The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1892-03-23

ing her small brown curly head over
the fragrant blossoms. There was al
ways great deal to do. Wreaths and
crosses for the dead; bridal bouquets;
sprays and graceful trailing clusters for
ball dresses. Her deft fingers did won
ders with flowers, arranging them
among many shaded leaves and delicate
maidenhair The window was filed
with specimens of her handiwork;
passers-by paused spellbound; the
charm of her fancy gave new beauty
to the fair, frail things that she touched
with dainty skill.
One day some one came into the shop
and ordered spray Of yellow roses.
Olive was as busy as usual; but when
he spoke she looked up He was a well
built man, slightly above middle height,
and he was looking at her with pair
of thoughtful gray eyes, dark and
rather lethargic. He had clear, gentle
voice and slow manner, in which, how
ever, there was not the slightest affec-
tation. Nothing in his face was re-
markable; the skin was oronzed, the
features irregular, and tawny mus
tache dropped over the mouth. Yet
there was something in those heavy
lidded gray eyes that made Olive think
of them again.
There was a lady with him; well
made woman, not beautiful, but dis
tinctly thoroughbred She wore a
jacket and gown of brown tweed, and
the plain costume seemed to adapt itself
to all the easy movements of the wearer.
She too looked at Olive; and the girls
quick ear caught the sentence that the
man said to her in q low voice. 1t was
something about Dantc's Matilda, "who
on the edge Of happy Lethe, stood
wreathing flowers with flowers"
They departed and Olive went on
with her wreathing Often, in n silent
fashion, she talked with the blossoms
as she picked them carefully out of the
scented heaps before her, and confided
her thoughts
ITO the lily.bells tender
AID gray hellotropes."
And they In their turn breathed out
fragrant memories of her childhood and
early girlhood; of the plants that her
father and mother had tended in their
cottage garden; of the May garlands
that the village children had carried
from door 10 door; of the nosegay that
Michael had brought her one summer
morning his first love-gift. Simple
memories indeed, yet they helped to
keep her spirit fresh and sweet, and
cherish her old love for the humble
country homo that was now so fel
away.
Nowadays, with all the stores OF
Uncle Wakes shop Mt her command,
she spent great deal Of time in book.
world And the books filed her mind
while her fingers were busy, and kept
her brain so hapISly occupied that she
missed many undesirable things which
she might otherwise have seen and
heard. While she set cluster beside
cluster, she thought sometimes of Per
dita at the sheep-shearing, offering
posies to the shepherd's guests; or per
haps of Nydia, the blind hower-girl ot
Pompeii, weaving her chaplets in the
Thessalian fashion; or Of those heaven
ly flowers which st. Dorothea sent Il
Theophilus after her martyrdom. AnS
all the while the roar Of the grea
world was going on, and the, endless
procession went sweeping along pala
tial Regent street, while one quiei
maiden dreamed her dreams and WOW,
her garlands in peace.
| She did not forget Lucy Cromer, tina
dear friend who had once sat in thil
very place, busy with the same dainty
work that she was doing now. Littl,
as Olive knew Of Lucys story, she haC
! guessed ut some Of its details, and fel
that n weary, passionate heart haC
throbbcd over the flowers in those days
Why had life been made so bitter Il
Lucy. and so sweet TO Olive herself
Why had the one been taken and tn,
other left? This bright girl, young anC
undismaycd, thought pityingly Of hei
who had leant upon II broken reed, anC
rejoiced proudly in the trusty staff tina
supported her own footsteps. The tint
of loneliness and dcsertion was nigh a
hand; but she was happy and conf
dent still.
Nothing Of importance happened IL
these days Of early summer, while ol
i've sat wreathing flowers in the Re
gent street shop. The routine Of hel
business life was seldom broken. One