Laura was tired of playing with her dolls, and tired of taking care of
Baby Donald, too, he was such a big baby, and she was a little girl for
nine years old. So as soon as nap time came, and baby was at last quiet,
Laura went out on the porch and cuddled down in the hammock, where she
swung to and fro, wishing there was something nice to do, or some new
kinds of dolls to play with. All at once she thought she heard a
faint voice say, "What a queer child! Here she is wishing for some new
plaything, and has never noticed us. She must be blind, poor child! for
every morning we put on our prettiest dresses and smile at her; but she
always passes us by."
"Yes," replied another voice, "when she came out here to lie down in the
hammock, I brushed her hair softly and left a kiss on her forehead; but
she shook me off as if I were a bee trying to sting her."
Laura sat up, rubbed her eyes, and looked around in surprise. Had some
one really spoken, or had she only fallen asleep and dreamed it all?
She could see nothing except the morning glories which covered the side
of the porch. There seemed to be hundreds of them, blue, white, pink,
and violet; and how wide awake they looked! "It must have been the
'glories' talking," said Laura, "but I didn't know glories could talk.
Can you, dear glories?"
The flowers nodded, as if they understood what she said.
"What pretty colors! I never half noticed them before," went on Laura,
"and wouldn't that blue one make a lovely dress?"
Just then wee Donald, fresh from his nap, came toddling out through
the open door, and stretched his little fat hands to the glories. "Baby
wants a trumpet," he cried.
Laura laughed aloud as she said: "Why, they do look like trumpets, and
like parasols, too;" and she gathered a handful of the blossoms and
sprinkled the porch with their brightness. "Let's play with them, baby;
see if we can make some dolls;" and Laura stood a glory on the step,
and into the tiny hole stuck the yellow center of a daisy, whose petals
she had pulled out. On this center she marked eyes, nose, and mouth; and
when a small glory was added for a bonnet, what a pretty flower doll
she had, with a pink skirt, green waist, and white bonnet! Then a whole
family of glories were made, and Laura gave them each a parasol to
carry.
Baby used his glories for tents, and they had a good time playing, and
Laura wished she had noticed the glories more before.
By and by, when the day was over, and Laura sat again in the hammock,
watching the sleeping glories, she said: "I wonder if the glories could
have been talking this morning; "and one little sleepy bud looked as if
it could tell if it chose. But Mamma put her arm about the little girl
and said, "I think it was a dream, dear. But if the flowers could speak
I think they would tell my darling that by using her eyes more, she will
find out how much there is that is beautiful, and God made them all for
us to enjoy, because he loves us. Every flower that blooms its sweetest,
and every child who tries to be good, is a precious part of our Heavenly
Father's glories."