Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-11-18
THE LOST DAHLIA.


mistress, Mrs. Gen. Harmon, was yeIy angry;
and the gardener was in disgrace, threatened
with dismissal; and all the servants and all the
family were more or less uncomfortable through
the veXed temper Of Madame. And vet the
cause OF it all was very slight thing in ITSELF
merely the loss of fower-root-a dahlia-
But then Mrs. Harmon would have told you
what she had already repeated hundred times
that this dahlia was a very unique and conse-
quently precious species; that she had purchased
IL IN France, at a high price, one OF two plants
which an old disabled soldier. with a taste for
flowers, had, he said, succeeded in producing
by means OF several successive years of careful
culture and experiment. and, above all she had
been certain of this dahiia taking the prize
offered at the approaching great horticultural
fair for the finest and rarest specimen OF flowers.
Several other valuable ones she had but this
particular dahlia-" limperatrice," as the old
Frenehman had called it, in honor of ia belle
EUgenie, this dahlia was TO be the crOwninE
glory of all. Never before had been seen
dahlia Of such size, Of such perfect formation,
and OF hue so gOrgeoHsly unique-a vivid tinge
between richest carmine and most glowing GRIM
son, tipped at the edges with imperial purple.
And now the precious root was lOss; and Mrs
Senator Rivers, the other great and rich lady of
the neighborhoOd, and Mrs. HarmOns rival in
most things-Mrs. Senator Rivers would GER
tainly obtain the prize and honor of possessing
1T, of which the mistress of Fairview was so
anXiOusly, and some people said 50 foOlishly,
ambitious.
at must have been Duncan's fault said
Mrs Harmon, eXcitedy. "He was careless
with it, 1 cannot conceive how otherwise
the root could have been lost. 1 remember
perfectly that after myself taking it out
of the jar of sand i placed the bulb in
some dry moss in a corner OF the green house
shelf, ana pointed it out TO Duncan, telling
him that it must be set out to-day. And
now II is not to be found! and no one but Dun
can has entered the greenhouse since left #
yesterday. He has been making some arrange
ments there, he says-clearing away rubbish
and no doubt he misplaced and lost the bulb. /
have several times lately observed him to be
careless, and suspect, lazy"
oh no. mammal" observed Emma gentle
L1Wrag of
Old, you know, and not 80 brisk as people who
are Younger He has been complaining of
''You know nothing about it, child" said her
mother. mpatiently. "My splendid dahlia."
Here the tears actually came into her eyes; AMI
she added, % gave the value OF s25 for it, and
would give a much again for its recovery
FIFTY dollars, mamma for a fiOwer?'
I" For a flower such as that There is bat one
other like il in the world"
Then we will find II, mamma! shouted Wal
Ter, Anew years younger than his sister; "me
and Willie. fou promise TO give S25 TO any one
who will find your lost dahia rOOt?''
Eyes" replied his mother; Ito you or any one
else who will lind and bring it to me unhurt."
But though the boys, As well as Emma and the
gardener, and some of the servants, searched
all the afternoon, the missing root was not to be
discovered. So Mrs. Gen. Harmon, never at
any time a very reasonable woman, mourned
over her loss, and partly soothed her aggrieved
feelings by dismissing the old Scotch gardener,
Duncan, and taking in his place one younger
and more active, though by no means as skilful
der a sense of injustice, went forward and Of
fered his services to Mrs. Rivers, who had long
been DESTROYS of possessing them. Thus Mrs.
Harmon "spited nobody but herself" as is gen.
orally the case when people act hastily In pas
sion.
Now Duncan's successor at Fairyiew was a
young man named William Watson, who had
long been in love with the pretty daughter of the
widow Luttrell, who occupied that Door little
cottage at the far end of the village street,
and eked out a scanty pittance by taking in
washing, OF any such job that offered, while
Rose went out sewing where she could find the
work to do. Watson had long been anxious
10 supplant Duncan, and it was, in fact, partly
owing to his artful representations that he
had at length succeeded; and his hope was
DOW, that in view of the comfortable salary,
and the pretty gardeners cottage at Fairyiew
Rose might be induced TO marry him. Great
therefore, was his chagrin, as well resent
for a second time rejected by the daughter of
the poor widow; and his ill-feeling was in
creased on learning that Rose had all along pre-
ferred his own cousin, Robert Ward, and that
the two were to be married soon as Ward
could afford TO purchase or build small cot
ssss But then the ySuas man was like his
village as blacksmith's assistant, and it would
probably be a long time that he and Rose would
have to wait for their cottage Meantime,
might be done TO break OF the m atch; and he
never wished this 50 ardently as when he saw
the young couple, bright and happy-lookng,
despite their poverty, saunter slowly past his
own door on Sunday evenings on their way to
and from church, and fancied in their smiling
looks that they were triumphing over him
So the spring passed and the summer came
blossominS into the gorgeous luxuriousness of
July and August. On the LIST of September was
30 be the great horticultural fair at Lexington,
the county town about twelve miles distant from
our little village. Mrs. Senator Rivers wanted
come dresses made for the little girls for this par
dcular occasion, and, as was frequently the case,
applied for Rose Luttrell's services. So one
morning about q week before the LIST of Septem-
Der. the young girls set out for three mile walk
A.
ehimneys, rising above a magnificent grove of
old trees, she could see quite plainly from her
own little cottage. She was 10 pass the day at
Mount joy, and in the evening return, bringing
the work with her for completion at home.
Rose was used TO walking, and two three
miles along the pretty, Pictures9ue valley road
from farmer Brown, by whom she was presently
OyeTtaken, the offer of ride in his wagon.
Little less than two miles from the village they
came to what was called the Five Corners, a point
where nO less than that number of roads met.
There was a nice country tavern here, together
with a store and a smithy. As they passed the
latter they saw the smith come out, and with
black add bravHy hands nail up bOardi frOat
of his door, on which was written, This prop
erty Tor sale, cheap
- Hello" said farmer Brown, drawing up
Seliin out. hey"
Wouldn't put up this 'ere if wasn't"
answered the smith. who vas a gTufi fellow.
''Wai, now, and you're doin' the best black
smith business in the hull country said the Old
man in 4 tone OF Disappointment
-Ntubt Il Nst4l No a DCltcE sui, answered lie
coolly.
''Iou don't say? Whereabouts now?''
-'In California Dicks maxim lots o. money
over thar, ami he's writ To me To come cut the
first minute i can, and jine him in a business
he's about to undertake"
"Nes; the lot. and the smithy, and the house
over thar nodding toward nice little white
cottage with its pOrticO EMPOWERED in multifiora
roses, which stood little apart from the shop.
'.Going TO let il OF cheap, as in this times
o more valley 10 mt than money. Five hun
dred FUR the whole lOt,'
oval, now, that Is a low fgure!'
a. Must be paid, though, before the first of Sep
TENDER, as I'm bound TO be of by that time.
Wouldn't let il go of 80 easy if i warn't pressed
for time, and obleeged 20 give such short
notice.
TIE smith finished mailing on the board as he
spoke, and returned To his shop, whilst farmer
Brown drove on.
al say, Rosey, that'd be a frs,-rate chancs
for Bob Ward, said the old man, turning 10 her
with q look Of interest /" Better speak to him
about Il, my girl. He's q fine, steady fellow,
and You both deserve to do we'll"
al don't think he has the money" said the
girl, blushing, but Win q wistfal look back at
the smithy and the cottage, with its garden, its
AL md lof .,