Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1886-09-04
RHETTA'S GARDEN.

|
It was OILY a little spot south of
! the house, but violets blossom
there sooner than anywhere else,
| and great lmrstlng pink> made the
airspioy while other peoples we're
onlyin bud. There were daffudlS
in the grassy border, and blue bells,
and blue spider lilies. There were
two rose bushes, one cinnamon and
one damask,' while double sweet
gillyHowers sowed themselves and
came UP every year along with mig
nonnettes aud chrysanthemnnS. 1t
was. a sweet, fragrant oId.faslioned
little garden, which Rhetta'S moth
er had tended and taken pleasure
in, and HOW it was Rhetta'S. There
she worked I'LL her spare half hours,
sowing and watering, wedding and
transpllnting, till her little hands
were brown, and her cheeks like her
own cinnamon roses. Aunt DorcaS,
in the kitchen, used to wonder
.'how OH airth that child could be
so content all alone out in her posy
bed!''
But Rhetta was notso often alone
of late, since they had taken
Iboarder. Ralph Calender found
that the pleasautest path to the
mouse lay through the little flower
garden, and when his Jobs Of copy
ing failed co occupy his time, what
could be more natural than to use
| his leisure helping the blushing
gardener 1t was he WHO carried
away all the weeds, divided the
white peony roots and reset them,
and dug more thoroughly than
Rhetta ever could around the dear
l.ad rose-bnshes. Over their work
they fell talking, as young people
will, and already Rbetta's father
began to watch them little arx
iously above lliS~spectacles as he
sat on tue porch, while one of the
neighbors had remarked privately
to Aunt Dorcas that it was pity
young Calender was not man of
fortune as we'll as of family.
In truth, riches lad taken unto
themselves wings and flown away
from the Callenders Il year before,
SO that Ralph, Instead of becoming
Junior partner in all old and pros
porous business, saw nothing be
fore him Int what his two hands
could earn, and being totally un-
prepared for such prospect, he
had to take little time to get
used to it. and to find out which
way to turn. Meanwhile he had
dritted to this suburban town, aud
waiting to find asituation as clerk
or accountant, did copying to sup
port himself, and boarded at Rhet-
ta's.
1t was the day they had been
transplantlng touch-me-nots, and
Ralph had thrown himself down
under the plum tree for respl'e,
while Rhetta pulled the faded bios
SONS from a primrose. He might
have been misanthrophic enough
at that moment if he had chosen,
for the last line of copy lay upon
his table finished, with not so much
as a hint of an order for any more.
Worse than that, Il clerks place he
had been hoping for had that very
morning been given to another
Ii be had got it, he couli have spo
ken to Rhetta at once.
His glance followed her as she
bent over her plants, her garden
bonnet dropping back from her
bright brown hair, and his fingers
sought instlnctively little ring
that hid IN his vest pocket. The
old Calender pride had come to
this, that he only waited for the
barest chance Of being able to earn
Il living before he offered heart and
hand 10 pIett, Rhetta Wood, whose
bonny face was all her dowry.
Buthe could not help letting love
color his words a little when he
said, presently to Rhetta, as he
watched her: "When l make my
fortune, you shall lave green hous.
es and hot beds, and gardens laid
out on terraces"
sLike Colonel Porter's7" laughed
Rhetta, blushing over her trowel.
.Oh! have you ever seen his place,
Mr.. Callenlerf It's over on The
west side.n
81 think l have passed it," an
swered the young man, inliffer
ENTITY. s.Big trees, three terraces,
ribbon beds, and peacock on tue
lawn; is that the placew
ayes, isn't it splendidm exclaim
ell Rhetta. II always go that way
whtnSI take a walk by myself; aud
ohlihow LIDO long sometimes for the
things ! see the gardener throw
ing away-slips and cuttings and
roots chat he thins out. Perfectly
lovely tllings!"
aiWhy don't you ask him for
theman
alAsk him?n and Rhetta caught
herAbreath at the very idea of do