A Boy's Heart

It was n perfect June day, the last of the month. Mary Clifton stood on the piazza of her father'a house, and looked down over the raterVening space, shading her eyes with hor hand, till ïhey rested upon a stran bat bobbing hither and thithnr in the shrubbery, and almost hidden by the rich fohage and clustering blossoms of tho acacia trees. She ran ligntly down the steps and toward the wearer thereof. "O Harry, bere you are! I have called and hnnted youfiveniinutes at least, and, oh, what a lovely bouquet you havo made! You mean it for the minister'8 wife, of course; please give it to me quick; it is just what I want for het own room, and it wi'l save me so mucb time and labor," and the fair young girl held out her hand for the treasures, not yet so plenty as not to be very prccious. "Sorry, sis," said the young gentleman of 12, holding his bouquet high above bis head; '-(hey are not for your minister's wife, but for mine." "Well, well, all the sanie; twist this bit of paper around it, and leave it yourself in her room. Come, vo must hurry; ïhe train is düe in twenty minutes." 'Can't help it if it's due in ten. These are not to gointo the new minister s house, but the old one. Teil you, I don't forget, if some otherfolks do. Vour new min'ster'p eot about all the (Iowersand thinjs Intown now, nnd I'm just going to give these to Mrs. Brown before school, too: so good-by, sis; guess you ran find a few etragglers yet, if you look Bharp," and off ran the nimb o feet, lea ving bis si-iter lookinaafter him, not for the ilowers. "The dear boy," she murmured, a hot flush coming into her cheeks; "lie has taught me a lesson,"and ihen she turned and went easily back to the house. As she entered tbc family slttingroom, she met her mother with a fat basket of good things on her arm, coming out to put it in the cai riageat the door, to be transferred to the new parsonage, while her father, a mild, uifver-haired deacon, was just eountins over a pile of bilis, pivparatory to doing the) up in a neat package addrassed to "Rev. Horat.io Barnes." "O mamma," exclaimed Mary, stopping her mother by taking the heavy basket nnd putting it into a chair, "ünly think, I found Harry in the garden picking a bouquet for Mrs. Brown, and he said he had not forgotten her if we all had, and lie has gone off with them to her. I feit awiully ashamed; I'm afi-aid we have been neglectiul of them the past few weeks." "I declare for it," said good Mrs. Clifton, "I do believe we have, and thcy all alone so, and he sick." "1 don't believe anybody's thou','ht to invite her to the reception this evening, either, and I'm sure I don t see how she could leave him and come, anyway." '■I could manage thatnicely, sister," said a gentío voice, issuing from an adjoining room. "If Harry would drive me over to Parson Brown's, we could take Mrs. Brown to the party, and I could be company for the minister, and so returning. You know I could not think of going into a, orowcL" Tho speaker, an elderly, del'catelooking man of about sixty, now appeared at the door, and DOth mother and daughter exclaimed tosether: "Oh, thank you, Uncle John; that would be nice, and now how shall we get word to her?" "I will attend to that myself," said the deacon, putting up themoney and risinc; and Mary, as she reached him bis hat and cañe, saw a suspicioiu dimness in hiseyes. No sound showed what hia thought was, howevei. "My di-.ir old and friendl Thedear boy who liad a more tender heart than hia father!" Meanwhile H.nrry sped on, past the chureb and schoolhouse, and all the business part of the town, till hecame to a pretty white cottage, a littln back of the sti-eet, the garden and front yard enclosed by a neat picket fence. Harry, discarding the sensible but stupid gat-e, swung himself lightly over the fence, and took a 6hort cut to the side door. A 6hort Bharp sound struck bis ear. "I declare if she isn't driving tacks; putting kown a carpet, like enough; pretty work for her!" And stepping softly to the door which sood ajar, he peejjed in. True enough, there was an elderly woman down on her knees, rarefully nailing a carpet. She was liumining a familiar hymn. "Een trom j-outh to old age," and did not 'mar a new step till aboyishhandlaid a firm hold on the hammer, and a boyish voicc exclaimed: "Noiv, Mra. Brown, this is what I cali hreafcing your word. Didn't you promise Wnltei that you would let me help you just as he