, and at breakfast,in the gayly-decorated room, she made the girls a little speech.

  "Dear girls, you are all young, and have still your friends andrelations with you. Mine are all now in God's keeping, but it is verysweet to me to believe that they who loved me so well when on earthstill think of me in Heaven. You have helped me to realize this by yourtender care of my dear father's grave, and in his name and my own Ithank you."

  There was silence for a minute or two, for the old lady's speech hadmoved even the giddy Marie. Then Sophie pressed Adela's hand, andwhispered gratefully, "My roses went to decorate God's garden; that isbest of all."

  "GOOD MORNING"]

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  MARY'S PIGEONS.

  I can't believe there are prettier pigeons than mine anywhere in theworld. Every morning and every afternoon I feed them myself, and theyare so tame they eat out of my hand, or out of the basin when I hold itfor them.

  There is some one else who thinks them as pretty as I do, and I'll tellyou all about her. It was last year, early in the autumn, that I wentout with the pan into the front yard to feed them, and walked down thestone steps, calling the pigeons all the way, while they flew after me.I didn't notice anything in the road, which was just in front of me,until I saw a very big man in a grand livery picking his way across theyard, and then I noticed a carriage had stopped in front of the house,and the lady inside was looking at me and at my pigeons. She beckoned meto come to her; but I was too shy, and ran into the house, to findMother, who went out to the lady, and I followed just behind her.

  And what do you think the lady wanted? To buy my pigeons--my beautifulpigeons! She offered me a dollar, and then two, and then three; but Ishook my head every time, and hugged the pigeon that was in my arms. Atlast she showed me five dollars in gold, and asked if I would let themgo for that. But I couldn't--it didn't seem as if any money could pay mefor the loss of my pigeons.

  Mother said I must do as I liked about it, for they were my very own,but she said five dollars was a great deal of money, and more than thepigeons were worth; only I didn't think so.

  Then the lady said she wouldn't ask me any more, but in case I changedmy mind she would give Mother her card. I was sorry I couldn't let herhave my birds, but then I dare say she has lots of pretty things, and Ihave only my pigeons.

  Well, Father and William laughed at me for some time about the pigeons;and if I wanted any money for shoes or anything, Father would say,"Dear me! how well Mary's five dollars would have paid for this!" Butthat was only laughingly, for he would never have taken my money.

  This spring my pigeons made a nest, and there were two eggs in it, andafter a time two birds, that grew just like the others. I was thinkingabout the lady one day, and I thought, as I had refused to sell her theold birds, I had better offer to give her the young ones. So next dayWilliam carried them over in a basket, and left them at the house.

  A few days after, the carriage stopped again before our house, and thistime the lady came in and sat in the parlor, and ate a piece of Mother'scake and drank a glass of new milk. But before she went away she gave mea parcel which she said was for my very own, and she hoped I would takeas good care of it as I did of my pigeons. And when I looked there wasthe most beautiful work-case in the world! I used not to like my sewing,but now I do, because I use the work-case and the silver thimble everytime!

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  A CAGE STORY.

  Now, Pussy, don't turn away and look sulky. I've only put you in Polly'scage so that you may understand a real true cage story that Uncle Ruperttold me last night. He's a soldier, you know, and he wears a red sash,just like mine, only he does not wear it round his waist as little girlsdo, but across his shoulder.

  Well, that's not the story, but this is. Uncle Rupert was in China,where the men wear pig-tails d
own their back, and it was war time: theEnglish were fighting against the Chinese. He told me why, but I'veforgotten, but I know in the end the English won; but they lost a battlefirst, and Uncle Rupert was taken prisoner. English people are kind totheir prisoners, Pussy, but the Chinese are very cruel. Uncle Rupertsays he could not tell me the dreadful things that they did to some ofthe poor English soldiers, but he told me what they did to him, andthough it was dreadful it was rather funny too. Listen, Pussy! They madea big cage, only it wasn't nearly big enough, and they shut Uncle up init, and slung it on a big stick, and carried him about as a show to allthe towns and villages. It was very hot, and Uncle was so cramped up inthe cage that he could hardly move, and he was very hungry and thirsty,and very, very miserable. The people used to come and stare at him, andtease him by poking nice