Christian life -- Fiction; Conduct of life -- Fiction; Motherless families -- Fiction
That night William Hender came home earlier from his after-supper gossip
at the 'Red Lion,' and, as usual, strolled about outside the house while
he finished out his pipe. To-night his footsteps led him down his garden,
and instinctively he went in search of the herb-bed again. Before he
reached it he came upon fresh signs of digging and raking, and a larger
patch of newly-turned earth, with the tools still lying beside it.
"This must be for one of the boys," he thought to himself, as he stooped
to look closer. He admired the thoroughness of the work, or as much of it
as he could see in the moonlight. On his way to the tool-shed with the
tools he passed Bella's herb-bed, and then the newly-turned piece beside
it caught his eye and brought him to a standstill.
"That must be the little one's," he said to himself, as he looked down at
it. "Of course she must have what the others have! I wonder what she's
got planted in it?" He bent lower and lower, but in the uncertain light
he could not distinguish what the little clump of green was, and at last
he had to go down on his knee in the path and light a match.
"One double daisy, bless her heart! It's that daisy root she has set so
much store on ever since Maggie Langley gave it to her. Bless her baby
heart!" he said once more and very tenderly, and as he rose from the
ground again he sighed heavily, and passed his hand across his eyes more
than once.
"I'd like to give her a s'prise," he thought to himself. "I'd dearly love
to give her a s'prise, and I will too. It'll please her ever so much."
The thought of it pleased him ever so much too, and he went in and went to
bed feeling in a happier mood than he had done for a long time. The mood
was on him the next morning too, when he came down to breakfast.
"Where are the children?" he asked, as he went to the scullery for his
heavy working boots.
"Oh, out in the garden. They are mad about the garden for the time," said
Aunt Emma, with a laugh. "Bella seemed troubled 'cause there was nothing
in it, so they're going to set matters right. She has planted a few
herbs, and Charlie is making a strawberry bed. I don't know how long
it'll last, I'm sure. They soon tires of most things."
"Ay, ay, children mostly do," was all that their father answered, but as
soon as his boots were fastened he sauntered out into the garden in search
of them.
"Breakfast's ready," called his sister after him. "Call the children,
will you?"
"I'll go and fetch them," he said, and made his way to where he heard
their voices.
When she caught sight of him Margery left the others and ran towards him.
"Daddy! daddy! come and look at my garden. Bella says she thinks my daisy
has taken root! Now it'll soon have lots of daisies on it, won't it? and
I'll give you a piece of root. Wouldn't you like that? Daddy, won't you
have a garden too, and have flowers in it?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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