Nevada County picayune., 1892-01-28
CHRYSANTHEA.

She had come to life just as the chrysanthemuns do, with the falling leaves, and like them, too, she had bloomed as best she might without the glow, the summer spleDdor or the summer showers that other lives and other flowers share.
 She lived in q brown farm house among the Massachusetts hills with her old father. Had she bloomed so late in his life to give some color and poetry to the autumn of his day, as Chrysanthemum blooms only to light the fall of the dying leaves {? It must have been so, for he was well into the sixties. while she was barely sixteen
 Years ago her mother had died. a frail lovely creature, who would have given that other young life the joy and love it needed SO: but the child grew without it, hardy, cheerful little thing, though not without a certain wistfulness at times in her great deep blue eyes so like a purple flower. old Rachel, her fathers housekeeper and her own faithful nurse, used to look at her with wet eyes and shake eer head.
 1t ain't natural. She goes on singing and laughing as happy as a lark all day but whats to make her happy, say I? It ain't her father, nor yet me, tho l do love her, the dear, and she ain't got no mother, no sister, no brother, nor yet no low CT, so wha's to make her happy? It ain't natural" " she insisted, as a blithe voice rose above the chatter of the dish-pans as Rachel hustled about the kitchen.
 What makes you so happy, lamb:" cried the old woman out through the open window.
 "Oh, Rachel, I've got such love ly lot of chrysanthemums; come out and see; oh, look, look "
 
 Its them flowers that makes her happy" muttered the old servant as she made her way through the llitch- en garden.
 "Wcll. to be sure, Chriss, dear, them do beat all, Oh, them is hand some :"
 "Aren't they just lovely? See the great gold ones and the purple |; those are my favorites, and this cherry and white, and these pure white, too, those are for my mother, she said, lowering her voice a little 1; "thcy are the only ones l shall pick. Rachel, aren't they lovely"
 But Rachel only shook her head and went into the house.
 "To think she loves them flowers SO: it ain't natural, it ain't; if it was kitten now or dog l would- mt wonder so, but lot of clinging astors; it ain't natural, '
 Natural or not, Chriss was very happy. She hung over her newly blooming pets nearly all the morning, then a sudden cloud came over her face. She looked up with a long sigh and turned to the back of the house where two deep windows mark ed her fathers study.
 '"I wonder now if dare tell him about them, he does hate so to be disturbed; but oh, want him to see those purple ones So much, V
 With one fond look at her glowing bed she went in at the door
 With hesitating step she passed olouo the broad, old fashioned hall and rapped timidly at the oaken door. Not expecting any response she went in and sighed as she saw the gray bent head boring over an old book. A wood fire smoldered on the hearth. She knelt down and blew the embers, looking up now and them with a smile.
 "Thcre. there, let it alone, child it Is burning very wclI.'
 ~Oh, father, father
 Well, what nowN
 "Fa4hsr, it's just lovely out to- day so warm and sunny and. ta'h- CT. my flowers are in bloom"
 Your flowers oh the chrysan- ,nrmpm bed. hey: Well, that's good.'
 Father, won't you come out and