Daisy's Work: The Third Commandment

by Joanna H. Mathews

  IX.

  THE LOST FOUND.

  "IS that you, Daisy?"

  "Yes, sir. Is that you, Uncle Frank?" answered Daisy, playfully.

  "Well, I thought it was this morning when I went to town; but I amdoubtful of it now."

  "Why?" asked Daisy, laughing, as she reached up on tiptoe to offer thekiss with which she always welcomed her uncle on his return from thecity.

  "Baby Daisy is not doubtful, at least," said Mrs. Forster, comingforward, and putting her little daughter, all crows and smiles, in herfather's arms. "Let her pull your hair a little to convince you of thefact."

  "It will be difficult," said the General. "There was a man in the carsso like me, face, height, and figure, that some of my friends weretaking him for me; others accusing me of having a brother whom I havenever owned. He sat two or three seats in front of me, and I could nothelp being amused. Ward came in, nodded familiarly to my double, with,"How are you, General?" passed on to me, stopped, and looked from oneto the other with a mixture of surprise and curiosity that was droll;then asked for information which I could not give him. It was the samewith many others. I hope the stranger will keep himself out of mischiefwhile he is in Glenwood, or I may be held responsible for his wrongdoings."

  "Did he come to Glenwood?" asked Daisy.

  "Yes: I left him standing on the platform at the station, and I hardlyknew whether my own carriage belonged to him or to me. However, he madeno claim as I stepped into it."

  "Who was he?" asked Mrs. Forster. "Did not you find out?"

  "No. No one could tell me, and I could not go and ask the man who hewas, merely for the reason that he resembled me so much. There, there,little woman," as the baby gave a vigorous pull at his hair. "I'vehad enough of mamma's proofs, and am satisfied that no other man thanFrank Forster would submit to such usage at these tiny hands. I ratherimagine this stranger came up to look at Beechgrove, which is to let,as I heard him asking the railway porter in which direction it lay, andwhere the agent was to be found."

  A fortnight went by, and nothing more was seen of the stranger wholooked so like General Forster; nor after that evening did the Generalor his wife think of him.

  Not so Daisy. She thought often of him with a kind of half wish thatshe might see him; why she scarcely knew herself, but she never spokeof it. She was rather a shy, quiet child, keeping her ideas and wishespretty much to herself, unless they were drawn out by some one whom sheloved or trusted; and neither the General nor Mrs. Forster suspectedwhat was working in her mind.

  Her idea, too, that the General looked so like her own papa, theyregarded only as a childish fancy, ready to see a likeness betweenthe two she most admired and loved in all the world. And they neverimagined how the child was dreaming and wondering over this unseenstranger who had had such a passing interest for them.

  Meanwhile, it became certain that Beechgrove, as the place was called,was taken; for the placards advertising it to rent were taken down, andthe house was going through a thorough cleaning.

  But the General and his wife, being people who never gossiped orconcerned themselves about their neighbors' affairs, did not troublethemselves in the matter. And those who were curious and askedquestions received no satisfaction from old Dr. Harding, who had chargeof the property.

  All Miss Collins' young scholars, however, thought themselves very muchconcerned in the letting of Beechgrove, and with good reason. For alarge aviary belonged to the place, containing many rare and beautifulbirds, and the former owner, who was fond of children, often used toinvite the young people of Glenwood to see these birds, and to amusethemselves in other ways about his grounds. But since Dr. Harding hadhad the care of the place, not a child had been suffered to come withinsight or hearing of the aviary, which had a new charm for them since itwas a forbidden pleasure.

  So the new occupants of Beechgrove, and the question as to whetherthey were likely to recover their old privileges there or no, had beena subject of great interest to our young friends, and they were veryanxious for information on the matter.

  One morning when Daisy came to school, she found the rest of theclass grouped about Mattie Prime and Rosie Pierson, who lived beyondBeechgrove, and had to pass it on their way to Miss Collins'.

  "The new people have gone to Beechgrove," said Violet Swan, when Daisyasked what they were talking about; "and Mattie and Rosie saw a littlegirl there this morning. We are glad there is a child there, becausemaybe having her will make the papa good to other children, and he willlet us go in and see the birds because of her."

  "She's a very little thing," said Rosie. "She can't speak plain. Such acrooked tongue."

  "But she's very cunning," said Mattie. "We were going past the gate andshe called out to us, 'Itty dirls, itty dirls;' and when we stopped sheput her face through the rails to kiss us, and handed us some flowersshe had. She was real sweet."

  "What is her name?" asked Daisy.

  "We asked her, but we could not make out what she said. Mamy Modwit itsounded like; but she did speak so crooked," said Mattie.

  "Do you know," said Rosie, "I think she looked like Daisy. Don't you,Mattie?"

  "Why, so she does," said Mattie. "Isn't that funny? Only Daisy's eyesalways look sorry except when she is laughing or speaking, and thatlittle girl's were so full of mischief and laughing."

  "How big was she?" asked Lola.

  "Oh, about as large as your sister Bertie. Not near old enough to cometo school."

  "I s'pose there are no other children but her," said Fanny Delisle."Willie saw the family come yesterday; and he said there were only thelady and gentleman, and the little girl and servants. If there are nochildren as old as us, maybe it won't come into their heads to let ussee the aviary again."

  This short conversation put an end to the half hope, half wish, thathad been in Daisy's heart. Even supposing the stranger who looked solike General Forster were the gentleman who had taken Beechgrove, hecould be nothing to her (not until now had she said even to herselfthat she had hoped it might be so), for the family did not answer toher own. She had papa and mamma, little brother Theodore, and a babysister, a very little baby; and only this child of three years old ormore seemed to belong to the new-comers; and she had no sister so old.

