Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1895-04-27

| tureSQue charm OF untramme!eu
bloom and fragrance. Jacob
Dealtry was his own gardener
as we'll . as, houseleeper; and
while he watered the trees and plants
likely to perish of drouth, he would
suffer no pruning nor wedding on his
premises
Let the flowers have their own
way" he would reason querulously,
as he pottered about with copper
vessel of water to refresh parched
roots.
Dolores had strict injunctions to at
tempt no amateur cultivation, in
youthful zeal. She might pluck the
flowers to place in her hair, and cor
sage, or gather such rare fruit as de-
crepit orange, citron, fig, or nespoli
yielded to white little teeth, but the
stem must be respected. Not that
Dolores cared a straw for the prohi-
bition. Incidence made her prefer to
dream in the Pickering shadow of the
leaves, swayed by the warm wind.
rather than to hurt her soft fingers
pulling up rank weeds Order and
symmetry had few attractions for the
girl, whose sunny and buoyant nature
had escaped from all endeavors to in
culcate chill and formal discipline on
the part of the pale sisters of the con-
vent school; as the vines climbed in
wayward luXuriance over the wall,
spurning the support of nail and lat
tice, to gain the sweetness and light
of upper air.
In the memory of Dolores the gar
den had always been there, tangled
and neglected, just as the house re-
manned unchanged. The watch-tow-
ers. built under the rule of Martin de
Redin TO guard the coast from the
sudden invasion of the Turks, and
now serving as signal and telegraphic
stations did not resemble the beacon
tenanted by the Dealtries, with its un-
finished turret and dilapidated mason
ry. Wind, sun and storm had swept
over and ravagcd both trees and habi-
tation.
Life had been Kaleidoscope to
Dolores, composed of bits of gay color,
puzzling patterns and vanishing
shapes. Grandfather made few expla-
nations of any sort to her lively, child
ish intelligence, and tolerated her
presence beneath his roof at the best.
: An old neighbor came at stated inter
vals to sweep and garnish the narrow
interior of the tower and spread the
household linen to dry in the sum- but
Dolores was not expected to assist
her in any way. Jacob Dealtry's pro-
hibition of all manifestations of femi-
nine industry on the part of his grand
1 child seemed to arise from distrust
of her capacity.
do not touch anything" he would
4 say; you will only break and drop
' my glass"
Il have never broken glass, grand
papa" protested Dolores with tears
? of vexation rising to her dark eyes.
Then Jacob Dealtry shook his head.
S Before floating bits of straw on the
a basin of the fountain-a tiny squad
ron speedilyswrecked by gold fish
T. the girls recollections were vague
e consisting of perpetual comings and
n goings. in fruitless fashion; o.
: glimpses of foreign towns, and Of
long, wearisome voyages on board o1
0 dirty ships
4 There had been young man, ap
n her and often carried her about on his
; shoulder. She remcm bered pretty
mother, with black lace mantills
t over her head, and the fan, which sht
still treasured in painted box.
nurse named Pepita, with dark ant
smiling face, who wore big gold ear
rings that swung in the sunshine tt
S attract baby fingers, was fainte'
e image. The mother had dwelt here a
Malta for some years, and in dying
had commended her child to the car,
l. of the nuns, who had impaired sucl
9 instruction as she had ever received
u The father and the nurse, Pepita, hat
/ vanished altogether and never re
turned
h h Jacob Dealtry had tolerated tn,
y presence of the mother and child will
an unsympathetic resignation. Lef
alone, as an orphan, Dolores was mad,
= to understand that the bread of pov
a erty would be her portion. Povert,
= did not dismay her. She was not op
: pressed by'loneliness, because she wa
: unused to companionship. She had al
. :, the lightheartedness of the Andalu
'. sian, amounting to sheer giddiness a
" times, and a heart full of enthusiasm
> as yet untainted by latent possibilitie
. of cruelty and revenge. She loved th
y gnarled trees of the garden and tn
pigeons She wove her own fancie
> about the sea, visible in the distance
;, and whispered babbling secrets to TIN
g flowers, until her grandfather gav
h her the little dog Florio, obtained b.
= him in exchange for mural table
;. and cinerary urn.
- You must allow the dog to slce]
i in the hall, child" said the old man
o ''These small dogs awaken and bari
> at the slightest noise. Florio will
= guard the house"
s "We are too poor to tempt thieves,
), retorted Dolores, laughing, and rcceiv
q ing the pet in her arms.