The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1876-02-19
The Young Willows Story.

When we came out of the church.
Paul and 1.-The church where we had
been married SO quietly, that no obser-
yer knew that wedding was going on
there, but merely saw four young peo-
pie go in at the porch, doubtless to look
at the old place and come through it
again in an hours time, looking per-
haps little graver-though two of them
at least were very much happier, Il
know-not even little girl paused to
gaze at us, nor did any old woman
Whisper
"There goes bride"
We had put our white gloves on in
side, and taken them off then. and for
the rest, our dress was no gayer than
that of the ordinary pedestrians. Had l
not gray silk and you Il brown, Rosine?
And you had red roses in your hat
against your black hair.
How we'll they looked. And well,
there were lilies of the valley in mine,
and the hat was hlue-blue us my eyes.
Paul said.
Sixteen-year-old eyes, with child
hoods sunshine in them yet, and
woman's earliest dream behind to make
them brighter. No, no one knew that
we had been married, my Paul and /,
that we could tell.
Yet there was an old woman sitting
on the steps. Such II poor old soul, so
bent, so wrinkled, SO sad. with crushed
black bonnet, and faded black shawl
and a patched dirt color gown. and such
pair of shoes. She sat doubled up on
the steps of that old moss gown church.
with the ivy creeping over the deep
windows, and festooning the door, and
her rusty Grape veil made her face look
so white and old. and l said to myself
''She is Il widow"
And 1 thought, yes, even then, l
thought, Rosine, what if were ever to
be widow; and in my happiness, 1
pitied her sorrow so much, and |
Slipped my hand through Paul's arm,
and went up to her and bent over her,
and slipped into her hand more than
most people give in charity to Il stranger
Indeed, never told any one how
much. 1t was my own to give, and you
know how rich that tiny legacy of my
grandmother's had made Inc feel. She
looked at it with strange, scared look,
thought, and caught at my fingers.
II was not begging she said; "but
I'll take it, I'll take it. You gave it to
me because you felt sorry for me,
know. You said Poor soul. she so poor
and sad, l so rich and happy Eli! You
need not answer. l saw it in your face
God bless you. l was married there,
myself. Twenty-Five nearly thirty years
ago"
So she knew. | gave her smile and
returned to Paul. We went back to our
little inn-the quaint place we thought
so pretty. When the landlady served
our supper, she said
"a poor old woman has been here,
asking about madam. She said madam
had been kind, and she desired to pray
for her, the English lady with the little
lilies in her hat, and the gold brown
hair, who was but just married"
That night remembered her also in
my happy prayers, though l did not
know her name. Rosine, we parted very
soon. You never saw Paul again, and |
wonder that you knew me-but | am so
glad And you are just the same, only
older-a rose and not bud. Your hus-
7 band and your children are about you;
|you have had no sorrow. Why should
years change you out of knowledge
But for me, ali! the gray is in my hair
Aefore it's time; not only in my hair, but
my heart. You returned to England
nd we remained in the little town in
Germany. We lived in that little town,