The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1882-01-19
MARIGOLDs.
"Miss Tille-says, Miss Tillie y

Miss Tillie Bell, who had been medita-
ting deeply rs to whether scarlet, orange
or green would be best to begin with in
working motto, had evidently not paid
due heed to the opening remarks of her
handmaid.
Kizzy gave her broom flourish, and
replied to her mistress question.
1.-THE feller that's tool he cottage
back yonder on the hill. don't reckon
he's overly young. He's kinder gray,
but not very, jest leeiie grain, an got
wart; an what you reckon he's been a.
doin' all the mornin'?"
Goodness me, Kezah how should
know?"
"Been a,plantin' marigolds in his front
yard all the blessed mornin'. Bought n
whole lot of packages of seed, Susan
said, every one marigolds."
"Dear me, wha. funny man ~ said
Miss Bell.
But as kizzy hung up the broom and
disappeared, the large cardboard motto
slid Oh the floor on the enc side Of her,
aud the skeins Of worsted on the other,
all in a tangle Of vivid color, and Miss
Tillic forgot them forgot the present
entirely sat with her bands folded,
and her soft eyes looking out to the line
Of hills across the fields.
IT was the word "marigolds' that had
sent her thoughts wandering; so often
will one simple word wakeu whole
train of rccolections There was sad.
ness mingled with these freshly stirred
remembrances-a sadness that had come
TO her through her first and only romance.
She wan young when that happened !;
even now she was pretty and pink, and
plump. Then she was slender and pale.
Gnd Joe Clifford had seen the wide world
in her eyes and there had been promises
and an engagement ring, and little
brown cottage bought, back on the hill,
with funny, strangly, red bud tree in a
corner Of tho bit of front yard and Til
lie, who had very little money of her own
in those days, invested fifteen cents in a
paper Of marigold seed to bcautify the
yard.
"For," she said, "nlarigolds are such
hearty, jolly kind of flowers! There is
30 much satisfaction in them"
But just as they had come up, and be.
gun to bloom in huge brilliant masses of
golden-y yellow and velvet.soft red brown,
three weeks before the wedding day,
what was it that took all the light out of
them-all the suggestive benuty and
sweetness out of the brown cottage, aud
made the red-bud look like n stunted,
malicious gnome? What but horrible
quarrel with Joc-a quarrel in which
they had both acted with the wisdom
and common sense Of couple of belig.
erent children fighting over something as
important rs rag doll, and breathing
deadly threats against each other.
And Joe had wound it ell up by re-
pairing to the brown cottage, in n terrible
temper, and pulling up every marigold
by the roots, throwing them spitefully
rs possible, where they lay, heap of
bright color, fading and willing in the
sun.
II 0 straight, slim little figure, in IA
gray dress, trying to look as much like n
shadow as possible, had slipped out Of the
house in the faint light of crescent
moon, and gathered up one little velvet.
red marigold from the heap moist with
dew, and ii that marigold all dead aud
dry, was in one Of Miss Titles boxes UP
stairs now, why no one but Tillie had
any suspicion of it.
And Joe had sold the cottage and gone
down South. FfF{o
"And he can stay there wLile the wo,'d
lasts, for all of mel" Tillie had said,
remembering how he had called her an
obstinate little jade-though, to.be.sure,
she had called him All ogre.
-Tillie was devout little woman, and
was bent on walking in the narrowest
T heavenward path she could find; yet her
besetting sin of temper would gct IL heT
way sometimes and trip her up.
2Ana:as IFS had saldS sthere were
not highet duties in life than thinking oi
ansobstinate goose of man with bad
temper"
And yet how many. many tears ahe
had shed over that little dead marigold
i'll the box! For Tillio WAS not 30 unfo
giving as she had tried 70 be.
And now n man had taken the brown
cottage on the hill-a bachelor, not
"cverly" young, with wart, who had
been planting marigolds all the morning
Well, Joe could not be overly young
now, and he used to have a wart. She
had often advised him to try milkweed
for it; but he was obstinate and never
would, not having faith enough either in
milkweed or Titles Judgment. Suppose
this man should be Joe?
Kizzie's head was pokcd inside the
door. }
"Miss Ti'!ie," she said, "he's u. a.goiu' to
be married-the fellow with the war,
isl"
40 the head disappeared, Miss Tillie
snapped the thread of her reverie, gave
her head an impatient little toss and
picking up her motto and her wool, be-
gan to work briskly.
swell, WE'LL" she half sighed; al
people do their,duty, there is no doub,
that things will como out all right some
time" sT.
Kixzy came flying in, red and giggling,
with some one stalking solemnly behind
her.
"Here he is, Miss Tillie-that's him ~
she cried, choking litter. and pointing
to q square. e.shouldered man in the door
way, whose thick brown hair vas lightly
tinged with gray.
It was Joe Clifford. not looking SC
very different from what he had ;u the
old days.
'Tilliep said he, without any preface
at all, GIVE come back and bought the
cottage again, and planted the marigolds
and now don't you think we had better
fulfill the contract ,we smashed so long
lthpught =" autter Tillie sKiszy
"Twasn't me y :. susan Kite said
IT,, when sha fetched the milk this evenin'
t-said her brother JEFF was in tho store'n
sheetdthe men sasaxin' of him"-poin.
srtingslier elbow at Joo-"if he was a-coin'
to, git m a.rried; an he said, You bet
t,r reckon airPo
"And so am. If she'll have mo" an
Awered jos, coming forward, "Kizzy,
you run and feed the chickens, or the
L.