OCR Text |
Show (iP.EMIAJI'A UAttCE SHEET. a. car.ibTUA-s 3ron. David Orohum sat alone In !ii office onu DeccmLer forenoou hot-ling hot-ling over a sliert of Cirts pread out Le.'ore liiiu. Somewbtie, H)uit-how, H)uit-how, tbrre naf sa error. Soirn-body Soirn-body had been caVeU-s; someone had failed to mahe a trilling mtrr; he was,ireof findinsit L-.fure!ong. To be ture it w ai only a matter of a fetv dollars and cent-; his assistant boohkeeit-r liad act u illy had the p-tiumption to cdvke lilin to t it down to "profit and los," autl had laui;UingIyolx.rvea that aiew collars col-lars in J ctnH moru or less were hardly worth the trouble of look inn up. bucli clipshod inrthoda nil sht do for other men, but not forms emploi er. David GresLaaj cltvsys priUed himftlfon the aUntlute ae-rarary ae-rarary of his balance sht,auil had more'thaa once;rjudiy challenged hb t)Ulut"i associate to find a llaw in it, but this year, for some reason, hisacvounU wbula not balai.ee. lie was deep in the flgutt-i when Uiedoor was pujheU tolteiy oje:i. The merchant louked up in aurprbe, half tli'pcsed to leel Indignant at the intrusion. He had given eVLry oeeJed direction to his men befure hcsJtdown to Inn Uejik, and it was not ULe them to show 111 a visitor will out firi-t announciug his name. A tall screen partially fenced o2 theuntrance to the rccm, and the visitor ht-itsti-d for a moment behind be-hind it, while Mr,Grthani walled with bisl.iad bent forward, lull angry and half cutlou'. The next moment he gave an exclamation ex-clamation of impatience and tur-I'llae, tur-I'llae, lor it as a child that appeared ap-peared from behind thetcretn, and came frankly forward, looking about him curiou'-lj, ai if he had never been Iu sued a place befjre. To aay that Mr. Grwliam ws iaraljzed with amazement Is to etate the ca.o mildly. Neither of his own children would have dared takefuch a liberty, and this was evidently a ftreet waif, wearing a single hxfre garment, and with hair blow n around hU face by the wind. David Greshsta disapproved of street vagabond" on 1 nuri,ile, and v otild havedirn!ed the little fellow with a harsh word hd not the child come fearlessly toward him and climbed Into the great armchair that stood befidu the drk, looking up into ills face witli such confidence and assurance as-surance that the merchant's U.m IHirpOMs received a sudden chock. Are you tho rich Sir. Greslnrn?" aked the child. The question flaltcrod David Greeham. bo the news of Ills growing grow-ing eommcrtial proeiierity, a fact to which the bslance sheet, faulty as it was, bore nnfjillng witness, hvi already gone abroad over tho city, and had even come to the cars of the little vagabond. Kor the moment lie was almct graciou". "It may be that some people call mo so," he replied u ith a smile. "Act! what Is this great pile of books here;'' Inijulretl the child, with a gentle iiniubltivenesjs touching touch-ing the great help of ledgers that the merchant had Iren examining when he came In. "Those? Why, those are my account ac-count books," rej'lied David Uresham.' "And da 30U keep all your accounts ac-counts in thrmV" "All. Ever thing goes down. Whenexera man buys anything of me or jjays a bill; or when I gtt a new Invoice of goods, or iay out auj thing myself, it all goes down. Kt en the least cf my household. I neer miss the smallest Item," declared de-clared the merchant with jardon-able jardon-able pride. "J-.verything goes down!" echoed the child. "Everything. There are two columns, jcu sec. When anybody gives m anything. It goes down In tho credit column. When they owe me anything, it goes down In the debit column." Thus David Gresham t-jrplailMil at length to his vi'ltor, for it seemed leally vorth while to make explanation to such an attentive listener. "And when anylicdy does you a Undue", you set that ilown to their credh?" inqulreil the child. "No, Indeed. That would bo an aUurdlty," declared the merchant. 'How could ens add sjch things to dollars an.1 cents?" il.r- Greaharn laughed outrhjht at the thought. "Jlut when vou do anyone a wrong, you subtract that from your account, do you not:" rrs Isf-d the child , David Gresham ncalled an angry speeeli he had made to his youiiyesl boy that morning, when tho ItlUe fellow's prattledisturbed his reading cf tiie morning paper, and he could not help wondering how tnat would look set down in his books.orwhether that would make the cash balance on the sheetbefore him. Somehow he felt no louger inclined to laugh. "Then all you add up is dollars and cents?" , The child's Innocent ej es seemed tobe searching Mr. Gresham's lu-moMsoul. lu-moMsoul. , ' 1 "Ves, that is all," be replied, and somehow it teemed to faltn faf'"" first time a very Small and pitiable SuslnrfJ, tllU