Gloucester County Democrat., 1879-01-21

gers retreating form, and anxiously
awaiting the answer to his floral message.
Pretty little Nellie Morris sat alone in
her mothers little parlor, crying.
Her parents had gone to neighboring
fair, and would not be home till late, and
she was so lonesome and wretched that
she felt she must cry.
'Why was | so unkind to poor dear
Fred, last nightY" she asked herself be-
would come and make it all up r she in
wardly uttered. 81 do feel so miserable. -
At that moment there was tap on the
door
Nellie's heart beat wildly.
"Come H." she said, feebly. And oh,
how see wished, yet scarcely dared to
hope, that it was Fred come to make up
the quarrel, and be good friends again.
But she was disappointed.
The door opened slowly, and Briggs
entered, holding out crushed and dirty
letter and mumbled that it was from Mr.
Woodman, and he was to wait for a re-
ply.
Nellie took the soiled missive, broke
the seal with trembling fingers, and took
out faded white rose, and broken
straw, the definitions of which she knew
too weA-the former meaning Il loved
you once, and the latter-oh, cruel stab !
-"Thhs do break my fetters p
Nellie, scarlet with indignation, flung
the letter out of the open door, motioned
Briggs to follow it. which he did more
amazed than ever and then sank upon a
chair in an agony of tears.
All this sorrow was caused by Briggs
weakness for cricket. He had stopped to
have game on his way, and put the let
ter in his ipoeket, whereby the rose was
faded and the straw broken.
Our hero was waiting impatiently in
the garden when Briggs ran up looking
very frightened, and holding out the re
iected billet dOl1 in his hand.
He at once broke out in string of dis
jointed sentences concerning his luckless
adventure.
Il gave it to her. said he, ''and when
she took out the brukken straw an the
faded rose, she turned me an the letter
fair out o. the house,
''Broken p echoed Fred. Faded r
Then light suddenly dawning upon him
-"Did you get playing on your way, sir
Answer me-" shaking the unhappy mes
senger violently.
Il only commenced Briggs, fear
fully and then he began 10 blubber and
applied the sleeve of his smock to his
eyes in the most woe -begone manner
For goodness sake run home before
I'm angry with you,' said our hero and
Briggs obeyed, thinking it very strange
affair altogether
Fred ran in, thinking perhaps he had
sent thewrong emblems, and looked again
at his Language of Flowers"
No; they were quite right.
Just then his eye caught an item as fol
lows white rose (faded)- u loved you
once, and he groaned. Then he turned
to another page. and had another shock
on seeing these words Straw (broken)
Thus do l break my fetters.''
That swas truly the last straw which
broke the camel's back. Fred leaned
back inshis chair, and almost cried with
vexatiop, to think of the sorrow his care
less messenger had caused.
The shades of evening began to fall !:
still he sat there, thinking how he could
heal this fresh wound.
Meanwhile, unhappy Nellie sat crying
in her dreary parlor. All, me-
K
At last our hero came to resolution.
He would go and see Nellie and explain
the whole of the wretched blunder.
He was soon striding awav over the
fields In futter of hope and excitement.
The sun was just sinking in dazzling
mass of gold as he reached his destina-
ton.
He tapped gently on the door, but OBJ
tanned no answer, SO he softly lifted the
latch AID stepped gently inside.
Nellie was sitting by the window, her
face buried in her hands-sitting still as
death.
Fred advanced noiselessly and touched
her upon the arm.
She sprang hastily up and, seeing who
it was-erimson with anger and wounded
pride-she ordered him to leave the
house but the effort was too much for
her. and she sank upon her chair again,
sobbing as though her poor, INNOCENT
little heart would break
In an instant the little schoolmaster
was on his knees by her side, and in less
than two minutes had poured the whole
history of the mistake into Nellie's will
ling'ear.
In another five minutes they were bet
ter friends than ever.