  Daisy reasoned this all out for herself with a sad, disappointed littleheart, forgetting that time had not stood still with her own family anymore than it had with her, and that changes might have come to them aswell as to herself.

  This was on Friday, and nothing more was seen or heard of the strangersby Daisy or her playmates, till Sunday came. But then such a strangeand happy thing came to pass, and in such a wonderful way. "Just like abook thing," Lily Ward afterwards said.

  It was the loveliest of Sabbath days, and every thing seemed to feel it.

  "What day is it, Bertie?" asked Mr. Swan, as his youngest daughterstood on the piazza steps ready for church.

  "Jesus' happy Sunday," answered the little one; "and, oh, didn't Hemate a nice one!"

  Other people than Bertie thought so; a nice one indeed.

  It was the softest, sweetest, warmest of May Sundays. A busy littlebreeze, carrying with it the perfume of the apple-blossoms over whichit had passed, stole in at the open windows of the church, and wanderedaround among aisles, pillars, and pews, now fluttering the leaves ofa book, now toying with a ribbon, now tossing a curl upon some sunnyhead, now fanning some cheek flushed with a walk in the almost summerheat. A robin, saucy birdie, swung himself lightly to and fro on thebranch of one of the fine old elms outside the church-door, and pouredforth his hymn of praise; while from far and near came the answeringnotes of his mates; and mingling with his song were heard the voices ofthe children in the Sunday school beyond, as they sang the closing hymn.

  Then they came trooping in gently, and with soft footsteps, as becamethe house of God (honoring His name and His word had taught them alsoto honor the place where He was worshipped), and took their placesbeside their parents and friends.

  Watch
ing them from one of the pews which ran by the side of the pulpit,were a pair of roguish, dancing eyes, which Rosie Pierson and MattiePrime recognized at once. They were those of the little girl who hadpeeped at them through the railing of the Beechgrove grounds. Now theywere peeping over the top of the pew-door as she stood at its foot,her hands crossed upon it, her chin resting upon them. What a bright,merry, laughing face it was, and how like Daisy's! General and Mrs.Forster had noticed it from their seat, which commanded a full view ofthat of the strangers.

  Beside the little girl sat a gentleman, half turned from thecongregation, his face partly shaded by his hand; but there could be nodoubt that he was the man who was so like the General. Mrs. Forster sawthe likeness at once, even in the turn and shape of his head. Beyondhim was a lady in deep mourning, closely veiled.

  "Frank must find out who they are," said Mrs. Forster to herself. "Thatchild is so like Daisy. Can it be--oh, can it be?" Then she tried tocollect her thoughts and bring them back to the service of Him whom shehad come to worship.

  Daisy came in a little behind the rest of the infant class (she hadlingered for a word with her teacher), and took her seat. Almostimmediately her eye fell on the new-comers to Glenwood. Mrs. Forstersaw her start, flush all over, neck and face, and press her small handstightly together, as if trying to keep back some exclamation which roseto her lips.

  With a beating heart the child watched the strangers, striving in vainto get a better view of the face of the gentleman, gazing from him tothe veiled lady, and then at the little girl.

  The bell ceased tolling, the congregation were gathered, the hour ofservice had come, and the clergyman rose in the pulpit.

  But at that moment the lady drew aside her veil; and ere Dr. Parker hadopened his lips, a little voice rang through the still church.

  "Mamma! Oh, my own mamma!"

  How much was in those few words! What a tale they told! What a world oflonging, of love, of joy, they held!

  The stranger lady--ah! no stranger was she to our Daisy--started to herfeet, stretched out her hands, then with a little cry sank faintinginto the arms of the gentleman who had also suddenly arisen.

  She was carried out; General and Mrs. Forster following with theexcited, trembling Daisy; and so the father and mother found thelong-lost child.

  Who could describe it? Who could find words for the joy, the wonder,the gratitude of those concerned; who tell the sympathy which filledthe hearts of all in that congregation, which dimmed their eyes withtears, and filled their hearts with adoration, as, before another wordof the morning service was begun, the beloved minister called on allto render thanks for the great and signal mercy just shown to thoselong-parted parents and their little one!

  And now there is little more to tell. Only how Daisy's mamma, andthe little sister whom she remembered only as a tiny baby, had beenrescued from the sinking ship with some of the other passengers; how,having been unable to trace their lost treasure, and believing that theboat, with all whom it contained, had gone down in the deep waters,the parents had gone abroad, where they had remained till a few monthsbefore this time, and so had never seen the advertisements which mighthave told them she was still living: all this was soon explained.

  And then Daisy must tell her story, and Betty must come in to help herout where memory failed and the past was a blank, because of that long,wasting illness. And how Betty laughed and cried by turns, and wouldhear of no praise or thanks for what she had done, declaring that "MissDaisy had done her and Jack far more good nor she resaved, taching themto mind their tongues afore God Almighty."

  And though General and Mrs. Forster must now give up, to her rightfulowners, the darling of whom they had grown so fond, yet they did nothave to part with her altogether; for she was so near to them that theysaw her every day; indeed, the two families became almost as one, andDaisy felt as if she had two homes.

  The little brother, whom Daisy remembered so well, had gone to a homebeyond the sky, but a few weeks before her father and mother came toGlenwood.

  And so the Daisy blossom, which had been parted from its parent stemand cast by the wayside, where stranger hands had gathered and lovinglytended it, was planted once more in the soil where it belonged, afterit had done the Master's work, and scattered the good seed which buddedfor His glory; proving well, that those who "honor" the Lord He will"delight to honor."

  Cambridge: Press of John Wilson & Son