Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-09-23

stant, not long afterward, as that por-
tion of the exercises ended. And when
he left her side a great bunch of red
roses was in her hand, the most delicious
dewy roses, whose perfume swept around
fessor had relieved guard. His lynx eye
caught sight of white CLEAN among
the roses. He took them suddenly out
of her hand. distracted little note, and
gave the flowers back to her. Then he
slipped the note into his oatpocket.
1t is pity the professor did not read
that note before next day. This is what
was written there: ~
6 My RosE.-If your affection for me is
all it was, is all that my adoring love for
you would claim, you will hold these
roses in your hand tonight as you enter
the reception-rooms of Rex. If at any
time in the course of the night, when the
band is playing the Lander waltz, or
when it is playing Little Buttercup,
you lift these sweet red roses to your
Bweeter face, and bury your face there
for one long moment, shall know that
you can no longer endure this tyranny
that parts u.s. My horses will await US
at the gate, and when you are my wife,
neither professor, nor uncle, nor any one
on earth can part what God has joined
together"
But he didn't read it. There was not
the moment just then; somebody or
something occupied his time exclusively !;
and when he might have read it, he had
changed his coat, and could not find it,
Being a little lame, and feeling obliged
to attend the reception of the college
president, unwilling to lose moment of
his watch, which he could not easily
delegate, he ordered a carriage and pair
to take him to old Rex's gate, and
stumped up the stair with his precious
prize before him.
Was ever anything loveler than this
vision in the doorway, with the shaggy
old Professor Redmond behind her? So
ethereally fair-the corn-silk hair, the
eyes like starry bluets; it was the i'm
personation of girlhood and otinnocence.
With q huge cluster of creamy white
roses pinned in her belt just over her
heart, in their center red one blooming
like th live sweet secret thought beating
in the heart beneath, and in her old
pearl colored draperies, she would have
seemed ready to melt back into the
outer twilight world, like the spirit of
the evening star itself, but for the great
bunch of red jacqueminot roses in her
hand. What did she know of her
lovers wishp Nothing. He had given
these roses to her; he would be here; of
course she wore his flowers. $1,000
The old President Rex had as good an
eye for beauty as any undergraduate OF
them all and although the young class
day poet was receiving an ovation, he
left him in order to welcome this perfect
-l11 hnd "a
lors out of fairy-land.
Just then the band was softly playing
the LANDER waltzes; old Rex was over
powering her with his fiattering speech; !;
the music was enchanting: there stood
Adrian before with his eyes shining full
upon her, although across the room
she could not bear it all. Ahsently she
lifted that bunch of roses, and buried
her face in all that blaze of color and
delirium of fragrance.
The next moment Adrian slipped from
the room. She looked for him present
ly, but be was gone. And although
they staid but an hour, it seemed to her
an endless period before she stood at
last upon the step in the dark and per-
fumed summer night, with the wretched
tears of disappointment getting leave to
overflow upon the roses that she held so
near her face. Her uncle came limping
along behind her. Professor Red
mond's carriage !" called servant.
''Here!" shouted reply. Then a
hand was helping her up hestep, awhip
was cracking, horses were plunging,
her uncle was yelling into the universe,
Adrian's arms were about her, she was
resting on his breast, and they were
dashing madly away. g You are here,
you are mine," he was murmuring be
tween his kisses, never to leave me
again. You exchange one jailer for an
other"
Before she well knew what had occurred.
what it meant, she was standing in a
clergyman's study; papers of some sort
were being scanned; kind, silver hair
ed lady was giving her a glass of W ater !;
which if she replied she did not know it.
Somebody put into her hand little slip
that he called marriage certificate :;
somebody spoke to her by another name
-Adrian's name; the kind lady had
kissed her, and she was out in the dark,
sweet summer night again; was in the
carriage whirling away, and Adrian was
holding her, and calling her his wife,
" Are we married?" she gasped. ''Am
I truly your wifep" and then she burst
into flood of tears. ''And I've nothing
but this gauze gownr' she cried.
And your Jacqueminot roses,n said
he.
So that was the way it all happened.
[ know that by this time the professor
has forgiven it ali; he can't do without
her. But the aunt Redmond had sorry
time of it for one week. g don't blame
him at al,' declares Adrian. I'D have
done the same in his place. I wouldn't
have given her to the archangel Michael,
let alone the son of fishing merchant,
if the merchant were ten times million
aire, and the son ten times nearer pro-
fessorship himself"
The professor has had the little fatal
note glazed and framed and hung up in
his den, but he has never yet been able
again to endure with equanimity the
sight of Jacqueminot oses.-Harper s
BGgGr.