 | A Wreath of Wild Flowers From New England |  |
341
THE CHILD'S GIFT.
A FACT.
A child beside a window stood,
A merry child, in smiling mood;
A little boy went slowly by,
A beggar boy, with pleading eye!
A merry child, in smiling mood;
A little boy went slowly by,
A beggar boy, with pleading eye!
Why did the sweet girl's sunny face
A sudden cloud of sorrow wear?
She marked the beggar's lingering pace,
Alas! those baby feet were bare!
A sudden cloud of sorrow wear?
She marked the beggar's lingering pace,
Alas! those baby feet were bare!
She glanced a moment at her own,—
Her pretty shoes were bright and new,—
A quick, glad thought, like sunlight, shone
The trembling tears of Pity through!
Her pretty shoes were bright and new,—
A quick, glad thought, like sunlight, shone
The trembling tears of Pity through!
'Twas done, as soon as thought,—she bent,
Her soul on her sweet task intent,
Drew off the shoes with eager joy,
And flung them to the beggar boy!
Her soul on her sweet task intent,
Drew off the shoes with eager joy,
And flung them to the beggar boy!
| A Wreath of Wild Flowers From New England | |