A BIRTHDAY SURPRISE

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 20, 16 May 1907, Page 37

A BIRTHDAY SURPRISE

Little baura Pinder was sitting on the front piazz a of her father's house. Beside her, on the porch, lay a •bead purse which she had just finished. In her lap was silver to the amount of five dollars, principally dimes,, which she had saved from her monthly allowance. She had 'been putting money aside for several months, for what purpose she had not yet decided ; but sho hail -sevpr.il plans for its disposal. She had* deprived herself of miuch confectionery in order to accumulate this little hoard, and she enjoyed the novel experience of possessing so large a sum. It was a soft spring day. The trees *haid put on their dress of green ; the freesias and jonquils were all abloom. As the child sat there, musing, the silver" clinking, while she- passed it.. through her fingers,, visions of some new story-books, or perhaps some trinkets for her toilet table, succeeded one another in her mind. Suddenly she heard a crash on the sidewalk-, followed by loud exclamations and the sound of violent weeping. Laura 'hurried to the gate, to find a poorly-olaid child of her own age bending over a heap of strawberries, and an overtumpd tray -lying in the dust of the roadway. - 1 O Barbara ! did you spill your strawberries ? ' exclaimed* Laura. ' And how lovely they were, and they a^e so scarce at this time of, the year ! Let me help ycxu pick them up.' 'It will be of no use to do that,' answered the girl, between her sobs. 'No one could eat them. Just let them lie there.'- <• llt is too bad ! ' said Laura. ' Were you taking them home ? ' "Taking them hoxne ! No, indeed,' replied . the girl. 'I was taking them -to the house, of a rich iady who would have paid' me five dollars lor them. She is going to have a big dinner to-night, and now she will be disappointed, and I shall not get the money. And my irfother is so sick— so sick ! ' < ' Laura sat down on the cuTbstone beside her frientl, full of Sympathy and compassion. ,jt And will you have to jpay for the strawberries* besMes ? r she* •< I nieaai to the man you bought them 'from ? '

