Show PAIN AND SORROW by MILDRED CAROLINE GOODRIDGE 1 I cant go through with it groaned a haggard desperate faced man on one side 0 of a garden wall oh you beautiful world listed lisped a child in an invalid chair on the ot other her side of 0 the wall the man was robert dale a city merchant he sat in the shade of 0 a tree near the ruins of some burned down residence despair was in his heart his eyes were full of the misery of a tortured spirit there are only two ways he muttered darkly there is bankruptcy but that reads disgrace and I 1 could not bear it the other Is this ile he drew from his pocket a loaded revolver and gazed at it fixedly he had come out to this secluded spot in a quiet village to end it all with a pistol shot A proud man a crushed man the last dite ditch h seemed reached and he set his lips grimly the little child was flora easton a sweet faced angel eyed girl of ten the chair was drawn up close to a rustic table upon this bere iere a ere writing ting materials As she took up a pencil one could see from the slow weak and erratic movements of her hand that she had only an imperfect control over its muscles poor child young as she was flora had known both pain and sorrow she had seen her loving parents brokenhearted over the sudden deith death of that other flower of the he family her sister tor for whom now her little mourners clad in black the crickets sliding through the grass each evening piped a solemn mass then flora too had bad been stricken on the rare golden threshold of 0 joyous girlhood she had been deprived of the use of feet and hands A patient father a loving mother had brought to her aid all that money or medical skill could effect it was the grand heroic spirit of the little one herself however that had won halt half the battle fine was little floras accustomed cheery reply when asked how zhe she was getting along never say die she had bad even taught the pet parrot to cry out in the fervor of the optimism she had adopted as the 0 V the last ditch seemed reached treed creed and sustenance of her health broken life she shed sunshine everywhere and dally daily first with the movement of a single finger each hour gaining tome ground she groped her way back to her old activity on this especial morning her brave little heart thrilled as tor for the first time she found that she ehe could use her hand to write a word hitherto even tho iho effort to produce a single letter tad had been a hard task her eyes sparkled her soul seemed to burst its as a new strength infused her pulses and nerves oh papa mamma she cried in a wild fervor of excited delight as almost breathless with joy and surprise the completed a whole sentence on the sheet of paper before her her parents came rushing anxiously from the house at the unusual cry what to Is it are you ill III flora wavered quavered her mother oh ob no die dented the agitated little one me just think of it 1 I am getting won well sure papa for be see I 1 have written a whole sentence and then little flora uttered a cry of direful dismay A great breath of wind had bad come along it caught up th tto loose sheets of paper it scattered thorn in every direction high in the n over a among ong the sweet blooming lilacs even to the street in front of the ie grounds and over tho the garden wall father and mother worked arduous tl ly to collect ct tho the scat uttered tere d sheets search bearch as they would how however ever they could not find the ono one upon which flora had written and it was the first real sentence I 1 have written since eia since I 1 was tick mourned flora why think of lit it plain as day and without tiring my hand at all I 1 printed out never say bay die 11 wen well ray my dear said bald her father very soon boon will be able to write w MW PW aad then bu hi hoart over overflowed floed with hope at this indea tion that the little sufferer was on the tha road to recovery in a week neck the episode of the missing sheet of paper was forgotten little tle flora indeed improved day by day she grew stronger always was she cheerful happy with a bright essence of sunshine that permeated the life of the whole village many mant a burdened heart revived at a sight eight 0 tit the patient loving little creature wha wb saw only love and helpfulness as hev he rare mission of life click the man who sat eat on tho the other sido side ot of that fateful garden wall had been too absorbed in his misery to heed beed the sounds about him ho he got ready the deadly weapon then it dropped suddenly from his nerveless fingers there h had ad come floating down like a dovo dove of peace like a heavenly messenger a sheet of paper it tell felt directly in hla his lap with awed staring eyes robert dale read the tha rude scrawling words never say die A quick revulsion of feeling passer over him whence had the message come no one was in right what but providence could alve directed this strange occurrence nt at the most critical moment of his life he burst into tears he be dropped to his knees and a new strength and impulse came cama into hla his life two years later little flora and her parents attended a meeting at thi town toun hall of the village it had been announced some time previous that robert dale dais a wealthy city merchant had purchased the grounds beyond the garden wall A meeting had been called where he was to publicly donate the land and to build an orphan asylum mr dale arose and made the formal tender of his beneficence to the town then his face grew grave and solemn as aa he stated that he wished to tell why he had been impelled to hla his philanthropic le action he recited his exl exi pertense per lence tence the day when that strange message had come to him he told how banishing his cowardly fears ho he had gone back to the city nerved to combat his business difficulties and had turned the tide of disaster to one ona of prosperity then he took from a treasured corner in his pocketbook a folded piece of paper and passed it around among the audience the tha precious sheet of paper bearing this words never say die tho the little scrap of paper passed among two rows of seats As it came cama to mr easton little flora uttered tittered a quick cry oh papa its my writing dont you remember that day in the garden the story spread like wildfire and soon eoon robert dale learned of 0 it to him the sweet little child whose simple action had saved him from going down a wreck was as an angel of mercy sent to guide him in ia the darkest hour of his career not only for him but tor for others who had bad felt the gentle hopeful influence of little flora the rare perfume of her I 1 loving ving soul seemed to diffuse hope and happiness every everywhere here As robert dale left the easton home the following day the lofty flight of a bird appeared to symbolize the purified aspirations of his better nature the lark was flying straight into the face of the glowing sun its wild glorious note echoing like a call to life to duty then it was lost to view but in the fervor of his grateful nature to robert dale it seemed as though the lark was singing at heavens gate copyright 1911 1914 by NV G chapman |