OUR BOYS & GIRLS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 826, 30 December 1887, Page 5

OUR BOYS & GIRLS.

CLARA’S CHRISTMAS

(Concluded.)

And so matters continued many weeks—until the middle of October, in fact. The Society made various excursions here and there to their great enjoyment. All this time the affectionate little girl had been trying steadily 1 to win Kate’s good-will, and to tell the plain truth she had almost succeeded. Her pleasant manner and her lovely eyes had made it very hard for' Kate Ellis to hold out against her; but having once started in that way she waa determined not to give in, and without being fairly aware of it, she braced herself the more firmly and showed out her ill-feeling the more strongly in proportion as the other girls manifested their partiality for Clara every day, ’ fussing so over the girl,’ as she pettishly told her mother. But Kate was not really an unkind girl, and she was doing violence to her own true feelings and to her sense of what was right in ■ treating Clara as she did from one day to another. “ Their last walk for the season was to be to Porter’s Rocks, and they started early, as the days were now much shorter. A few asters and golden-rods still remained, but most of the flowers had disappeared under the influence of the frosts. Clara caught sight of a tall plant of the New England aster, the most richly colored of all our species, and over tbe fence she went as nimbly as a squirrel. J ‘ Here, Kate, you are the tallest girl, and this belongs to you sure. See, it is taller than I am, anyway.’ j *No‘ I don’t want it. I hate asters ; they look gloomy.’ Clara was almost chilled by such a repulse; but Georgia earns to the rescue.

* Give it to me, Clara, if Kate won’t have .it.’ ‘Right for you, Georgie. Off with your ma’am.’ All stopped to attend to it, and forthwith the hat was gorgeously decorated.- As its only 'trimming was a light blue ribbon, the very rich dark purplish-blue of the flowers contrasted quite strongly with it, and the effect was very good indeed, setting off Georgie’s lightcurly hair and laughing eyes to greatadvantage. ‘ What do you say to that, ma’am?’ said, she, dancing out into the road and making a deep reverence to Ka’e. ‘ Don’t you feel sorry you were so cross ? But it is too late ; money cannot buy them. Clara, come here right this instant ’ —taking her by both ears, which was a favorite trick of hers. * There is one kiss, two, three, and away we go.’ ‘Dou’t you mind Georgie’s foolishness, Kate ; maybe I will find something you will like better.’ hut the flowers were so few that nothing else came to hand until the roei.s were reached.

On Co front of theledge, about eight {feet from the ground, was a crevice from which a little water was oozing, and in this crevice grew a plant of the fringed gentian bearing four of these wonderfully delicate and lovely pale blue flowers which perhaps have no equal. Kate saw th’em first, for she was at the bead of the line along the narrow path, and an involuntary cry burst from her, which a moment later she regretted : * Oh, what a charming bunch of flowers !’ * That is it; that is the very thing. I knew we would find somethingfor you, Kate. I will have it in a minute.’

* No, no; don’t go, Clara. I don’t care for it.’

But the active little- girl had already sprung forward and was beginning to clamber over the loose rocks at the base of the ledge, and for the first time Kate’s better feelings took hold of her, as she saw plainly that there was danger of a fall. ‘ Come back, Clara; do, do come back, I am a raid. Oh, don’t go! I will never speak so crossly to you again.’ ‘No, no ; I will hold tight; I am used to clim ing,’ answered Clara. ‘Don’t you see how nicely I go? There ! there! I have them. Oh, I never saw anything so beautifu ! Kate it will fit your dark hair so-'

But the sentence was never finished. As she turned to hold out the flowers toward Kate, her foot slipped, and with a cry she fell, and then rolled till she lay at the foot of the ledge. A scream of fright from the other girls was heard, but not a sound from Kate, for as she saw Clara drop, she sprang with all her strength, and was almost in time to catch her in her arms, but not quite, and Clara struck the ground heavily. 4 Oh, you darling, what a brute I havebeen 1’ was all Kate could say, as she lifted the unconscious child and kissed her again and again.

‘ls she killed, Kate?’ asked Mary, in a frightened tone. ‘ No, no; she is not dead, not so bad as that. But only look at this : here are my flowers in her hand now; , and see, 'see, Georgie, one of them is all stained with blood.'

