Fanny’s Garden
"I LOVE the roses fragrant;
For they are fair and sweet;
I love the modest daisy
That blossoms at my feet;
I love the stately lily,
It is so pure and white;
I love the purple pansy,
So innocent and bright."
Thus Fanny said, and planted
These flowers in the spring;
It was the time for gardens
When birds were on the wing.
But, ah! How long she waited
Before the blossoms grew,
They needed so much sunshine,
And rain, and air, and dew!
Her mother saw her watching,
And said to her one day:
"No wonder you are weary
With such a long delay.
I, too, have a fair garden
Where I must work and wait;
I sometimes fear the blossoms
Will come for you too late.
"I planted truth and virtue,
And faith, and hope, and love;
I taught the little tendrils
The way to climb above.
They are so slow in growing,
It makes the tear-drops start;
That garden fair, my darling,
“Is little Fanny's heart!"
—The Bright Side.