The Press., 1888-03-01
ISSuGd Every Thursday Evening.
(From the Danish.) DARK-RED ROSES.
BY CARL THEODORE HANSON.

They are beautiful, the dark. red roses, s,-. genuine daughters of the south, glowing color, rich and plump. In the winter sea- son they come up from Berlin, wrapped in | cotton and tissue paper, to grace the aris- tocratic tables, sldmber near the bosom of countess, or to be laid as an offering upon the altar of fair prima donna but in the | l generous summer time they also open their ruby lips meath the rays of the German sun, stand maiestically in the emperor castles gardens, peep through the leaves of other plants in front of the many villas, and stand lowing their heads 'twixt the graves of every 'Friedhof, as the Germans so sweetly denominate their churchyards.
 One sees them everywhere. Dudes car ry them ill their button holes, old ladies hold them ill the hands, young girls fasten them in the belt, and red-cheeked servant girls pin them on the "caught up" corner of their white aprons. It is such a cheap luxury. They can be purchased at every street corner-of infatuating flower girls perhaps you imagine ?--no, of bearded men, old woman, or in dire instances of withered Italian, who in the summer season prefer selling roses to working on figures of chalk and plaster. But there are also pretty hower-girls in Berlin. In the large concert gardens they go about with their coquettish little baskets and ask with a tempting smile: 'May select flower for you ?" and one must have hard heart indeed if one does not pay thirty pfennize for rose which usually is had for ten.
 Lenchen Friedal was such fiower-girl, who tripped around among the tables of the exhibition park, under the electric lights. She was but seventeen and pretty, real pretty. Her face was beautiful and fresh, eyes brown and brilliant, and the black hair hung down the back in one great braid, which was decorated with bright red bow of silk ribbon. A black cotton gown grAced her slender figure, and on her bosom she wore a large, dark-red rose. She was employed in flower store ,; but in summer she was at liberty evenings to Carry on her tradr in roses, as she was almost the only support of her mother, who was a widow, old and weak, and only able
 
 Mrs. Friedel was good and sensible wom an who knew that in Berlin, ss well as elsewhere,is found a large number of young flower lovers, who with eye glasses on dil- lgentlY seek to fiud small, fresh aud fra grant flower, instead of the dyed artificial roses of French invention, and for this req son she took good care of her daughter. Every evening she followed Lenchen 10 the exhibition park, where she seated herself near the cheap restaurant. Here Mrs. 2 Friedel indulged in a small glass of beer Ca very pardonable habit in that couBtry) in connection with the buttered bread she always fetched along and now and then al- lowed herself the luxury of some little del tcacy, while she worked diligently with her needle and simultaneously entertained her self with two other old female summer subscribers at the same table. As often as opportunity offered, Lenchen visited her mother, and when the orchestra had played } the last number Mrs. Friedel gathered up her work, Lenchen put on her hat, and } mother and daughter rode home via the city road, and the young flower lovers were 3 obliged to content themselves with the ar { tifcial French roses. However, none of the young cavaliers would have been dan gerous to Lenchen. She had already formed her ideal and loved with a seven- , | CuA-OlSt hCdLAo E'ulSg o"CCN AONSs 
 It was in the spring time she first saw him. He came into the store to buy but ton hole rose, one of the large, dark-red roses from Italy. He was a student, gen uine Germsnic student-type, tall, powerful, x and with friendly countenance the light, well-groomed locks carried coquettishly the little bright red student cap, and under the blonde moustache was seen pair of fresh lips and two rows of white teeth. ] She did not know the cause l; but she felt so very peculiar the moment she beheld l. him, and she handed him the rose with a trembling hand. Afterwards, when he was gone, she saw his picture all day so plain, ? so very surprisingly plain and vivid, as he stood there tall, graceful and smiling, and B at the same time she experienced such a = dull ache, that was not actually painful, r and she could not understand what 1t was. She had been informed that it would come
 unexpectedly and lodge somewhere in the
 vicinity of the heart, and she certainly had - heart beat. She would interview her mother carefully and without self-commit-
 tal.
 { When she arrived home i'll the evening ! Mrs. Friedel sat sewing as usual in her . poor but neat room. Over the sofa hung ueceased ffledel portrait, surrounded Dy l. a wreath of everlastings. Lenchen sat 5 down by the table, resting her head on her e hands, and inspected the picture. "Fath-
 was not not real handsome" she observed = presently.
 "No, but he was good, honest man,
 and that is the chief thing"
 "Tell me, mama, how you first fell in
 love with him ?"
 "Oh, was never so much in love with . him."
 Wasn't he your first love ?" "Oh, my child. girl does not as a rule P marry her first love-"
 "Indeed, but have you not had first = love, dear mama ?'
 "Every young girl has her youthful
 dream."F
 s "Oh, tell me som ething about it, mother. '
 "Why can that interest you so much V Have you fallen in love, perhaps?"
 "No, how can you suppose it With
 whom could 1t be? But 1t Wo i'd be inter. - estipg to hear about it, in Case it should ever happen. One-one feels Q sort of sen. ', sation about the heart, is it not ?" s 'I had it with toothache."
 l. "Wlth toothache?" lr T '