Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-09-24
A SWEET WILD ROSE.

"Well since you mention it yourself, Hal,
l win confess that was surprised to find you
engaged to Miss Brookfeld," said Ned Ches-
ter to his lifelong chum, Hal Elmendorf (the
two young men were leisurely strolling
through Maple Avenue) for when / went
abroad you were most emphatically denounc-
ing the heartlessness and sefshness and ex-
travagance and few other amiable charac-
teristics according to your way of thinking
at the time-of society girls, and apparently
sincere in your determination to remain a
bachelor rather than marry one If them.
And your letters have given no hint of a
change in your sentiments. Quite the con-
trary. Your last, by-the-bye, was most per-
picking. No woman's letter could have been
more 80. In it you suddenly jumped from
the Clauson Mine to "a sweet wild rose, of
whom you had previously told me nothing
II l remember Alright, the sentence introduc-
ing her read thus Aud the dividends this
year are much larger than this sweet wild
rose. that l have found in this lonely place,
and am almost persuaded to court and marry,
after the manner of Tennyson's landscape
painter D."
Elmendorf threw away his cigarette, look
ed thoughtfully into space a moment, drop
ped into a still slower walk, and asked,
SHOULD you like to hear all about it, old fel-
lowY
''Of course l should" replied Chester.
Lives there man with soul 30 dead, who
ever TO himself hath said, 4 take no interest
in sweet wild roses And besides that
haven't been the confdant of all your love
affairs since you were twelve, and awfully
smitten with the pretty girl in Wild's confec-
tioneryI Drive ahead. I'm all attention 2"
'As you remarked a few moments ago"
began Elmendorf, ''just before you crossed
the briny' became dsgusted with fashiona-
BILE young ladies in general, and. as you did
not remark, for fear of hurting my feelings,
with Eudors Brookfeld in particular. 1t was
rather hard on romantic sort of fellow, who
was awful spoons on girl, to be told by that
girl that his fortune considerably enhanced
his attractions in her eyes, and that for her
part she thought love in a cottage on less
than five thousand a year must be the dreari-
est of existences. We quarrelled, as you
know, and parted. She went shortly after,
TO Newport, and l. filled with scorn of man
aging mammas and fortune hunting daugh-
ters, donned a blue flannel suit and coarse
broad-brimmed hat, and carrying with me
only a small valise, started for anywhere
anywhere out of the world.
AT noon of my second days travel the
train stopped at quiet, tree uncovered sta
ton, and following the impulse of the mo-
ment l jumped of, and struck into lonely
shady road, resolving to keep on, on foot, un-
til Fate should say, Thus far, and no far
ther.' Ned, that road was certainly the lone
liest road l ever saw. Not a person did l
meet, not a house did l see, in an hours
brisk tramp. But l trudged on and the
more Eudora's beauty and grace fitted before
me, the more her sweet voice rang out in the
song of the birds, the more my heart yearn-
ed for her smile, the more l was determined
to put miles between US. l would not be
rtad frr nv I HI II
for myself, or not at OIL And growing
stronger in resolution at every step, sudden
ly found myself in front of u small gray cot
tage-I remembered instantly that Eudora
had a silk dress of the same shade of gray
half covered with woodbines and rose vines,
that stood Just at the entrance of a dense
wood, where grew oaks, naples willows, ell
der bushes, blackberry bushes, and Heaven
only knows how many other things planted
there by the winds and the birds A COW
with young calf beside her was lowing in a
field opposite, and a brook was sparkling in
the sunshine a short distance away.
"On the porch of this cottage sat a mid
dle-aged woman, sewing. To her, hat in
hand advanced and humbly preferred a re-
quest for drink of water. And she, rising
with hospitable quickness, bade me take the
seat she left while she went to the well. I
sank into the chair, for l was aweary, and
soon she returned with glass of water and
n glass of milk. l drank them both-not at
once, of course, but during the conversation
about the weather that ensued-and had ris-
en- to depart, when the prettiest girl in blue
and gold that ever beheld came tripping up
the garden path, a pail of water in each hand.
A sweet wild rose, l said to myself and sat
down again, convinced by a single glance at
that lovely face and form that this cottage
was Fate's No farther
Accordingly, told my hostess that was
poor story-writer (you will admit that was
no lie, for all the editors to whom have sub
mitted my manuscripts have said the same
thing, with book to finish, and that of all
places in the world to finish it in her beauti-
full quiet home seemed the best, and beg
ged her to let me stay there few weeks,
promising to make her as little trouble as
possible. We'll, don't see nothin' agin it if
father and daughter don't, said she, and
away she went again, and from the murmur
of voices in the hall l knew the matter was
being discussed by the family. And in few
moments a shrewd-lo looking old man appeared,
looked at me sharply, and asked brusquely,
Kin you ford to pay four dollars a week /?
l told him l thought l could, and he seized
my valise and carried it into the cottage,
following. Ned, old chap, it was a lovely
spot, and no mistake. Every morning the
they were so fearless, never having learned
how cruel men can be, that they few in at
my window and perched upon the frame of
the old looking glass-sueh a rum old glass
CROOKED my nose and crossed my eyes)-and
watched me dress and fragrance enough
from the rose vines fioated into that attic
room in one day TO have perfumed Eudoras
handkerchiefs for whole year.
"As for Aioe-the sweet wild rose-no po-
ct ever dreamed of maid more beautiful.
Large innocent dark blue eyes, with lashes
so long that they cast a faint shadow on her
rounded cheeks mouth, nose, chin, ears,
hands, feet, simply perfection and voice,
not as musical as Eudora's, it is true, but
with a childish ring and sweetness; and
when she spoke, which was seldom, it was
with pretty modest hesitancy that made
you long to catch her in your arms and kiss
the words from her full red lips. had only
seen her three times when / was madly in
love with her. and thought the plain calico
gowns she wore the prettiest gowns in the
world. Her father and mother watched us
closely but that blessed Gas thought them
drought had set in Il week or so before my
arrival, and in two or three weeks more our
rain water cask-we hadn't attained to the
dignity of a cistern-was empty, and our
well ran low, and much water had TO be
brought from the brook, and of course
helped the sweet wild rose carry the pals,
and (again, as l thought them the brook was
blessed quarter of mile from the house
and one day, after traversing this quarter of
mile with the pals and bonnie Alice,
wrote you very long letter, in which, among
other things, l reviewed my Eudora expert
ence, and told you of the treasure had found
in the cottage by the wood. And a few days
after posting this letter 1 asked the sweet
wild rose TO be my wife. She raised those