Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-12-02
aNisfellameous.
THE LOST DAHLIA.


succeed house on the hillside, with its
extensive gardens and grounds, overlook
ing the village. Its mistress, Mrs. Gen.
Harmon, was very angry; and the gar
dener 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 yet the cause of it all was very
slight thing in itself-merely the loss of
flower root-a dahlia But then Mrs.
Harmon would have told you what she
had already repeated hundred times that
this dahlia was very unique and conse-
quently precious species; that she had
purchased it in France at high price, one
of two plants which an old disabled SOL
der, with 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 dahlia taking the
prize offered at the approaching great
horticultural fair, Tor the finest and rarest
specimen of flowers. Several other valu-
able ones she had, but this particular dah-
ia-"rimperatrice, as the old French
man had called it in honor of "la belle
Eugene, this dahlia was to be the
ClOW AlliS SlOly Va dil ANCNCl DClClC httu
been seen a dahlia of such size, of such
perfect formation, and of hue so gor-
geously 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
lost ; and Mrs. Senator Rivers, the other
great and rich lady of the neighborhood,
Mrs. Harmon's rival in most things-Mrs.
nsx11,, 81,
prize and honor OF possessing it, of which
the mistress of Fairview was so anxiously,
and some people said foolishly, ambitious.
ut must have been Duncan's fault
said Mrs. Harmon excitedly. .'He was
careless with it. | cannot conceive how
otherwise the root could have been lost
taking it out of the jar of sand placed the
bulb in some dry moss in corner of the
greenhouse shelf, and pointed it out to
Duncan, telling him that it must be set
out to-day. And now it is not to be found !.
and no one but Duncan has entered the
greenhouse siace left it yesterday. He
has been making some arrangements
there, he says-clearing away rubbish; !;
and no doubt he misplaced and lost the
bulb. | have several times lately OBJ
StINtu Iliu 10 Dt anu L SusDttt,
lazy"
''Oh, no, mammal observed Emma, a
gentle, kindly. looking girl of iiteen-''not
lazy, only old, you know. and not so
brisk as people who are younger. He has
been complaining of rheumatism
You know nothing about it, child"
said her mother, impatiently MY
splendid dahliav' here the tears actually
came into her eyes, and she added. 81
gave the value of $50 for it, and l would
give as much again for its recovery.
Fifty dollars, mamma, for flowern
'For flower such as that. There is
but one other like it in the world
Then we will find it, mamma I" shout
ed Walter, few years younger than his
sister, me and Willie. You promise to
give S25 to any one who will find your
lost dahlia root ?n
Yes" replied his mother, "to you or
any one else who will find 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, monrned over
her loss, and partly soothed her aggrieved
feelings by dismissing the old Scotch gar
dener, Duncan, and taking in his place a
younger and more active, though by no
means as skilltul one as his predecessor.
And Duncan, smarting under a sense of in
Justice, went and offered his services to
Mrs. Rivers, who had long been desirous of
possessing them. Thus Mrs. Harmon
"spited nobody but herself" as is gener-
ally the case when people act hastily in Il
passion.
Now Duncan's successor at Fairview
was young man named William Watson.
who had long been in love with the pretty
daughter of the widow Luttrell, who oc-
cupied that poor 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 when she could find the
work to do. Watson had long been anx-
ious to supplant Duncan, and it was in fact
partly owing to his artful representations
that he had at length succeeded; and his
hope was now, that in view of the COM
Portable salary and the gardeners pretty
cottage at Fairview, Rose might be in
duced to marry him. Great, therefore.
| was his chagrin, as well as his resent
ment, when he found his offer OF marriage
a second time rejected by the daughter OF
the poor widow and his ill-feelng was
increased on learning that Rose had all
along preferred his own cousin, Robert
Ward, and that they were to be married
as soon as Ward could afford to purchase
or build small cottage. But then the
young man was, like his atfianced. very
poor, doing Il small trade in the village as
blacksmith's assistant. and it would prob
ably be long time that he and Rose
would have to wait for their cottage
Meantime, thought Watson, who was vim
dictive, something might be done to break
off the match and he never wished this SC
ardently as when he saw the young
couple, bright and happy looking despite
their poverty, saunter slowly past his own
door on Sunday evenings on their way tc
and from church, and fancied in theil
smiling looks that they were triumphins
over him.
So the spring passed and the summer
came, blossoming into the gorgeous luxu
rieusness of July and August. On the Is
of September was to be the great horticul
tural fair at Lexington, the country town