As she spoke, Clara opened her eyes partially, and the first thing she saw waa Kate’s face close to her own, with the tears streaming down it; but such an expression in tbe eyes as Clara had never seen there be fere.

‘Can you ever forgive me, Clara ?’ * What—what is the matter ? Did I fall?’ ‘Yes, you did ; but I hope you are not so very badly hurt.’ ‘ But I got you the flowers, Katie ; only see,’ holding them out to her. * Oh, Clara, you will kill me to talk that way about the flowers. One of them is red with your blood My darling, how wicked I have been to hurt you I’ Great was ,the rejoicing of all when they saw Clara did not appear to be seriously hurt ; bub their joy was all at once turned to fright, for as she attempted to move she screamed with pain. Her left leg was helpless. ‘ Run quick,’ said Kate ; ‘ run for help. Georgie—May. What shall we do ? what shall we do ?’

It seemed a very long time though it waa not so, before help came. Men from the village were hurrying up, led by the two frightened girls, and accompanied by one of the village physicians. A few minutes served to tell the story, and to give them some relief. The leg was broken above the ankle, but the doctor assured them that ft would heal perfectly so that she would not be lame at all, but that it would be many weeks before she could walk even with help.

More than two months had passed. During all this time Clara had borne her pain without complaint. The girls had- done all in their power to make the days pas 3 as cheerfully as possible, but kind as they all were, Kate was different from any of the others. She seemed as though her whole life was bound up with Clara’s. She coaid / not live except where she could see her, touch her or speak to her. She fairly hovered over her in her anxiety, and though she never spoke of the past, it was very plain she was trying to cover it over m Clara’s xnind by her unceasing affection now.

Christmas Eve had come, and Kate had slipped into her room just before bedtime,

•Now Ciara, dear, I have only a minute. We are all coming to morrow morning at nine, but I want to have you put this where you ■will see it the minute you wake, and then, when you open it as the first thing you do, bear it Bay, very loud, “Merry Chriatmaa from Kate and with a kiss, away she ran, leaving a package in Clara’s hands. ’ Christmas morning came, bright and Bparkling, and Clara waked. There lay her package. Sitting up hastily, she loosened the cord and the wrappings, and there she 8»w —the four fringed gentians.

They bad been pressed and dried with such extreme care as to preserve even the most delicate tints; they were grouped beautifully together, and cemented on thick cardboard, the whole being inclosed in a charming frame. The only inscription was 4 Clara, from Kate,’ but a note was lying over them with simply these words :

4 My darling Clara,—Try to forgive me my old selfishness, and then perhaps you can learn some time how much you have taught me, and how much I love you. 4 Kate.’ Clara’s eyes were dim with tears of perfect happiness as she read it; and as she noticed that the blood-stained one of the four flowers was the most conspicuously placed of all, she knew at once why Kate had wished that special present to be the first thing for her eyes to rest on in the morning, and she said to herself, 4 1 will not show it to anyone until all the girls are here. ’ At nine o’clock they came, as promised, and a merry Christmas gathering it was in earnest. Each of them had brought a kind remembrance for Clara, and her bed wea soon gay with books, cards, and other gifts. Kate said not a word about the flowers until Clara produced them from their hidingplace, and throwing her arms around Kate’s neck she drew her face down. 4 Dear Kate, how I do thank you ! ’

Cries of surprise and delight came from the three others : ‘There is where the gentians had gone, is it ? I have worried over it many a time.’ 4 So have I, Mary. I have thought how stupid it was of us to leave them.’ 4 Sly girl, Miss Kate had them all the time, and never mentioned it,’ said Ruth. 4 Never you mind about the flowers,’ Baid Kate. - 4 1 am sure they belonged to Clara, if anything ever could. But come, girls, we must get her ready, for there is Dr George coming up the street, and the best Christmas gift of all will bo to see her stand on her feet again.' And that pleasure they soon had. The doctor found, on making trial, that the bone was firmer than he ventured to suppose, aud supporting her strongly, he allowed her to walk two or three steps to a chair. 4 Merry Christmas for Clara !’ was the joyful cry from all the girls, but it had for Kate a deeper meaning than for any of the others, kind, sincere, and hearty as their rejoicing was ; and that blood-stained fringed gentian has never for her or for Clara lost its priceless value.

[The End.]