The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1895-06-08
THE BLUE ROSE.
BY E. NESBIT.

BY E. NESBTT.
eyes, your grandfather he was one
o the old sort-honest as the day, as
the sayin' is, an we'll brought up, if he
wasn't allus easy to live with-an'
that set on the truth, an that per-
tickler-well, if it 'adn't a bin for i'm
being that pertickler, you CELLS would
'ad a red 'aired woman to your
granny instead o. me-"
A smile went round the tea-table.
Mrs. Minver's grandchildren nodded,
and looked at ne-you know the look
when there's a story in the air and
you're expected to ask for it. But I
was too shy. 1t was my first visit to
Myrtle Cottage. Lottle Minver and
were both serving our time with Miss
Ellends, Modes ct Robes, and I was
only 16 then,
"a red 'aired woman," Mrs. Minver
went on, "an' that would a. been a.
pity on all accounts, for e was a fine
man as ever see, an me bein' no slip
of chit-'is sons all measured over
their six foot-an' all bin measured
too"
She sighed, and looked out through
the open door at the narrow strip Of
back garden where scarlet runners
and stocks and reluctant sunfowers
had been coaxed to grow. We were
having tea in the kitchen. The table
was covered with brown oilcloth. The
cups were white with mauve spots.
We had crosses for tea, and winkles,
because'it wss Sunday.
"a fine man e was to be sure" she
went on. "That's is portrait as
'angs to the right O. the parlor Chin
ney-piece, just over the crockery lamp
yer Aunt Eliza give me the very last
fair day afore the Lord took 'er. A
fine figure of a man he was, my dears,
and much sought after, but mighty
pertickler. An SO e married me-
Mrs. Mlnver smoothed her black al
paca apron complacently.
"What was it about the red-haired
young lady?" I asked.
All! that's a tale, an it just shows
'ow careful gell should be when she's
courtin'."
This sounded interesting.
"Do tell us the tale,' l urged.
"Oh! it's nothin' much to teli," said
Mrs. Minver, but she settled herself
against the cushions OF her Windsor
chair and strol-ed her left mitten with
her right hand in a way that promis-
ed
"Come, granny, tell Lily about the
blue roses.
"Old yer tongue then, till I can get
a word in hedgeways! Blue roses in
deed! Spoilin' a story afore it's begun!
Well, you must know, young lady, as
was brought up in the country-a
reg'lar Kentish apple was, my man
useter say. Our home was in Kent,
down among the cherry orchards. We
'ad a nice little orchard oursel's an
our house it was wooden 'ouse, all
built O. boards-like, not bricks like
you see 'em 'ere. An there was a big
pear-tree, as went all up one side Of
the house-one branch right and one
left-even-lile, for ali the world like a.
ladder. We useter pick the pears
outer our bedroom winder, me and
my cousin Hetty did. Jargonels they
was, an a sight sweeter than any as
goes to market nowadays.
''Our garden it wasn't much of a one
for size, but for fowers-there! it was
a perfect moral-cram full it was-all
sorts-pinks, an panzies, an lilies,
roses, jassermine, an sweet willies, an
wall flowers, and spring flowers which
is my favorites outer all the flowers" +"
"What are spring f1owers?"
'They're areg'l lar old-fashioned flow
er-gells used allus to have 'em in their
gardens long afore you was thought
of, nor me neither. Like wall-howers
they be, summat, only pink, an yeller,
an only one on stock, an soft like
velvet, an smelling like honey they did,
I haven't seen none o. them since [
come to ive,in BERN ondsey.
"Well, our little wooden 'ouse it
stood on the hill, an as you come up,
whether twas by the road, as was
white an windin, or whether.'twas by
the shorter way through the medders
an the hop-garden, the first you see
of our 'ouse was the white rose tree.
It clomb all over the side of the 'ouse
not the side where the pear-tree was,
but the other-there was no windows
that side thehouse-and the erose clomb
all along-and blow! it did blow, that
rnsa d;3 pearlWhite fhe roses was.