Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1879-11-27
"A WINTER LILY
A Thanksgiving Story.

"a WINTER LILY i
T. ia A Thanksgiving Story.
Thanksgiving eve! s @. -.
\ A clear, beautiful night, with the least
touch OF frost IN the delicious air, and
brilliant indigo sky, .h1ckly studded With
stars, like sparks of fame.
| Ina small, neat room on the rppermost
floor of six-story tenement, pale. pc
ttte, young lady stood at the one window
thoughtfully watching the motion and
glitter in the street below.
On couch on the othor side of the
apartment lay weak-iaced woman evil
IDENTIFY ill, Or. what is worse, thought her
self SO. And, in truth, Mrs. Maria CARL
was one Of those dependent, cinging,
unambitious creatures, whom the world
pitles sometimes, and dcspises always.
She had been reared in the unenvlable
grade of society known as "gentcel pov-
erty''-that peculiar, superficial class
whose heads aud hearts are as empty as
their stomachs, and whose gildcd idleness
is poorly suggestive Of "Solomon's lilies"
inasmuch rs neither one nor the other
tolls nor SPINS. At twenty she had sold
herself to q rich old husband, whose
chi.dless widow she had been for years.
Mrs. CARL, who could not make her own
caps no more than she could earn them,
and who could not,tell a mortgage from
love letter, woke up one fatal morning
and found herself as poor as she had been
IN the days of her girlhood. She felt
that the only role of life left her was that
OF Undressing invalid in reduced cir
umstances," and she assumed it accor-
dinghy.
ut was crushing blow, my dear Mrs.
Grundy, assure you, and l shall never
recover from it-never," she was wont to
say, pathetically, behind her handker-
chief of worn and ancient lace.
On this Thanksgiving eve she awokc
from a prolonged slumber, and saw her
niece, Llnnie, standing, pale and pcnsive,
',eside the window, blurred by the deli
cate frost tracery of the early night.
"Havc you made up your mind yet,
Llnnic?" she inquired. fretfully.
"1-I have not, aunty." faltered the
young GIRL. signing as she turned from
the window and paused before a large,
glass vase. in which magnificent Span
ish lily had just burst into bloom. For
Linnie, those green rich leaves, and the
oder of the creamy flower aroused the
memory of love swceter than lite and
enduring as mortality itself.
It was on one delicious April morning
that Erie Warford brought her the young
bulb with its green leaf plants just break
ing Though the sand and water OF the
crystal Jar, and babe her tend it carefully
in memory Of him. They were not quite
50 poor as they were now. They had
pretty rooms, and she had plenty work
coloring photographs in dingy prcten-
sion of a studio, where she sang all day
long, and dreamed happy dreams Of her
lover and her future when she should be
his wife.
1t was spring then, and the days were
long and warn, and she was satisfied
with life and all it might bring, despite
the peevish and eternal repinings Of her
burdensome relative.
It was winter now, and the days were
brief and dark, with storm and trouble.
She had no work, and the last penny of
her earnings were gone. All her hand
]
in the pawn-shop. The last coal was dy-
ing out in the CRATE, and the last crumbs
in the cupboard would not have fed "the
one sparrow for " HON God careth'
OF Erie Warford she had not heard
since the day on which he had brought
her the souvenir flower He might be
untrue or he might lie dead, or the
naughty eccentric old grandfather might
have ca;oled him into some lovcless, sell
fish marriage.
"Don't be uneasy about the future, lit
tie one," Erie had said at parting. "The
old gentleman has never refused me any
thing, and he will not Oppose me serious
ly in such a momentous matter as mar
riage. Before! this lily flowers you shall
be my wife, and he will be quite as proud
and fond of you as he is indulgent to me. ~
But that was very long ago; and as she
thought OF the inexpiicable absence and
silence of months, a big tear like Ola.
nlond tewdrop tell and flashed into the
! heart of the blossom.
She had another sutton nova wooel
old and odd and rich and persistent.
You are sensible young woman, Miss
Linnle," he said one day, land therefore,
think, not pleased with pretty speeches.
On w1thered lips ardent love is a bur-
lesque; besides, our ar1stocracy does not
believe in any emotion whatever. Pas
sion is ignored by the ton--a marriage of
affec+io is ridiculous
Linnle looked at him curiously Was
he satirical, diplomatic, or simply yer
bose9 What did the queer twinkle mean
in his jolly blue eyes2 He went on
81 need a wife. 1havc chosen u lady
who IS young, good looking, dutiful, and
would make my home pleasant. The day
she becomes my wife shall settle up
on her un ,onditionally, one half my for
tune. What do you say, Linnie2
! "Is' ialtered the girl, pink from the
bands of her dark hair to the rut1e of
simple tulle that circled her pretty
throat.
the business-like rejoinder.
lyon wish to buy me?" she inquired,
pallng with sudden anger.
Mr.. Gilmour laughed in his jolly fash
on, being neither hurt nor offended.
at is the mode nowadays for hearts to
be bought and Sold. Is there one pure
and petfect love. marriage in a century, my
girl9 should BE- kind to you always,
Linnle. In our case there should be no
pretty pathetic romance of the icicic
freezing the rose and all that sort of non
sense. Think it over-think', it over, child.
I will speak to your aunt, and you can de-
cide-to-morTow evening, if not too soon"
| And the hour had come and her de-
cision was not made, and her aunt was
furious.
! "You have not made up your mind
yet, you say2--and Mr.. Gilmour expect
ed an answer Immediately, I suppose
you mean to refuse him." guavered Mrs.
CARL, "and ! must 60 on living this sort
of life, starving and freezing, as long
as I stay in this cold, ungrateful world,
which won't be long. After all I've
done for you, Linnle, how can you be so
cruel-so positively wicked"