Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-06-06
Apple Blossoms.

Strange that | never came up TO Wood
wild Hall when the orchard was in bloom
Always before in the summer heats or il
the Christmas holidays never in Tndial
summer or in spring, until the delicou
May. And here | am now for all the year
till the orchard blooms again.
! am not too young nor too old to enjoy
tour through the Holy Land with the dea
parents, could ] have gone thither cover
land;" but that terrible, yawning Atlantic
who could brave it Not /.
Then, may as well own it, unlovely an,
unwomanly as it sounds | am not fond o
children; and the girls, my sisters, are hap
PLY married and surrounded by unlimited
children. So, though they invited me t.
make their homes mine, could not pretend
for whole year. and frankly told them so
and came up here to Woodwild Hall, wher,
| live the dearest and sweetest old couple that
since the davs of Baucs and Philemon, evel
grew old together.
They are old, but they do not seem old
Grandma herself says that she felt older and
wearler thirty years ago when | was year
ling baby, than she does to-day She was
bearing such burdens then.
They are rich. They once were Door
though they seem to me to have been alway,
rich. The wealth was within themselves
The world could not give nor take it away
Were not Baucis and Philemon as rich be.
fore Jupiter and Mercury came TO them as
after? For they could ask, even of the
gods, no greater gift than the continuance OF
chat which they already possessed-immor-
tai and unchanging love.
Dear grandparents your simple virtues,
your constant loves, are worthy of earth in
its golden age
have let fall that am thirty years old
| am not married; and that is not all.
'uppose | never shall be married-for vari.
1us reasons, any one of which is sufficient.
he best of which being found in the fact
hat
90 care for nobody, no, not l.
And nobody cares for me
In plain prose, had never lover, aud was
never in love. Not that have not been
fery near in love several times. | admit
hat | have but ! have always felt my
hrart rebound upon finding out that the ob
lect of my dangerous admiration could by
10 means consistent with higher morality
md the proprieties reciprocate he invari
tbly being like the model bishop of Scrip
lure, " the husband of one wife"
Did 1t ever occur to you that all the men
sensible woman of thirty would naturally
admire, appreciate approve, and in due pro-
cess OF time with sufficient encouragement
marry, are already married 1t is so, my
word for it. I've proved it time and again.
am fortified now. When am introduced
10 an eloquent divine, learned professor,
1 fascinating orator, plunge at once into
he hottest fire. that therein the silly wings
of Imagination may be scorched, by asking,
" Is madame well ? and the children z"
They always are, and it saves me great
leal to know it. As have said, am an
old maid, so-called, spending the year at
Woodwild Hall with the dear grandparents.
And, though have never been
"Wooed and married and a.
neither
"Courted and Tilted and a.,
| yet have a lively interest in the loves and
wooings and marryings of others and am
free to own that, of all sweet and pleasant
things, there are none sweeter and pleasanter
in this whole mortal life than weddings and
homes and husbands and wives. OF all
stories, give me genuine love story.
Following, then, the golden rule, |, Gerty
Rudolf, spinster, give to my readers, as
twas given to me, the short and simple
! had been busy since five o'clock in the
morning. The birds had awakened me, the
rosy eastern sky, and the emerald green of
the fields and hills of Woodwild, and the
orchard bloom of the valley had so enchanted
my hungering and thirsting spirit that | sat
there in the open window, my hair all down,
and my two hands, that should have been
busily brushing and combing, hanging over
The window-sill in blissful oblivion of all
manual duty, until the bell rang for prayers.
Dear what long breath drew. Green
nils, roseate sky, delicious orchard breath,
sweet sights and sounds and smells of morn
ing, if never enjoy your loveliness again,
blessings on you for this one hour of ecstasy.
can hardly realize that am to have all
these delights day after day through all the
5adsome spring.
have such lovely room here at Wood
Wild, and have such lovely times in it,
tidying it. Upon this particular morning,
of which, in my rambling way am trying
to tell, | really worked hard. | had been
blessed with fresh idea of floral decoration,
| think it was the smell of the orchard
blooms. At any rate, | meant to have
nothing but apple blossoms in my room that
day. Pictures were decked and vases filled
with the crimson and pink buds, the paler
blooms and delicate aud varied foliage OF
the orchard. The lace curtains were looped
back with apple blossoms, the chandelier
wreathed with them, aud the mirror seemed
to spring out of bank of the lovely clusters.
Even the four corners of each lace-edged
Fellowship had their sweet May favor
After gathering up my floral fragments and
adding the finishing touch to my own toilette
by placing a cluster of buds at my throat,
ran down the broad stairway TO the east
parlor, in which grandma always sat oi
mornings. There, in the bay window, in
her goodly armchair, surrounded 10y her
house plants, where the gentle breath of
morning, floating in through the open win
dow and swaying the climbing vines and
dropping tendrils of the hanging baskets,
waited in the wild, fresh fragrance of haw-
thorne and lilac, TO blend with the denser
perfume of jasmine, aud heliotrope, aud mar
1issus, in the ripe autumn of her matronly
beauty sat the dear old lady. Her hands
were folded over some knittingwork OF
heecy softness, that lay white and cloud-like
against the black folds OF her satin gown,
,nd her eyes We're looking away off into
dreamland-or youth. And, as live, nest
ling in the soft folds of her lace neckerchief,
aud entwined in the meshes OF the Mechlin
cap that covered her yet abundant hair, were
apple blossoms.
"Grandma Rudolf"
"Well, dear looking up in answer to
my abrupt exclamation of surprise, inquiry,
and bewildeiment.
"And you actually heave sigh of salts,
faction. Have then awakened you from a
blissful retrospect of loves young dream
You look for all the world like-Halcyone
IN her veriest halcyon days aud upon my
word there is King Ceyx himself, walking
up the garden path-and- mysteries and
loves of the flowers with apple blossoms in
his hutton-hole."
Then the merry laugh came back to
grandmas hazel eyes and she lifted the soft
gray ringlets from her temples with some
little ostentation of palmistry, and there
upon the forefinger of her left hand cleaned
the most superb jewel-a magnificent opal,
crcled with diamonds aud emerads. | had
seen it once or twice only in my lifetime, in
the purple depths of grandmas jewel casket,
and ! knew it for her engagement ring.
f" 1t isis it your wedding day ? And is
that the reason why you and King Ceyx
wear nosegays2 But why not whae poses
orange flowers, camelias Z"
"Not our wedding day, dear but the
iiftieth anniversary OF our plighted troth.
The wedding ring is worn quite thin, you
see-oniy a wire. II has never left my
finger. This my troth-plight seal | have
not worn for years, except upon this day S
return. put it by in those dark day Is