"After afl. Aunt Ruth," she said,
"there is no season of the year quite
so beautiful to me as the springtime,
when everything seems fairly burst
ing with lite and delighting in life."
"Ah, my dear, it is because you are
Just now in the springtime of life
yourself You seem to me very like
that little shrub yonder, the buds just
peeping out which shall so soon un
fold into the perfect flower. So do I
see in you the possibilities of a beau
tiful and noble womanhood But
haven't we enough lilacs? The sun
Is so warm!"
"Yes, indeed, we have, and I don't
care to rob jou, even for a good cause,
I am relying upon the girls for a good
ly supply."
"It's your Sunday-school class, isn't
It?"
"Yes," answered Antoinette. "Aunt
Ruth, won't you go with us? That
would make our party complete. Do
say yes."
"No, I would rather go alone I zm
glad, though, that you are interesting
your class this way, for it seems to
me that children in these days have
too little patriotic spirit, and too little
appreciation of the cost of liberty.
The decoration of the soldiers' graves
means little more to them than a half
holiday from school and a happy time
gathering flowers. After all, 1 guess
it is better so. Let them nave all the
sunshine possible the shadows come
soon enough to all of us."
"Aunt kuth," said Antoltitte, ten
derly, "I've wanted to ask you some-
I'm just a poor old veteran, I'm bent and silvered
gray,
But once again they thmk of me. on Decoration
day.
They call me "patnotic" then, and let me marct
again
With my few comrades who are left, and call us "countrymen.