<I did not buy them,' said the girl. "I'll tell you how it was*. Last summer mother and I went to stay at old Mr. Smithers' place while the family were in Europe. I helped her a good deal, and I took care of the flowers. -You know what fine strawberries Mr. Smithers has, don't you ? ' „, '- « .«. ' 1 No,' replied Laura. " I -never heard of Mr. Smithers before ' « Well, he's awfully rich. His house anld garden are muoli nicer than yours— and yours are nice enough, I'm sure And 1 he raises the best strawberries. Well, the other day I was helping this other, rich lady— Mrs. Fithiaim— and she said she wished she could have same early strawberries for her .dinner, that she'd be willing to pay five -dollars for them. So I thought maybe Mr. Smithers would sell me some, aiuLl wenlt and asked him. And what do you think he said ? ' 1 That" he would ? ' % • No, not sell me any ; but' " Barbara*" saw! 'he, ?' you were a good little^girl last summer, and my ' first strawberries are "coming out unusually plentiful. . I'll give you ten boxes, so that you can m a ke a lititle money -f or yourself." That's what he said.' A fresh burst .of tears interrupted the ooor child's story. Kind-hearted little X.aur a drew.- out- her dainty • handkerchief and wiped Barbara's eyes. Slightly consoled, she resumed her narrative. 'I told' Mrs. Fithiah, and she said:' " All riftfit," - And so I went out this afternoon, and Mr. Smithers had them all ready if those nice little baskets, and he lent me the tray. And so I was coming along, and 1 any foot struck a-gainst the stump* of that old tree*— and, thafs the last of the strawberries ! O dear, O ■ dear, and my poor mother is so sick ! ' Laura's eyes sought the piazza. There, in v full ! view, lay the new bead purse, and "beside it the little heap of silver which she had polished with a piece of chamois that very morning. It was all her own ; she could do what she pleased with it. No one knew she had it. She had intended to tell her father and mother about ~it that evening at dinner. For a moment she hesitated, but it was only a moment. ' Wait just a minute-,' she said, and ran back to the piazza. When she returned, the money was in her hand. ' Barbara,' she said, ' you don't know mie very well, but ,1 kmo.w all about you; because Elsal our cook, ""has told me how good you are to -your sick mother-. Take this -money— it is my own— and buy whatever you need with it.' • * Thrusting the money into the hanld of the astonished! little "girl, she was about to run baok, when Barbara said : ' ■- , ' O Miss Laura, here, is one basket that did mot spill ! Please take it, and eat the berries. Goki will reward you for your kindness to me, and some day maybe I can pay you back. Anyway, my "mother will -let me come over and help if your mother should need me.' IWe have plemty of help, Barhbra,' said Laura. 'We do not need you. . And you must not tell anybody but your mother. Promise me. V - 1 I promise,' answered Barbara, though somewhiat reluctantly. Her impulse woulyi have been to spread the good deed far and wide. Laura took the basket of strawberries she x offered her, thanked her, and hurried into the 'house. Barbara picked up the tray and pursued her homeward way— or more likely the way to the house of the lady wlho was unfortunately to be deprived of the strawfaerrdes she 'had- expected. Neither of the girls noticed a gentleman -whp had been standing behind them, concealed by -the drooping branches of a large elm at the edge of the pavement. • Laura ran hastily up to her room, the basket of strawberries in her hand. She did not know what to do with them. Genexous child that she was,- she would 'have liked to share the beautiful fresh) berries with her family, although there, would have been only a bite fojr each. But she could not do this without an explanation, and that she was especially desirous ol avoiding. She almost wished she had 'refused to accept them. Laying them on her dressing table, she covered them' hastily with , a pi.ccc of netting, as her father stood in the doorway smiling. lie had ascended the stairs just behind her. .He nodded and went away. The next diay was Laura's birthday. When she woke in the morning, she thought it might be pleasant to eat a few strawberries before breakfast. But when she approached the table she found they were gone. Quite mystified, yet Tjeing uhwilline, under the circumstances, to -question, 1 any on' 3 ~ about them', she wen* ' down tQ the dining-room, where she received the greetuigs of her relatives, but no one alluded to strawberries. It was . the custom of the family to have on birtWdavs a little celebration consisting of an extra good' dinner, followed -by gifts to the one whose anniversary it was.

The day passed pleasantly. The dinner had "been prepared with a view to Laura's favorite dishes ; and when it was over hei? mother, her two brothers, anjd her older sister presented her with some beautiful souvenirs. Laura thought it a little odd that her- father remained seated in his chair, quietly smiling, but with empty hands. When she had finished admiring her presents he rose, went into the hail, and returned, carrying in his hand a basket of strawberries. Laura's face flushed a vivid crimson— she recognised the basket. ' Here, my dear, ' said her " father, mischievously. ' I have some berries for you— the first of the season. As they are still quite expensive, I thought a taste for each one of us would be sufficient. Pass them around, Laura. I am sure they are. very good. I got them from a dear little girl, whose kiridness to another child of - her own age I witnessed yesterday unpercsived.' Unable to speak, and very 'much' embarrassed, Laura took the basket from her father's 'hand. c Pass them around, my dear,' said her fattier. ' There will be a few left in the bottom of the basket for yourself.' The basket was soon emptied. 'When it came to Laura's turn, there were only three left ; but underneath them lay a box wrapped in white paper, addressed to her. When she opened it, a beautiful locket and chain lay within. Laura lifted it from its nest of pale blue cotton. * ' O papa !- ' she exclaimed, in delight. ' How lovely!' ' Open the locket, dear,' said her father. She touched the spring; the lid flew back, and on • the smooth, shining surface were traced these words : ITo a generous little girl.' And then the rest of the story was told.— 1 Aye Maria.'