Page:The leopard's spots - a romance of the white man's burden-1865-1900 (IA leopardsspotsrom00dixo).pdf/76

 going to live in it with me, and I am to take care of you as long as you live."

"I expect you will marry some pretty girl, and almost forget your old Mama who will be getting grey."

"But I'll never love anybody like I love you, Mama dear!"

His little arms slipped around her neck, held her close for a moment, and then he tenderly kissed her.

After supper he sought Nelse.

"Nelse, we must work out the flowers in the lawn. Mama wants to see them. It was all I could do to keep her from going out there to-day."

"Lawd chile, hit'll take two niggers er week ter clean out dat lawn. Hits gone fur dis year. Yer Ma'll know dat, honey."

The next morning after breakfast the boy found a hoe, and in the piercing sun began manfully to work at those flowers. He had worked perhaps, a half hour. His face was red with heat and wet with sweat. He was tired already and seemed to make no impression on the wilderness of weeds and grass.

Suddenly he looked up and saw his mother smiling at him.

"Come here, Charlie!" she called.

He dropped his hoe and hurried to her side. She caught him in her arms and kissed the sweat drops from his eyes and mouth.

"You are the sweetest boy in the world!"

What music to his soul these words to the last day of his life!

"I was afraid when you saw all these weeds you would cry about your flowers, Mama."

"It does hurt me, dear, to see them, but it's worth all their loss to see you out there in the broiling sun working so hard to please me. I've seen the most beautiful flower