The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1890-11-01
LEFTY COLES.

Lefty SOieS! Letty COIoS! WI n6re
arc you, Lefty Coles?" Il will not an.
swer him. declares Miss Coles, with q
petulant shake as she goes carefully
| on pressing the cool dark mold about
the roots of a rose she has just repotted.
He knows the way to the rose garden,
l dare say"
This with mild sarcasm, for seven
days out Of each week does Tony Tad.
lock find his way at some hour or 9th
er 10 the gardens at Rosemead.
Lefty Coles! Lefty Co!esl Where
arc you Lefty Coles?"
This time the happy young voice is
nearer; its owner has stopped at the
low hedge. and after leisurely survey
ing the sunlit garden, espied Lefty
dainty poised among her favorities, a
half mutinous half mischicvous look
on her dark brilliant face.
'.Ah, there you are in perfect
extravaganza Of roses-blush, crimson,
yellow, white yourself the fairest."
Don't be ridiculous, Tony" laughs
Miss Coles But she adores her roses,
and is not offended at very trite com
| pliment, since Tony gets it off. Are
they not lovelv?' she continues, pick
! ing withered leaf from the flower just
| pottcd
Only see how well my Lefty Coles
| is doing" be says, clearing the little
gate with bound. and coming to her
with bunch of her lovely. fragrant
namesakes in his hand Il transplant
! ell them from Rosemcad. you remcm-
Der. They take very kindly to their
| new soil. eh, Lefty Coles? What a
| glorious rose it is, with its passionate
| crimson heart! Somehow, l fancy if
| that rose could feel, it would suffer far
more terribly than your Nephitos or
Perle des Jardips, with their pale
petals"
"Oh. don'tw cries Lefty Coles, with
shiver, in spite of the June sunshine
that is rollicking about her in way to
set cold at defiance; then she adds, with
self-directed disgust. what nonsense!
l was about TO get superstitiouS. and
goes on pottering among her roses.
His laughing eyes follow her grace
full movements for moment. They
are nice eyes, those of Tony Tadlock's $,
soft aud gray, and overbrimming with
happiness this sweet June morning.
Now l wonder if you can keep Sc
| cret, Lefty Coles, secret have come
| all the way from Cupids towers to tell
You. ] am TO be married--married,
Lefty Coles. and | want my congratu-
lations first from your lips
.'Married?" They are brave eyes
shc raises to his. and yet time was
when Lefty Coles expected him TO ride
over from Cupid's towers through the
beautiful golden fields with different
etory for her ears.
There is a moment of silence after
that word, but during that moment so
much has died out of her life that 1t
seems to her small century has passed
and she wonders that Tony has not
| tired Of standing there waiting for hertz
speak. But a moment is soon over,
the dead soon buried. and drawing of
the big dogskin gloves in which she al
ways gardens. she lays both hands
frankly in his and speaks the words he
is waiting to hear. Memory is strong
within her just now. cruelty strong;
il recalls the long sweet days that are
past, when such shadowy, transparent
excuses have brought Tony to Rose
mead; "A laace of birds, lucky Nim-
rod has brought down. string OF shin
Ing fish to testify to the success OF
Izaac Walton's Jealous disciple. rare
cutting from the rose houses at Cupid S
towers, over tho setting out of which
their hands had often met. for Of course
Tony must assist, or how was he tn
know if her work was well done!
Though. for the matter OF that, 1t Is an
open question whether or not he can
tell the difference between "A cabbage
rose and q tea rose, and he has been
detected in a sneaking preference
for the old York and Lancaster over all
the later varieties that have been propa-
gated.
How or when this easy friendship
! which has characterized their relations
since childhood has grown into some
thing warmer with Lefty Coles the glrl
herself does not know; but there it is
staring her boldly in the face, and
sending a sickening sense of pain
through every fiber, while Tony, all
unconscious of the feeling he has
awakened. proses on about his love.
"She is beautiful. Lefty Coles, this
dainty Perie des Jardins of mine, so
beautiful! And Cupid's towers is but
u dreary place to which to bring her:
You will come to see her often. will
you no,2 You will brighten up the
dull old life for her as neither mother
nor can dop You will be sister to
| her, Lefty Colesp"
So Lefty Coles promised; so Lefty
r. Coles sees him ride away on Gray
Eagle. the noble animal that has
brought him to her SO often while she
stands idly at the garden gate. the
cluster OF Lefty Coles roses burning in
her hands And she wonders, wonders,
| wonders, in dull. bcnumbed way, II
| il Is true. if these crimson-heated how-