perpetual casting UP of accounts u herein nothing fljurwi UitrenU and dimes and dollars. Vet tho force of habit was strong upon blm, and he could not help glviuga furtive glance at his ac-coiinU ac-coiinU and wondering how Ions It would be before ho could n? them. He no longer thought of turning his little visitor away. Would ycu like to heara story?" asked the cnild. "Well, yes; I don't know that I mlndlSeningir It Isn't going to take too lang.V returned Gresham, nulling out HU KO" $ 1 making a feln.tokwkiasJ;Ht- The child did not appear to observe the act, but settling nto 'a " depths of the arm-ciwlr, wlth.hU eyrsfixed dreamily on apace, he began: "It ii tho story of a flower, a rare and beautiful flower, that uas lirought from fir, far away, and planted In a San Franciso gar. den." David Gresham was all attention iu 3 moment, for If he had a hobby, it was floriculture. In lib garden and in hla conerva'tiry hebadsome of tiie choicest jilints that had evtr been grown IntMe city, and ho was very focd of acquiring Joje9lon of new and rare pLtiits and exhibiting them in triumph to his friend!-, rerbapstliitf strange chlld-usif of the streets though heap,'earnl to l mi,;ht tieverttieless kuow the-c-retof some 1 cwand uniquu bloom. Many sailors dvlt iu the (oorer quarters of town, uho sailed to strange and dlstaut ports. No doubt the hild w as the progen) of some such peanle, and this would account for I111 roving habits. "DJ you ever ee the flower, and do ycu know who brought it litre, or from v. hat country It came?" "It U In a srardeu of a rich man," inswered the child, ho seemed to ha c only jiartly heard the ques iou; and Gresham bit hit lip in tt-tlop; tt-tlop; Uit he still listened attentively, attentive-ly, for If any of hit fiiend po-Ked po-Ked a pltut or flower that wai strange to hitn, I:u was eager to aiqjiroa seed or bulb. r5o he ieantil ba h in his chair and listened, with an esgernev" of which he felt half ashamed. 'It nasi rare and fragile bIojoni, ami it urew Inn garden faraway," repeated Hie child. "So ricii in color, so svteet in perfume was it, that it wa the pride and joy of all the country aruund.aud many were draun thither to look upon IL beauty nud draw bjt one breath of its SHcttncs, while the people hi whose garden it grew tended it with loving care, ami would have gladly J-tid down their lives to save it from the slightest slight-est harm. There were many who saw It and yearned to traii'-plat it to their own gardens, but those to whom it had been given clung so fondly to it and the li iwr itself alwnys seemed to shrink back so timiuly at the approach of strangers auJ to turn sj plea Ingly to them, that they rrjolced all the mere in their tossession,nnd joyously told each other that tbey vrould never le parted from the frail treasure tbey so faithfully guarded. "One day a stranger stronger of will and mote zealous than any of these wiio had been before him, came to the gan'en to behold the beauty or the flower who-; fame had leached him tbouc-wd ol miles awav." David Grc-liam'a thoughts were wandering. He bad almost forgotten forgot-ten the presence of his little visitor. Ho was thinking, iticon'tqueulry enoughof a trip hu hoi mane into tiie heart of the White Mountain district, many years before, for the avowed purpose of seeing a young girl whoe teauty and accomplish-mentshehad accomplish-mentshehad hiard pral-ed. "He had only half believed the tories he ha i he-trd of the flower." continued the child, "but when he saw the fair and stately blossom hl-t heart swelled with joy at its wondrous won-drous love!lnc5, and he longed, like all the re-t ta po-set It fur himself. IJjt the flutter turned its delicate head away and folded its petals closely around ita perfumed heart, and these who had nlwsys tended and nourished it said to him in gentle triumph, 'bee, the phut itself chooses to re'aialn with u;!' And when he held out promise of richer soil than the little flower hid ever known and splendid surroundings of a kind it hadneer so much as seen in lis dreams, the flower still turned away its beautiful head and seemed to reach out tarcsingly towards thoiiauds that had always sheltered and su'taired It. Then the min pleaded that all his life would bo ruined and his own garden would be desolate if he were Ueuled the flower, and he promisid to shelter itlltesomo pricc!ts Jewel If It might be given him to gladden anil enrich his lonely life." Again tlm child paused, but David Da-vid Gresham bad neither question nor comment to make. ImteaJ, he was thinking cf his own stormy courtship, of tho shy girl's reluctance, reluc-tance, of the desj-slrwilh which he Iiail prer-scd his suy. "Aud when tbu flOHcr had heard this," the child went on In a voice that was lire tie