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Show THE HOME. Edited by Miss Hazel Love, A. C. U. THE LAND OF THE BLUE FLOWER. By Frances Hodgenson Burnett. IV. The people waited, wondering what he would do. During the next few days they quarreled and1 hated each other more than ever, the rich ones because they wanted to gain favor, and each was jealous of the other; the poor ones because they were afraid of him, and each man feared that his neighbor would betray things he had done in the past. Only two boys working together in a field, having stopped to wrangle and fight, one of them suddenly stood still remembering something, and said a strange thing in a strange voice: "There is no time for anger. There is no time." And as he fell to work again his companion did the same, and when they had' finished their task of weeding weed-ing they talked about the thing, and remembered that when they had quarrelled quar-relled the day before they had not finished their task, and had not been paid, and had' gpnc home sore from the blows they had given each other, and had had no supper. "No, there is no time," they decided. de-cided. At the beginning of the following week there were rumors ' .at a strange law had been madethe stranges: ever known in the world. It was something about a Blue Flower. People Peo-ple quarreled about what the meaning mean-ing of such a law mighty be. Those who thought first of evil things and fears began to say that in rich people's peo-ple's gardens was to 'be planted a Blue Flower whose perfume would posion all the poor. The only ones who did' not quarrel were the two boys and their friends who had already begun to make a sort of password of "There is no time for anger." One of them, who was clever, added a new idea to the say- "There is no time 'for fear!" he cried out in the field. "Let us go with our work." And they finished their task early and played games. At last, one morning, it was made known that the King was to give a feast to all the people. It was to be on the plain outside the city, and he himself was going to proclaim to them the Law of the Blue Flower. "Now we shall know the worst," growled and shivered the Afraid Ones as they shuffled their way to the plain and the boys who used the pass- 1 word heard them. "There is no time to think of the worst!" shouted the Clever One at the top of his voice. "There is no ! time. Wc shall be late for the feast." ' And a number of people actually , j turned to listen, because there was a I high, strong, gay sound in his voice 1 such as had never been heard, in King Mordrcth's Land before. 1 The plain was covered with thick, green grass, and spreading trees grew on it. There was a richly-draped platform for King Amor's gold-and-ivory chain, but when the people gathered gath-ered about he stood up before them, a beautiful, young giant, with eyes like fixed stars and head held high. And he read his law in a voice which was heard toy -every man, woman and child1 even by the little cripple crouching in the grass on the outskirts out-skirts of the crowd and not expecting expect-ing to hear or sec anything. This is what he read: "In my pleasancc on the mountain-top mountain-top there grows a Blue Flower. One of my brothers, the Birds, brought me its seed from an Emporcr's hidden hid-den garden. It is as ibeautiful as the sky at dawn. It has a strange powev. i It dispels evil fortune and the dark thoughts which bring it. There is no time for dark thoughts there is no time for evil. Listen to my Law. Tomorrow seed1 will be given to every man, woman and child in my kingdom even to the new-born. Every Ev-ery man, woman and child even the new-born is commanded by the Law to plant and feed and watch over the "Blue Flower. It is the work of each 40 make it grow. The mother of the new-born can hold his little hand and make him drop the seeds into the earth. As the child glows she must I show himi the green shoots when they 9 pierce the brown soil. She must ba- I ble to him of its Blue Flower. By m the time he is pleased by color he 9 will love .the blossoms, and the spell I of happiness and good fortune will begin to work for him. It is not one person here and there who must plant the flower, but each and every one. To those who have not land about them, all the land is free. You may plant by the roadside, in a cranny of a wall, in an old 'box or glass or tub, in any bare space in any man's field or garden. But each must plant his seeds and watch over and feed them. I Next year, when the Blue Flower blossoms, I shall ride through my kingdom and bestow my rewards. 1 This is my Law." J "What will befall if some of us do I not make them grow?" groaned some I of the Afraid Ones. J "There is no time to think of that!" I shouted the boy who was clever J ' "Plant thcml" (To be continued). |