the sick girl fixed her
gaze on the lowest pane of the window. "Mother," she exclaimed, "what
can that little green thing be that peeps in at the window? It is moving
in the wind."

The mother stepped to the window and half opened it. "Oh!" she said,
"there is actually a little pea that has taken root and is putting out
its green leaves. How could it have got into this crack? Well, now, here
is a little garden for you to amuse yourself with." So the bed of the
sick girl was drawn nearer to the window, that she might see the budding
plant; and the mother went forth to her work.

"Mother, I believe I shall get well," said the sick child in the
evening. "The sun has shone in here so bright and warm to-day, and the
little pea is growing so fast, that I feel better, too, and think I
shall get up and go out into the warm sunshine again."

"God grant it!" said the mother, but she did not believe it would be so.
She took a little stick and propped up the green plant which had given
her daughter such pleasure, so that it might not be broken by the winds.
She tied the piece of string to the window-sill and to the upper part of
the frame, so that the pea tendrils might have something to twine round.
And the plant shot up so fast that one could almost see it grow from day
to day.

"A flower is really coming," said the mother one morning. At last she
was beginning to let herself hope that her little sick daughter might
indeed recover. She remembered that for some time the child had spoken
more cheerfully, and that during the last few days she had raised
herself in bed in the morning to look with sparkling eyes at her little
garden which contained but a single pea plant.

A week later the invalid sat up by the open window a whole hour, feeling
quite happy in the warm sunshine, while outside grew the little plant,
and on it a pink pea blossom in full bloom. The little maiden bent down
and gently kissed the delicate leaves. This day was like a festival to
her.

"Our heavenly Father himself has planted that pea and made it grow and
flourish, to bring joy to you and hope to me, my blessed child," said
the happy mother, and she smiled at the flower as if it had been an
angel from God.

[Illustration: On it a pink pea blossom ... in full bloom.]

But what became of the other peas? Why, the one who flew out into the
wide world and said, "Catch me if you can," fell into a gutter on the
roof of a house and ended his travels in the