whisper of memory, "it slowly bent lb slender stem and the close folded pctalj putrd, and he saw what no others had seen tho radical huts tbat was in its h'dJ-u heart; asd he wan Llinded bj the s!gh( aailaluuut lx-svle lx-svle himself Willi his new-found happiness. Perhaps be did not hear the woe-stricken crlea of those who bad so loved and tended It, They nould not deny anything to the tlower, but thuy souglit to teach its new owner how to value an J protect pro-tect U: "Take heed that na harm come to ill" they cried. "It Is such a tender and ren'ible plant, hh it-Id It from the sun; protect it from the raio; take care that it Is not too much exposed to tho sun's tierce rays, lest it wither and fads. Cher-Ih Cher-Ih it faithfully, or you will lose it." "And he dio!" cried Gresham, eagerly. "He did everything that a man could for It." Hut again the child did not seeai to heJ his Interruption. Inter-ruption. . ..... "H,est U wt in rich soil, It Is tnie, and in a magnificent garden where many otiier gorgeous I lus-scm lus-scm grew. Ho even carried out the letter of hlsrromlsoand built a trvllU belde it, so high and clo that it shut ofT the air and the little flower pined In secret for the gentle breezeof Its own mountain home. And he brought all his friends to Ioottatitandadmlroit,an-i tber.-ullcti tber.-ullcti when he saw hew they enTkal him and would fain Lave, jscssed its mate, Mrhlehho well knetx could not bo found In lit wide world." Gresham Zf longer thought of bis balance hhict. How well be re-rembered re-rembered tho time when lie had brocghthis young bride to a pretty home beside the Golden Gate; the gay society be brought abont her; the admiration excited by her beauty, beau-ty, and the prile he felt in knowing thai io the entire sphere in which they moved, there was so other wo-mm wo-mm that could compare with her, I "Bat by and by be tired of the flower," said the child. Gresham made a quirk gesture, as if he would bae expressed iilsHent, Lut the speaker did not heed him and continued: "Its beauty and Its awectnem lo-came lo-came an old story. It was no lunger the first thing lu his life. Home-times Home-times he neglect-d to attend to lis med; sometimes In the press of other duties and interests, he neariod of its care, anJ tho delicate flower understood, and drooped day, by day. As time went on his crut Ity became more wanton. The tall trellis he had built blew don 11, and was not replaced. Harsh winds !eat on the frail petals and rain floods washed away its rare coloring; color-ing; and the sun's hot rays burned fiercely down upon it and seared 1U leaves, lu rootH no loncer found nourishment in the impoverished soil that held them, aud though the frail pla.it yearned for sustenance and care, the hand that sheuld have supplied them was withheld." Urebam drooped his head until his chin rested on his breast and gazed moodily on tho floor at bis feet. (Jul that mornin; she bad pleaded with bint for Ti fit celel ration ra-tion cf fjhri'.trnas day, plesded fr the sake of the children, who were growing old enough to understand themeaalugand the customs of the day, and lie (old her that he wanted nothing to do with .-uih nonsense; that the fashion of giving aud receiving re-ceiving gifts was nothing Lut a trade, and a forced trade at that! He recalled how faded and old she looked when he refused her request, tho tired droop of her bead when she turned away, and that little cough, tint hid been troubling her for months "While the flower droped and languished," said the child, "a blight was at its heart. One day he awoke to the knowlet-gti that the fair blossom be had once cherished w ith such Jealous care waa fading cut of a life. The tender plant was doomed. Human love and human rare coull 110 longer avail to save ,L" . , . 'No! Ity heavens, po!" cried David Gresham, springing to his feet and sweeping ledgers and faNe balance sheets aside, while he turned toward the speaker a look that might well have moved a tton heart to pity. Dut, lo! The chair was empty, nnd only a ray of light, falling down a brick wall court and slanting through n dusty pane of glass, illuminated il-luminated the spot where the child had been. There was mirth ami gladness in Divid Greslinm'a house on the morrow. mor-row. A great Christmas tree, frag, rant with the scent of New England Eng-land woods, was huug with toys lor the children and remembrances for tho neglected wife, who moved alout the home with a new light in her eyes and fresh color in her cheeks. David Gresham, forgetful of business cures, disJalnful if ledgers and lialance sheets, fallowed her with jealous eye, saying over and over to hlmsell: "It was not too late. I'laise God, It was not too late," Jil Hra Jlaina Lcvghcad, Ucnrtr Xetci. |