Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1879-09-25


mammals pot-poarrS together. But had gath
cred them with my hack turned TO that garden
across the kigh box hedge, and the dew on those
roses was salt. John, the old house-servant The
has been dead and gone this many year, came
Iugging out the big Chelsea jar-the same jar,
RCsamond. II has never had nick. wonder
If ron can say as much for ID after half eentu-
ryi John LEFT il, with the spice boxes and the
dish Of salt, On the marble step, to Be handy for
me, and began to shred The roses intoit. And
as scattered the velvet petals, II swept over me
ID > surge that Just % the DAYS of my life had
- Hlsas aaanasas - = =
knelt before the jar, ali At once my arms fell
across il, and my head fell between them, and
wEs crying such storm Of sobs that Lwonder
no one heard me. Bot some one did hear. Di-
rectly q shadow fell between me and the sun
shine, and a voice made my heart stand still, and
my sohs cease.
"fWhat does II mean p cried Paul. r de-
mand 10 know. will have no more Of this.
What are you unhappy about? Because you
have abused me, because You have outraged all
my feelings, because you have refused even to an
swer my letter -
'What-what letter !? stamn1ered, throw
ing back my head, with the tears streaming all
over my face.
What letterT he cried. Are you playing
with me still? Have you received no letter from
memo letter that gave John? Do you pre-
| tend TO say
81 pretend to say nothing I returned, in a
storm and fury of irrepressible tears, springing
to my feet, and starting to run away and hide
my face ont of sight, and pray that every fresh
food of tears might drown out my very being
I pretend to say nothing but that you have
broken my heart
''Rut he had caught me, and he held me by
the arm and got my hands and kept them, and
would not let me hide my face.
al have broken your heart? ? he said, in such
grave and tender voice. 4 have not broken
terP
"T-T never had your letter I sobbed.
Never had letter telling you-telling you
all you knew without II, but assuring you that,
grandfather or no grandfather, only you should
be my wife; and If not you, then no one A? What,
never had that letter, little one? II is mislaid,
then; and we have had all this misery for moth
ing-we who worship each other And-and
well, never mind about the rest. There was
nobody to sse Us two young creatures standing
in the garden as the first young lovers did.
don't know that we should have cared if there
had been. And all in breath, as If the earth
had rolled round under new heaven, the sun
seemed TO be shining rs ii never shone before,
the birds to be singing, flowers were full Of life
and fragrance, the world was the most beautiful
place, and we were on our knees shredding roses
together over the old pot-pourri jar, and the gar
den ringing with our laughter. And every once
in a while Paul was lifting my chin with his
finger to make me look him in the face with my
eyes that all at once dared not, aud saying my
mouth was the sweetest rose of them allah, yes,
you did, Paul-and then he was plunging his
hand into the jar to stir the petals And sud
denly his fingers were touching something like
no heap of rose leaves and be was bringing upa
paper, a lettcr-that very letter which he had
given John just as the old fellow was coming in
from emptying the jar of last years leaves and
spices; and he had dropped it there, and forgot
ten it, John is so forgetful-I mean Of course,
he was All me what day that was We
trod on air, we walked in the mid-heavens.
Have you gone sound asleep, Paul? To be sure.
And, Rosamond, if you want that other rule for
pot-pourri-the English, you know, call it hotch-
potch- Ah, what music that s?'' and she
paused TO listen.
Gather We rose-buds as re may,
Old Time is still a-fiyiBg;
And this same flower that smiles to-day
Tomorrow will be dying"
sang Beltran, stepping through the long window
into the low light Of the rising moon, the rich
strain Of his tenor seeming to roll upon the dusk
sweet as the fragrance from flower.
Rosamond fingered to loosen her drers from Miss
Efingham's chair which detained It. Miss Ef-
ingham was crying softly TO herself. "Ah, see, "
she murmured, working the knobby fingers in
the lace mittens, and forgetting whose contem-
porary she was-''see how selfish age is ! She
remembers all her own part in it; she forgets
mine For I also-it is SO long ago-I loved
Paul" ."--HrrpsT's Basar.