[Illustration: {A VASE OF DANDELIONS.}]
There was only a little piece of garden belonging to Lily's home in
the city. In the bright spring days she went out there, and watched to
see if any flowers came up. She felt happy when she found the first
blades of grass.
The poet sings that "his heart dances with the daffodils." Lily's
heart danced, one morning, when she found a dandelion among the
grasses in her yard,--a real yellow dandelion, with all its golden
petals spread out.
Just then, one of her playmates looked over the fence, and put out her
hand.
"Do give it to me," she said. "I sha'n't like you a bit, if you don't:
I shall think you are just as stingy--"
"But it's all I have," said Lily; "I can't give it away. I can't. Wait
till to-morrow, and there'll be some more out. They're growing.
There'll be some all round to-morrow or next week."
"To-morrow! I want it now, to-day," said her friend, "to-day's better
than to-morrow."
Lily looked at the child and then at the dandelion. "I suppose it
would be mean to keep it," she said, "but it is so lovely--_can't_ you
wait?"
"Oh, well, keep it, you stingy girl!"
[Illustration: {THE LITTLE GIRL ASKS FOR THE DANDELION.}]
"Come and pick it yourself, then," said Lily, with tears in her eyes.
The next day, when Lily went into the yard, there were a dozen golden
dandelions, like stars in the grass, and a little blue violet was
blooming all alone by itself.