The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1879-12-11
tsiss SWEET mARsORAsI.
"a Thanllseivi5e stoTp.,l,

ctlnphireA WIN s0iEepltrd, u ffikenerlls una
OF franldncensei Inyrrh and afoes, with all the
chief spices -. which have laid up for
thee, o my MISUNDERSTANDING Song, IL, u, 13,
II; rii, I3. -
Margery s spice garden was not ,ex-
actly hkelthe one planted for Egypt's
daughter by the great Jewish Sultan,
though the plants were, indeed, an
orchard Of pleasant fruits, consisting of
a hedge-like row of eHrrant bushes and
a half dozen gparled, stnnted trees, that
Bina Hutchins said bore the best
50 sqiinches y IN all the township. The
ground not occupied by the fruits was
laid out IN orderly little beds filled with
YARDS ThorOughwort and mother
wort, for the Infusion of bitter teas, to
be drunk ehgiously in the spring Of the
year, penitentlal ceremonial seemingly
handed down from the cpmmemoration
of the Passover, by the eating of bitter
herbs. Other medicinal plants, more
grateful to the palate-spearmint and
peppermint, pennyroyal, eatpip, and
hoarhound--ggr near by, with arniea
for wounds ana Bruises, lavender for
the linen chest, coriander and
caraway for the good 0housewife's
cookies, anise and saffron. for spasmY
babies, rosemary forSperfEme,f1t hyn1ei
and sage for hoTne-ma6e.Es sassh1gers, -
tansy for batter buildings, with such
mild aromatics as feHnel and dill for the
gentle stimulus to. mental eXertion need
ed by the Eliminating Old deacons, as
they listened to the words OF the good
minister, which CIrifted down upon his
hearers as soothingly- as poppy-leaves.
As Margery sorted her herbs, that
bright October day, passing some of
them through coarse wire sleeves, rub
bing them fine, and packeting them
away in neatly labeled paper bags,
while others, not so dry, were tied in
punches and hung from the brown raf9
tiers of the attic, a stranger would have
noticed certain appropriateness be-
tween the girl and her surroundings.
Her presence seemed to .diffuse Just
such faint, pleasant perfume. Both the
dried punches of herbs and her pale
cheek reminded you that, though faded
now, there had been bloom there once.
You felt that nOtsV very long ago she had
seen June, with sunlight and song,
warmth and perfume and life; and,
though it had adj gone from her as COM
pletely as from the withereda leaves in
the little paper bags, her mission. like
theirs, was to- do good, to give ease to
the suffering, and even mild spice, a
cheerful flavor and perfume to all that
was mOnotonous and distasteful about
her, -...-- E---Ep ...,F j..
Margery was not called an old maid
by the school children. There was not
a gray thread mail her wealth of auburn
hair, she did not dress in antiquated
style, OIakeeps a cat, or drink tea, or be-
long TO the sewing society, or show any
of the usual characteristicsO Of old maids.
The coy little parlor looked out upon
the spice-gar6ien from a bay window,
oh ho6 kr1iIt for. hay.
geraniums; and the flowers and the
open piano-for Margery was music
teacher-gave the room very pleasant
air. Her. music keptsup with the tiTnesy
like her dresses Both were always
modern and pretty. She went to all the
partiessand -musicales (and did not 90
alone, eitherO. She helped get up all
the faiIs and festivals and tableaux.
Society atI3axter's, the litte-tOWn where
she lived, would have been at stand
still without her. In short, she was not
arnold maid satr adj; but only an, old
yonng lady Nfngery was never sighted,
and yet il was probably ten. years since
she had an offer. She had had her love
story,of course but that was fifteen
years lago, and everybody at Baxter's,
fnclufif7g AfaTeeiE herself, would have
been very much surprised to have heard
that she was going Co be married. And
yet every body. and NIargeyy We're des-
tined to exactly that stiplise5gt i tjkt
If You had askedithe people at BaK-
ter's for Margary's love story, you
would probably have received two diff
ferent versions. Some would have said
that it was h,TaelSIBOgardus, and SONS
that it was Fred Frothfhgha1n; but al
would have agreed that she had been
disappointed ;,
Margery's rstory, so far as she knew
it-for Margery7 herself did mot know al
of her story was this: Jack BogardlIs
was an Orphan and her cousin. BE had
been adopted IL her father, and tbes
had grown up together. But Jack wa,
a willful hoy,3 Margeryas fathersd not
understand him, and at last he rar
away to California. Margery knew thai
he was going, and She did not discOur
age hini It seemed to- her that thi,
was really best for all Jack had prom
ised to come back some day, when hi
had "made his pile,' and claim her fol
his wife, if shewould only wait. Mar
gary had waited, her father had died, and
she was left alone. That same year JacH
wrote that he had prospered and thai
he was coming home. The same mai
brought her a little box, containing
ring of California gold. It came OF
L
ever since been sad one for Margery
for, though Jack came back to the vii
lage, and others saw him, he did no
even call upon her, and he returned tC
the West the next day, without leaving
any message. for her. There had beer
no explanation since. It was still thu
same cruel mystery that it had been fiji
teen years ago She did not even know
at the time that he was in town, for sh,
was in great perpiexity and trouble.
Fred Frothingham, the son of tn,
wealthiest man at BaNteT7s, had beer
one of the first TO enlist when the Wa
of the Great Rebellion broke out, and i
was now the second year of the struggle
whether he would survive the terrible
work of the next day, Fred wrot
ZNargery a letter, telling her that h
loved her and asking her, if he lived t.
come home, to be his wife. =
Margery replied, telling him as kindl,
as1 she could how impossible it was
This letter Fred never received, for h
was wounded in the battle, his fathe
came for him, and he was brought bacl
toeBaNter's the day before the arrival o
Atargery's cousin. The journey threw
him into a fever, and when he was lai,
upon his own bed, with his mothe
benJingrover him, he1did not know her
bat raved deliriously about Margery
calling her by all the sweet names tina
his disordered mind could supply
Mrs. buckingham imagined, iron
this, that Margery and her son were en-
gagged. The possibility that Fred coul,
love and not be loved in return never en-
tered the head of the doting rttl
woman; and so She wrote to Margery
calling her "my dear daughter" AM