The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1876-11-10
MisCellan e O III 8.
THE WHITE LILY,

l am eighty-one years old tonight when
the clock strikes twelve. My name is
Ezra Steele, and l was born in the city OF
New York. 1t was different place then
from what it is now, and people walked in
the Bowery for fresh air, and thought
Pearl street pretty far up town.
Our home was almost out of town
nearly where Canal street is to-day. We
had a garden about it, and our garden
touched that of a neighbor, who was a
German by birth, and fond of his flowers
as German can be.
He had beds of great gaudy tulips and
wonderful roses and enormous double pop
les, but l used to think the sweet white
lilies the prettiest of all, and | always
thought little Gretchen just like one OF
them.
She never had much color, but her fore.
head was like snow, and her hair, long
and light, cnrled down to her waist.
She used come to her side of the fence
and look over it, and talk about such
things as We were interested in. Some
times she came in to play with me, but my
mother would never allow me to 60 into
neighbor Werner's garden for fear that l
should injure the flowers, through which l
could never learn to walk quietly and rev.
erentially as Gretchen did.
Indeed neighbor Werner was not fond
of children, and not one to tempt them in
to his garden or his home, or anywhere
where they would be apt to meet him; a
gruff, oldish man, who had lost his wife
years before, and had no one in his house
to care for his little girl, who was quite
lett to herself, and had womanly way
with her at the age of ten that some have
not at sixteen.
She knew even then how to make her
fathers soup and coffee, how to put the
buttons on his shirts. Work which was
too much for her little hands he must have
done himself; but the house was very clean
and bare and tidy, not u carpet on any
floor, and not blanket. for-as mother
said, who had seen-they slept between
feather beds, as though they wanted to
smother themselves.
But such as the house was, little Gret.
chen took more and more care of it as she
grew Older, and helped her father with his
flowers and knew each individual blossom
1t used to seem to me that they knew her
While l was very young, a mere child in
years, used to say that Gretchen should
be my little wife, my mother always an.
awering:
- couldn't wish you better, if she
grows up what she is now"
When l was older stopped saying this
out of shame, but thought SO more than
ever. knew before was old enough to
be called man that l should never love
any one but Gretchen Werner. She never
thought about until put it into her head
by making love to her.
For while she was very shy, and would
| not listen to me, but at last she told me
that she liked me better than any one else
in the world, and let me kiss her.
had not known her before since I was
ten years old. Then was one and twenty
l have seen young men kiss the girls they
love in light, careless way. / felt thai
night as though / were touching some
thing holy with my lips.
A few days after this gave her plair
gold ring with our names upon it, and the
date of the day on which she said she ikeC
me, and it seemed as though that bound
her to me.
was not as good as might have been
and did not 60 to church always when m,
mother wanted me to do so; but prayed
that night as earnestly as ever man prayed
that might he worthy of Gretchen tina
l might always know what to do to max,
her happy, and always be able to keep he
from any of the troubles and trials of pov
erty.
After this, in our American fashion
which seemed so wrong to Englishmel
and Europeans, asked her father if nigh
have Gretchen.
"She has told me that she will be hap
Ply with me-" said, and stood trenholm.
before him, hat in hand, for saw a clout
upon his forehead, and saw him take hi
pipe out of his mouth in hurried way
which always showed that he was angry
"You speak to Gretchen first :" Ii
asked in his strong German accent. "Yo
dare do that2"
ave always do it here, SIR" sale
1--WE try to find whether the young lady !
willing, we speak to her parents, and then
But neighbor Werner stamped his foe
furiously.
81 am Gearman," lie said IN
daughter obeys me. She will not marry
poor man."
Il am poor YETI said, "but I wi
make my fortune some day. will indee
II-n