ad hardly got over my coming to her when Maizie came along.'

"And the rose said, 'Maizie? Is that the little girl that is going to
ask tomorrow whether Jesus ever smiled?' And I said, 'Yes, Maizie will
be peeling a big potato, and I'll be polishing the stove, and mother
will be kneading bread when Maizie will ask that question.'

"'Well,' said the rose, 'you must tell her that once upon a time Jesus
_did_ smile, but they didn't put it in the Bible because it didn't seem
'portant to grown folks, and they didn't think that all the little
children in the world would sometimes wish He had smiled.' And then the
rose went on to tell me the story of the dear smile."

Maizie gazed wide-eyed at her sister. "Did you really see the rose with
your eyes, Suzanna?"

"Yes," Suzanna answered; "truly with my eyes." She suddenly sat up very
straight and pointed a small finger, "and there it's coming again. It's
nodding its head at me. Look, Maizie!"

Maizie jumped.

"There, see, Maizie, it's walking right through Mrs. Reynolds' gate.
Isn't it graceful?"

"How can it walk on one stem?" asked Maizie, the literalist.

"Well, it does, doesn't it? You can see it. Now, it's coming into our
yard." Suzanna waited, then: "Good morning, Lady Rose," she greeted in a
high treble voice. "Come and stand near Maizie." Maizie moved quickly to
make room. "You see it now, don't you, Maizie?" Maizie hesitated. She
stared hard at the spot near her, then up with wistful eyes into
Suzanna's face.

"I can't see it, Suzanna," she said at length. "Do you think mother'd
better take me to the doctor and have my eyes examined like Mrs.
Reynolds had hers?"

Suzanna felt flowing over her a sudden wave of pity. "No, Maizie, dear,"
she said, putting her arms about Maizie and drawing her close. "Maybe I
see the rose with something inside of me. But never mind, lamb
girl--isn't that pretty, Mrs. Reynolds calls me that--the rose has gone
home again. Listen close and I'll tell you the story that was left out
of the Bible, just as the rose told it to me."

Maizie settled herself again, expectantly.

"This will be told, Maizie, in the way the Bible is written. Funny words
that we don't know the meaning of, but can guess; terrible threats."

"Oh, don't," cried Maizie, "don't, I don't want 'terrible threats.' It
sounds awful."

"Well, then," conceded Suzanna, "I'll leave out the terrible threats,
Maizie. Now I'm beginning:

"There came to the city of Jerusa