Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-04-01
Ar ARLISGToN IInIaHrs.


To the Gazette
In childhood's days I've wandered Ger
this undulatlng sod.
To gather prairie lilies, and the gaudy
golden-rod;
And Irvine In gorgeous garlands, to
deck a fair. young brow,
A multitude Of posies that have ceased
to grow here now.
In memory ] recall them--in memy
they repose--
I miss them all, but miss the most, the
wild, white prairie rose.
In days when artists fancIes were
strangers to these hills,
When lusty bass and sun-fish laved In
limpid, crystal rills.
A boy, unchecked by lines or bounds,
from dawn Of day till close,
I've roved these fields. by nature sown,
to Gull that wild, white rose.
Its modest habits seemed to court ex-
clusion from the view.
Content TO shed Its redolence on every
breeze that blew
OF all the flowers IN natures realm. no
other could exhale
Such unapproachable perfume, on
woodland heath or vale,
Its tender roots. domestic care would
wlther and decay
And with my holcyon, boyhood days,
this rare flower passed away
In manhood's early flush. Iagain.
came among those flowers,
But found no rose TO welcome me- as
in mytSouthful hours.
1 missed Its woolng fragrance, It's pure,
white, modest face
The landscape gardeners hand had
changed but sadly marred the
place
Whore countless Howery. noddlng
plumes once reveled in the breez,
A gravel walk stretched broad and
t.sf 90 f.F MA tod fsasa
The crystal brook no more was there,
It's pebbled bed was dry
with foOt-bridge they had spanned its
course. TO please an artists eye.
While standing on this unused bridge.
l saw a sad day close.
For IN its hRunts Of former years. I'd
found no Wild white rose.
With aching heart ] left the scene
where gay young people meet
To chase the fieeting summer hours
with music-measured feet
For me. these Heights had lost their
charm. and there was no repose
For one who sought, but vainly sought,
a fragrant, pure white rose.
Again. when full-crowned manhood's
years had touched my locks with
gray
I sought these undulatlng grounds to
spend a winters day
A Southern sun and cloudless sky. con-
snired to change the scene
From falling SHOWS of yesterday, TO
Mays enhancing sheen
No flower had raised Its modest head
above the barren ground,
Save one, the fragrant wild, white
rose Of other days found.
In all its native purity It bloomed as
I'm the past
And its former matchless fragrance
was on the zephyrs cast,
In form of peerless womanhood, this
lovely rose was clad.
Retaining all the attributes the extinct
roses had.
In pulse reiuvenescent, nv youthful
heart returned,
And psat-up, wild. unbridled love.
within my bosom burned.
Oheying that consuming fire that
glowed within my breast
Upon that maiden's ruby lips lovers
kiss I pressed
One moment. oh, the rapturel felt
those lips respond,
And knew the long-sought wild white
rose of other days I'd found:
For all Its shy tmidlty Of days agone
returned
And a glow OF maiden modesty. in
crimson bushes burned
on cheeks like alabaster as she begged
me to desist,
As maiden, unbetrothed. should be, by
no mere sweetheart kissed"
Her perfect modesty had touched the
handspring OF my heart,
And / fancied myself captive to the
willy Blind Gods art
Together, standing on the bridge, we
saw the day-gods head
Recline upon the Evenings lap--the
western sky grow red
And amber-tinted rays OF light high
towards the zenith rise,
As Night with sable curtain, yelled
the azure OF the skies,
And golden stars. with brilliant gems.
studded the vault above
And bade us drink no deeper from the
flowing bowl Of Love.
l love the untuned voices OF forest, field
and stream
1 love the iridesoent glow Of sunlight's
fading gleam-
love my native sunny land--lts queens
and cavaliers
love Its tempests' fury-as the music
OF the Spheres
I love all nature-love this life--its
action and repose.
| But most love that fairy queen-that
fragrant, pure. white rose
Arlington Heights, Sunday. Feb. 25, 1884
Los Angles has sewerage system
| which carries the sewage sixteen miles