Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1893-10-05
GREENE JONES.

Aau Deen complaining TO q fflenu OF mine
of the tameness and dizziness of existence,
with nothing to do or to think about, when
she said: "Oh, you haven't outlived every
thing; there's something to interest you,
yet. I'll take you to see Miss Lola"
And who is Miss Lola?'"
"Shes the dearest little old maid you
ever saw in your life. Her name is Reeder,
but everybody calls her Miss Lola. You
shall see her first, and will tell you about
her afterward."
So, in search of a new sensation, went
with Stella Lakin to visit this little old
maid"
She lived in a tiny COTTAGE quaint and
old fashioned, set down, like dolls house,
in the center g wide sweep of ground,
bought when land was cheap, before the
village had attained city dimensions and
held onto in spite of many pecunary in
ducements to part with it in the interest OF
urban progress. On either side of her were
blocks of city buildings-terraces with their
long flights of sandstone steps leading up
to forbidding looking three story fronts,
which faced the street with their hot, red
brick stare of stolid Indifference. giving no
suggestions of home or happiness within
their walls But between them lay the
sweep of Miss I.ola's bright green lawn, her
borders full of pinks and bachelors but
tons, her porch trellised with nasturtum
in riotous bloom, and shoal of sweet peas
growing in pink and white perfection.
At the north of the house were roses
! not La France nor Mermets nor any of the
cultivated favorites of present fashion, but
cinnamons and damasks and homely hun
dred leafs and velvets and impertinent lit
tie burgundies with their plim floral disks,
pretending to a legal knship with the
queen of flowers.
Can you tell what there is at the back
of the housc?" asked Stella, smiling.
"Oh, yes" said l, 'hollyhocks and mari
Colds and southernwood and Jerusalem
cherries and sweet williams and live for
ever and lemon balm"-
you have the power of divination," said
she.
found Miss Lola just what had con
jectured her to be from such environments
She was little and prim, but graceful and
genial. Her cheek bore the color of a win
ter apple, which did not vary. She had
tender, dark gray eyes. Her hair was lit
tie silvered, but soft and crinkly, and the
top of her head was covered with square
of 'bobinet," edged with thread lace. Her
gown was of an old fashioned pattern Of
purple chintz and made in the ancient style
of round waist and full skirt that, having
swung around a 30 years. circle, is with us
once again. About the neck of this there
was a little lace ruffie, softening the out.
lines of a fair fine skinned throat that had
begun to wither little.
lice T p1n p1 writ oh nj ora
ciousness, but after setting us chairs went
on with her knitting. She knit very rapid
" and made use of an old fashioned quill
sheath at her side for holding her tenn
porarily superfuous needles. 1t was lit,
tie, long legged red yarn stocking on which
she was busily engaged.
| remarked that it looked rather warm
for the season, but she told me she chad to
knit all summer to have them ready for
the first cold snap"
Stella explained Miss Lola had fad
for giving away stockings and mittens to
poor little girls and their mammas, but
never to poor little boys and their papas-
oh. mop said Stella, with dancing eyes.
Miss Lola pursed up her lips and shook
her head. "Oh, nor echoed She. "'Men
were deceivers ever"
We made long call on Miss Lola and
with simple unconventionality she showed
us her radiantly clean and dainty house
and her stock of hose and mittens, gath
cred sweet bouquets Of her garden treasures
for us and asked us Oh leaving to come
back again.
When Stella had donated some skins of
red yarn toward her charities and we were
on our way home, she told me Miss Lola's
| story
| When Lola was 10 years old, her father
had clerk of IS in his store who boarded
in the family. His name was Greene Jones.
No doubt he considered himself vastly
Lola's senior. He petted the child, named
her favorte doll Eva Roberta and called
her y Miss Lola his little wife" and
Mrs Greene Jones'" She must have
been a child of deep and sensitive feelings
and thought that when she had grown up
they would be married. She sat beside
him ut the table, and on her birthday and
holidays he gave her pretty trinkets and
books with bright covers, containing such
thrilling tales as 1.-The Little Orange Grip
and "Mary's First Falsehood." Among
the gifts of this adolescent youth, who was
largely composed of legs and arms, was q
pink coral necklace and a locket that con-
picture that featured" Greene Jones to
at.
One day. when he was 20 years old and
Miss Lola was IL, he went on weeks va
cation He kissed her before going and
said: "Goodby, little sweetheart Don't
forget mel' She cried herself to sleep that
night. In a week after he came back in
company with stoop shOuldered young
person, with hay colored hair and weak
eyes, who wore u bright yellow ribbon on
her bonnet, and whom hcintroduced to the
family as MRS. Greene Jones'" Miss Lola
stared at them both for q moment in indig-
nant amazement and then in the general
handshaking disappeared from the room.
She went to her dolls cradle in the nurs-
cry and lifted Eva Roberta in her arms.
The doll sleeping peacefully, knew not
her coming doom, she was carried to tho
stone doorstep, and her china brains were
there vicously beaten out. The Little
Orange Girl" and the coral necklace and
locket were led to the kitchen fire. Miss
Lola then wrote in her childish diary: II
have been deceived by Cream Jones. shall
neverluy another. will be a man hater"
And" said Stella, 'she has kept her
VOW. She turned queer from that time
on-lovely and charitable to women and
children, but Halter to men and boys.
When she was n young woman, her parents
died and left her that house and a tidy sum
of money. She knits and sews for the
poor. She raises her flowers for the sick
and sorrowful-old fashioned ones to re-
mind them of old homes and speak to their
hearts. They know her well at the hospitals
and the Open Door Sometimes she walks
the streets after nightfall with bunch of
these flowers in her hand. When she sees
a painted Magdalene under the gaslight she
goes up and gives them to her and says:
Take these flowers, my dear. Think of
God and your mother and try to be good
Oh" concluded Stella, II wish my life
amounted to half as much as hers does"
Miss Lola died suddenly few nights
later of heart disease. Among the piles of
smooth lavender scented linen in one of her
bureau drawers the women who laid her
out" found paper labeled my Last Will
and Testament" When it came to be pro-
bated, it was found that it did not leave her
estate or any part of it to the church, the
hospital nor the "Open Door" for Magda-
lenes. 1t was all devised and bequeathed
to my old friend, Greene Jones, now liv-
ing in Rutland, VT, who is said to be sick
A a 4 4.