did'? And here you'ro breakina your back down here om Ihe tloor; I think it's just nean!" Mis. lirown rose bast ily, and thoilgh Borne toras which she had been bravely ki-eping back, did take the opportunify lo drop upon some beautiful floweis, which he placed in her hand i.i place of tlie hammer, shu latvjhed gayly as she inhaled their delicious fragrancej saying: 'Well, Harry, my boy, you have certainly madtt a fair exchange. Jfcar you have robbed your garden to enrich me." "Oh, my, no; though I did bring the best I jould tind. J wanted to, you know; and how is Mr. Brown tbis moroing?" "Not very smart, I fear. You go right into to see him; he needed soniebody to cheer him.'' "I have got something for him, too,'' said Harry, shyly, thrustinghia band Into bis pockets, and producing an orange from one, and a "daily from another. "I thought periiaps he'd like to see the news." "To be sure; just the thing my boy. Go and give them to him while I put these beautiöS into water." Three minutes later the boy was on his way to school, whistling a merry tune, now chasing a flying kitten, or giving chase to a yelping üttle cur, vhose chief end of liie was to let peop!e know how he despised them; and who of all the people he met Hockins! to the new paatoi' 8 house, or wending to their Aavural places of business had the idea that he ulone, of all the largo church and society the oid pastor had oathered, had this day tried to cheer hia loneliness, or help him bear the heavy burden which old age and fiiili.52 health had laid ujion iiim? But thelittle seed was sown, and already was bl'inging forth fruit. An liour later, the little gare of the parsonage was soberly opened and passed through by the deacon; and the pood man, sitting sud, and, in spite of all his efforts and Harry's cali, oppi'essed with the remembrante of that other day when he was the new minister and his faithful wife the blooming brida, and then of rnany other dava, when In his Btrength and devotion beruled his peonlebyagreat dr: of love, not unminglêd with kar, perhaps; when his sons weie coning inanagoing out, and his daughters were like plant 8, beautifyinq his home and making Hfe a joy and a poein; they wtreallaway, somein homes of their own, while the two youngest were earning the money whicb support ed their parents in their dedining years- when a step, firm and familiar, met his ear. "How are you today, dear pastor? Would you not like to take aridewitn me? The air is fine, and 1 ain sure it would do you good." Before they come home, they stop a moment at the new parsonage, and the young minister cornos out and warmly groots his aged brother, and begs the privilege of soon and often callinson him for advioe and help; and the old man goes home feeling that he is still one of the people, if not the one of all others, and is content. In the evenine, Iiow Mre. Brown enjoyed meeting thfoldlriends andmakïng acquaintance with tne new! How pretty she looked, too, with her soft sil ver hair and sweet f-mile, her black dross lishtened up with Harry's flowers! One young lady said, as she looked critically at the two ladies sitting together, the old minister's wife and the new, "IfMra. Barnes lives as long as Irs. Brown, perhaps ehe will be almost as pretty." Harry kept pretty close to the pacties lie had considered to be opposed to each other of necessity, and watched carefully lest any attention should beomitted to his special charge, ivhich was bostowed upon lier rival, and even he couldfindno casefoicomplaint. The new yoimü minister took the old minister's wife out to supoer, while the young lady was escorted by the doacon. And when the party was about to break up, and prayer was olltred by the new pastor, how tenderly and reverently was "this agod servant" remembered, and what fervent thanks lendered for all his faithful, loviug service. When the carriage was brought to the door, the basket, filled with the choioest dainties frotn the overflowing board, was tooheavy for even Harry's stout, arms to carry, and he did not know till he reached the house that the Bmall package his father placed in his hands to be given to the old parson, contained a handsome and tinu'lj tribute in bank-notes, from hia old charge, headed liberally by the new pastor. Little did he think that all these good thiugs for his dear frienda were et in train by his own simple, loving gift of a bouquet of flowers in the ïaorning.- Boston Watehman.