Fraeulein Hoffman always gave the girls at her school a holiday on the
tenth of June. It was her birthday; and though the old lady would not
allow her pupils to make her any presents, saying, in her firm manner,
"Such things speedily become a tax, my dears," yet she was always
pleased that they should decorate the schoolrooms in her honor, and hang
a handsome wreath round her father's picture.
So on the evening before the birthday the day-girls would bring baskets
of flowers, and the big schoolroom table was brought out into the
garden, and there the wreaths and garlands were made amid much
chattering and laughing by the happy children.
"There," said Marie Schmidt, with a satisfied smile, as she held up a
large wreath for general admiration. "That's finished at last! and I
flatter myself that the old gentleman never had so handsome a decoration
in his lifetime as I have now made for his picture."
The girls laughed; but gentle Adela Righton, the only English girl at
the school, said quietly, "Take care, Marie; Fraeulein Hoffman might hear
you, and it would hurt her feelings to think that we were laughing at
her father."
"I don't want to laugh at any one, you sober old Adela," returned the
reckless Marie. "I only think the old gentleman's hooked nose and beady
black eyes will look very well under my wreath of lilies and roses."
Adela said no more, for she saw that her words only excited Marie; and
fortunately at that moment a diversion was created by a girl coming into
the garden with two immense baskets of cabbage-roses and white
moss-buds.
"What! more flowers? Why could you not bring them sooner, you tiresome
girl?" exclaimed Lotta, who, having finished her garland for the
schoolroom window, was more inclined for a romp than for any other
flower-wreathing.
"Throw them away! bury them in a hole!" said impetuous Marie, getting up
and shaking the petals off her dress. "We've done the wreaths now,
Sophie, so your flowers have come too late. I'll tell you what, though:
we might fasten a rose to the end of Fanny's pig-tails, and then they
would indeed be rose-red."
"No, thank you, Marie: I prefer my pig-tails unadorned," said Fanny
good-temperedly, for she was accustomed to jokes on her red hair.
"Throw the flowers on the grass, Sophie! we really can't begin again
now!" declared Marie. "I'm going to teach the girls a new game. Now,
children, stand in a row. Now hold out your frocks and sing with me."
And Marie, leaning against a tree, proceeded to give her orders, and,
being somewhat blunt, did not notice the grieved look on Sophie's face
as she thought of her wasted flowers.
"Poor roses!" said Adela kindly, noticing Sophie's discomfiture. "They
are too sweet to be wasted. May I use them as I like, Sophie?"
"Oh, yes, dear Adela!" said Sophie, brightening. She was a fair, pretty
child, with a shady hat tied under her dimpled chin; and seeing Adela
stooping to pick up the despised flowers, her spirits rose, and she
joined the others in their game under the tree, and danced and sang with
the rest.
[Illustration: MARIE TEACHES THEM A NEW GAME.]
When Fraeulein Hoffman went early the next morning, as was her yearly
custom, to deposit a wreath on her father's grave, she found, to her
surprise and intense delight, that some one had been before her.
The grave was literally covered with sweet rose-petals, and round the
border, in white rose-buds, were the words,--
"Not lost, but gone before."
Her heart was full to overflowing at this kindly act, and at breakfast,
in the gayly-decorated room, she made the girls a little speech.
"Dear girls, you are all young, and have still your friends and
relations with you. Mine are all now in God's keeping, but it is very
sweet to me to believe that they who loved me so well when on earth
still think of me in Heaven. You have helped me to realize this by your
tender care of my dear father's grave, and in his name and my own I
thank you."
There was silence for a minute or two, for the old lady's speech had
moved even the giddy Marie. Then Sophie pressed Adela's hand, and
whispered gratefully, "My roses went to decorate God's garden; that is
best of all."
[Illustration: "GOOD MORNING"]
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