HIGH up in the clear, pure air flew an angel, with aflower plucked from the garden of heaven. As he waskissing the flower a very little leaf fell from it andsunk down into the soft earth in the middle of awood. It immediately took root, sprouted, and sentout shoots among the other plants.
"What a ridiculous little shoot!" said one. "No onewill recognize it; not even the thistle nor thestinging-nettle."
"It must be a kind of garden plant," said another; and so they sneered and despised the plantas a thing from a garden.
"Where are you coming?" said the tall thistles whose leaves were all armed with thorns. "It isstupid nonsense to allow yourself to shoot out in this way; we are not here to support you."
Winter came, and the plant was covered with snow, but the snow glittered over it as if it hadsunshine beneath as well as above.
When spring came, the plant appeared in full bloom: a more beautiful object than any otherplant in the forest. And now the professor of botany presented himself, one who could explainhis knowledge in black and white. He examined and tested the plant, but it did not belong to hissystem of botany, nor could he possibly find out to what class it did belong. "It must be somedegenerate species," said he; "I do not know it, and it is not mentioned in any system."
"Not known in any system!" repeated the thistles and the nettles.
The large trees which GREw round it saw the plant and heard the remarks, but they said not aword either good or bad, which is the wisest plan for those who are ignorant.
There passed through the forest a poor innocent girl; her heart was pure, and herunderstanding increased by her faith. Her chief inheritance had been an old Bible, which sheread and valued. From its pages she heard the voice of God speaking to her, and telling her toremember what was said of Joseph's brethren when persons wished to injure her. "Theyimagined evil in their hearts, but God turned it to good." If we suffer wrongfully, if we aremisunderstood or despised, we must think of Him who was pure and holy, and who prayed forthose who nailed Him to the cross, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."
The girl stood still before the wonderful plant, for the green leaves exhaled a sweet andrefreshing fragrance, and the flowers glittered and sparkled in the sunshine like colored flames,and the harmony of sweet sounds lingered round them as if each concealed within itself adeep fount of melody, which thousands of years could not exhaust. With pious gratitude thegirl looked upon this glorious work of God, and bent down over one of the branches, that shemight examine the flower and inhale the sweet perfume. Then a light broke in on her mind,and her heart expanded. Gladly would she have plucked a flower, but she could not overcomeher reluctance to break one off. She knew it would so soon fade; so she took only a singlegreen leaf, carried it home, and laid it in her Bible, where it remained ever green, fresh, andunfading. Between the pages of the Bible it still lay when, a few weeks afterwards, that Biblewas laid under the young girl's head in her coffin. A holy calm rested on her face, as if theearthly remains bore the impress of the truth that she now stood in the presence of God.
In the forest the wonderful plant still continued to bloom till it grew and became almost a tree,and all the birds of passage bowed themselves before it.
"That plant is a foreigner, no doubt," said the thistles and the burdocks. "We can neverconduct ourselves like that in this country." And the black forest snails actually spat at theflower.