The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1876-02-03
iris stood among them when they

I girls stood among them Whea tDey
! parted.
'rYou know Jessie said, "you are
to come here and gather them, just as
IL they were your own--iHdeed, they
are your own Tor give them to you,
and want you, and no one else, To
have them and every time you gath
er a rose you must think of me-"
81 could not help it, for they are
your sisters"
81 used to think they were, really"
said Jessie, smiling land all my
life papa has called me his Rose in
June.'"
Life was changed for Jessie's neigh
Dor when the Rose in June was gone /;
and the sister roses that filled her
room with bloom and fragrance went
but a little way, after all, toward
making up for the one she missed.
One day q thought came 10 Jennie
that went further toward cOnsoling
her than anything else had done. She
would plan something on which she
could work little every day-scme-
| thing for Jessie, and that would seem
to make the days of absence less
empty. She bent her brown head in
a brown study and at last, her plan
came to her. She would EN- broider
Jessie handkerchief, such as no one
else could have. The design for it
should be her own. II should be
wrought with a wreath of roses, fit for
the bOnny Rose in June, mingled with
| lilies-of-the-vailey, such as were the
occasion OF their first meeting. She
| went down town, and purchased linen
cambria, fine as gOssamer, and began
her task on her return.
All summer long she worked on it,
a little every day; and the wreath
grew, beneath her deft fingers, thing
of beauty.
1t was late In October before the
Orkneys retured. Jennie had one nod
from over the way, and then Jessie's
bright face appeared no more at the
window. After a day or two came a
message from Mrs. Orkney, Jessie
wss very ill-the doctor called it ty-
phoid-and therefore she could not
ask Jennie to come and see her.
Five minutes afterwards Jennie
Stone walked with a white, resolute
face into the kitchen, where her aunt
was waging war against some imper,
ceptible spcts of dirt upon the painted
walls.
"Aunt Martha,n she said, very
quietly, "Jessie Orkney is sick OF
typhoid fever, and am going to see
if Mrs. Orkney will let me help take
care-of her.
Mrs. Jones laid down her scrubbing-
brush, and looked at her niece.
81 s'pOse you know its dreadful
ketchin'-don't you ?" she asked,
slowly.
ayes, 1 know and I know some
thing else, too; and that is, that
love Jessie Orkney so well that IL she
should die without my having tried
to do anything for her, Ishould never
be happy another moment myself"
'Never's a long word" said Aunt
Martha, dryly; "not that 1 mean to
deny that the Orkney girl has been
kind to you, aud L do s'pose 1 should
want to show my feelin' for her my
self, if was in your place"
"I suppose you would, too" said
Jennie, heartily and then, in mo-
ment, she was out of the door, and
across to the other house,
Mrs. Orkney listened in surprise to
her eager prayer that she might be al
lowed to take care of Jessie.
"But my DEAR" she said gently, 81
have nurse hired to help me, and 1
don't like to have you exposed to the
infection"
sit might happen," Jennie urged,
diffidently, yet earnestly, "that she
would like me about her, sometimes,
better than the nurse. / am not
strange to her, you know. l am quite
used to nursing. My mother was sick
a long time and took all the care of
her. If only might just see Miss
Jessie pp
That you shsll, certainly :" and
Mrs. Orkney led the way to the pret-
ty room where Jessie lay, with all
her girlhood's accumulation of treas.
ures around her. She turned her
head wearily, as her mother entered,
but when she caught sight of Jennie
her face frightened
"Oh, thought you would come to |
see me-" she cried, "and you'll stay
now, won't you, till get we'll enough |
to go down in the garden ?"
Jennie fixed her great gray eyes on
Mrs. Orkney's face. There were tears
in those eyes, and their dumb plead
ing went further, perhaps, than even |
the girls words =
81 may stay, mayn't 1? You see
she wants me-"
And so it was settled.
Day after day, week after week, |
JeSsie's neighbor took her full share |
OF the nursing. The poor June Rose |
grew very i'll, indeed most OF the |
time she was what the nurse called |
tout of her head" and then no one |
oofrll rIoaon hor an xuafl Tannfa
Sometimes she would say
"Gray-eyes, 1 used to know q girl |
who looked like you. Her name was
Jennie Stone. She died last year
but think you must be her cousin"
Sometimes Jennie used to take out
the pretty handkerchief she was
working, and which was almost done
now, and try to set a few stitches.
But always the tears would come, and
make her eyes so blind that she had
to put it away. l cannot tell you
what anxious weeks those were, nor
can you guess, out of the careless
gladness OF your young lives.
1t was the 10th Of December before
the turning point came, at which
they shook hands with hope, and
parted company with despair. The
fever had all left the poor little girl
and she looked round, with clear eyes,
on the watchers about her bed. Now,
at last, she knew Jennie, and realized
with what zeal of self-sacrificing love
her neighbor had come to pass her
days and nights beside her. Not yet
could Jennie go home; Jessie wanted
her more than ever now. A hundred
times a day she would say to her
mother, 80, mamma, il 1 could but
keep Jennie always"
And, after while, q plan grew in
Mrs. Orkney's mind.
From time to time Jennie put her
last touches to the delicate handker-
chief. She could work on it joyfullv
now, for she knew whose eyes would
brighten over it.
Christmas morning came at last.
Jessie poor, pale, white rose, in
stead of the bright Rose of June, who
had gone away so gayly in the sum-
mer-was prOpped up in bed. She
wore the softest wrapper of light-blue
cashmere, with swan's.down for ruch-
ing round her neck and wrists, and
her lovely pale face like sunshine.
Gifts upon gifts had been heaped up
oAOAhA hNA a. A1oS SChhlC hohNCN
her hers.
sit is not much" she said, "but l
designed it for you myself, and used
to work on it little every day while
you were gone. See, here are the lii
ies-of-tbe-valley that you gave me
first, and the June roses which were
your sisters"
"And it is the very prettiest thing I
ever had in my life," Jessie cried, her
eyes Frightening; something no one
could have given me but you."
"After all, can give you some-
thing better yet" Mrs. Orkney said,
smiling, ''if only Jennie will let me.
want to give you Jennie herself, for
your constant companion. / want
she should live here with you always,
and share all your advantages and,
besides, she shall have special ones of
her own, to cultivate this great talent
for drawing which she has. Tell me,
Jennie, will you let me have the pleas
ure OF giving Jessie the gift she will
like best of all ?n
Jennie stood still q deep flush
! glowing on her cheeks, her eyes bright
as stars, yet full of tears, just ready to
fall. She looked from Mrs. Orkney to
Jessie, and saw the fair, eager face,
and heard the earnest cry