The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-12-02
GHOSTS OF THE FLOWERS.
They Were to he Seen In the wintry Fields
on Thank giving bay.

Ono can In some years gather hereabouts on
Thanksgiving Day a bouquet that includes half
a dozen varieties OF wild blossoms, but no such
thing was possible ON the Thanksgiving Day Of
1904. Hard frosts In mid-Noyember overtake
and destroy the last lingering wild flowers OF
the year. Such a frost overlook this years
latest hardy wild flowers nearly ten days before
the coming OF the festival. and helped to give
the day q wintry aspect
The sole blossom that showed itself on Thanks
giving Day was the dandellon, covering here
and there, half opened, Its fluffy gold furnished,
its leaves dark as with frost-ourdled blood. 1t
was the only blossom present In the flesh. so to
speak. but the ghosts OF half q dozen others
haunted the wintry fields in hooking array.
The dandelion's own ghost was wanting. The
last scrap OF its downy delicacy had been cast to
the winds. and scarce even the bald button that
Is usually left was visible. The ghostly COM
pAny OF wild carrot blossoms looked like the
wreck OF fairy machinery, with delicate wheels
aud spindles in train, filing spokes with missing
tires. all done with the mathematical nicely
that marks the umbels OF the wild car rot.
There were other tiny colorless wheels in tho
ghosuy company, the carefully constructed
skeletons upon which nature builds Lor jewel
led wonders.
But, above all, there were the ghosts OF tho
goldenrOds by the thousand. Perhaps tho
whole sixty odd varieties were not represented,
but the characteristic peculiarities OF the most
familiar were easily distinguishable. and Of
some the forms were almost perfectly preserved.
IL seemed scarcely believable that the duffy
things were only ghosts after all, standing there
in tall array and lacking hardly more than the
color OF their real selves. The Illusion was 50
strong that Imagination supplied the color. and
there rose tie vision OF the lane where the
ghosts were. clad la its early September gulss,
With yet unchanged greenery Of the grass and
foliage, tangle OF luxurious vines unchecked ia
their tide OF life, Tipening fruits, aud all the
HThs IoyeIiest and tie shsostliest OF ali ihe
blossom ghosts we're the gOssaner moons OF the
elematis, airily hanging low amid a dun Stag of
aud ali looked as n they would melt the next
moment into the uniform brown OF their TRINA
ment. Close beside the ghosts Al the cleInatis
some brown and without semblancs OF life,
others OF an exquisite rich yelyety red that
mimicked life TO perfection. But the hyest
looking sumAo. and even the realistic ghosts OF
the goldennOds, lacked one charming feature OF
their living selves, aud that lack Instantly de-
sILoys1 hhe re Sin5 sI sol 1he h9dded
months ago, but merely shook with the palsy Of
age, gtin and sapless In death. robbed OF grace
But II the shostly blossoms lacked the tints OF
life, the Th~knksgiytng landscape was not alto
Rether without Color. A dim mist on the pale
ths TINA Hfeless By the FecedlnR zap the grass
was blAekish7gresn, az k the bruised grass OF
midsummer; and even the belatsd mullen, shoTn
his thick flannel But hips were salmon red,
and the lingering rose leayes had Stin = touch Of
their late autumn warmth Imagination. or
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