The Central Presbyterian

Snow-Drops and Crocuses.
BY MRS. J. P. BALLARD.

Gracie Marling stood by her mother,
watching her delight over a vase of fresh
flowers just brought her by a friend. They
were a perfect wealth of crocuses, white and
salmon colored, and white dashed with pur-
ple arrows, and every variety of shading
and blending. There was but one other
kind of flower, which Mrs. Marling had
taken from the vase and was looking at with
peculiar interest. It was a single white
snow drop. Its three perfectly pure petals
closed over an exquisite vase of white within.
bordered with an edge of scalloped pea-
green.
Mrs. Marling turned back the outer three
petals and let Gracie look "within the
court." Then she turned back the inner
three and showed Gracie their delicately
striped green and white lining. "The hand
of the Master painted it," she said. "God
shows us in the little flower, so perfect in
color, so exquisitely modeled, glimpses of
what he is able to prepare hereafter, for
those who love him,"
"That's just a perfect little heart-the
green edging to the vase," said Gracie. "A
heart every time."
"Isn't it wonderful," said Mrs. Marling
"how the snow-drop always comes, year af-
ter year, with its beautiful white robe out
side, and its shaded green within?"
"You seem to think more of the one
snow-drop than all the crocuses," said Grace.
"No; but when I saw this, a vision of a
whole garden of flowers where I used, when
a little girl, to gather hands full at my own
sweet will, rose before me. There were no
crocuses in that garden. But among the
tea-roses, and Burgundy, and moss, and
bridal roses, passion flower, myrtle, crimson
cypress, Ambrosia, hibiscus and star of
Bethlehem, there was one dear little spot
where blossomed, every spring, among its
narrow taper leaves, green and orange-tipped,
these nodding white snow-drops. And the
one dear form and sweet face who bent often
over the pure flowers comes before me as
plainly as this little blossom."
"It is grand-mother," said Grace. "Did
she love snow-drops?"
"She loved them and everything that was
pure. I shall see her again among those
who are forever free from earth-stains and
who walk in white by the pure river of the
water of life; for you know 'the pure in
heart shall see God.'"
"I should like to live," said Grace, "so
that whoever looked at a snow-drop would
think of me."
"All who wish that can have their wish,
for the promise is that 'though your sins be
as scarlet,' if you seek forgiveness through
Christ, 'they shall be made white as snow.'
"Another thing makes these flowers very
precious to me to-day," said Mrs. Marling.
putting the snow-drop gently into the center
of the vase. "Did you know that only a
very few days ago, the dear friend who just
brought them to me in the carriage, was
herself on the very borders of the Unseen
Land? She did not expect to see the cro-
cuses and snow-drops open again beneath
her windows, though their buds were swell-
ing almost ready to bloom. And as I saw
her this morning, the flush of health just
coming back to her eye and cheek, I thought
of the goodness of our Heavenly Father.
and realized how wholly we are in his hands;
and I accepted the beautiful blossoms from
the hand of the restored giver with double
gratitude and two-fold thanks."
-Christian Union.