The record-union., 1896-12-20
A WINTER ROSE.
written for the Record Union. .

4 - ~ AN 4 LA AsO~ASe
written for the Record Union" !"
| by LEM
Announced by all the trumpets Of
| the sky" winter had arrived, and
King Frost's cold hand had grasped all
the soft, sweet, lovely things of sum-
mer; yet love and romance were
abroad in the land. evading all frosty
touches by hiding behind the flames of
love that burn like the vestals lamp
perpetually.
Rem Solomon, bachelor, would never
| listen to this sort of TRADE about ro-
nance. Life is prosaic. and always
| will be-" he would say in his cynical
way peculiar to the genus, and he
| would add: The DID,, old story is an
| old fib''
| If Cupid could hear him say this
| can imagine how the sly rogue would
| brush the tip of his arrow against his
pink cheek, and then draw a hair from
| Ren's sleek brown head, trying 1T
| against the barb to test it's sharpness,
| wink his eye and shoot the arrow at
Ren's wOrld-hardened heart. Presto! A
change that love always makes in
prince or peasant when he enters the
heart. Rem was at his lonely breakfast
| in a pretty, well-furnished room. the
stiff, uncompromising air of which gave
no evidence of woman's touch other
than the unlittered. cleared-away look
of a paid housekeeper who brought
strength and cleanliness but not taste
| to her work.
1 tn, ,.1cv, ofa in11c
mammas, was considered "a good bit Of
catch Why lie was single was a
mystery only equal to THE Lady or
the Tiger
| A blind aunt of GO years who shared
his heart and home in summer could
testify of the warmth of one and the
deSirability of the other, and Rem
missed her cheerful presence that drew
| the best of him forth-a tender, prOtec-
| tive chivalry of a young man for age
| and helplessness. His aunt left him
when winter came for more congenial
climate, and left to himself he was apt
to be cynical and frosty as the weather
| itself
| number of young people were just
passing the house, bound on a snow
| shoeing expedition to the Northwest
1 Arm, cove that made UP from the
bay. the shores of which were wooded
| with pine and fir. In winter this cove
| afforded excellent skating.
Dolly Mclean, one of the party, was
| the prettiest creature imaginable-tall
| and slight with rosy cheeks, golden
hair and laughing dark-blue eyes; un-
der the darkest brows, the curling dark
| lashes gave an added charm to her
piquant face.
That is a gloomy old house." said
| Dolly, indicating with her eyes Ren's
| home
ooh, if you'd marry Ren Solomon
you'd brighten it up. You'd better pro-
pose this year." said Belle Benton, one
of the group. The clear, shrill, girlish
voice fairly rang out on the frosty air.
Hush. hush! He will surely hear"
| demonstrated another.
Belle was rafting ON when a snow
ball hastily constructed by Dolly flew
| through the air, not hitting, of course,
the speaker, for whom it was intended,
| but the window pane of the house
spoken of. just as Rem was breaking
| Il boiled egg into a glass, knocking it
out of his hand, striking his head and
| a syrup jug in its course, then finally
sitting into a handful Of fragments on
| the red hearth rug.
"Tll hang that imp if I catch him."
| said Rem wrathfully as he arose and
| went to the door, only to see three in
nocent-lOCking young ladies turning the
| corner. So he returned to the room
muttering: 1T might have done more
damage, confound him.
| AS he stopped to pick up the scat
tered snow he saw dainty white lawn
| handkerchief with Dolly" embroidered
in the corner and family perfumed with
apple blossom.
| In her hurry she had rolled it snug
and fast in the snowy fruit as a pith.
Rem looked at it in a dazed way, then
| folded it and put it in his pocketbook,
| finished his breakfast and started down
town.
| The galleries of the skating rink were
well filled with promenaders. The band
on their own balcony, flag adorned and
| brilliantly lit. were playing waltzes,
and the skaters were skimming in airy
| Swallow-like flights in time to the
music. Here and there were trios do
ing the Dutch row" easily and grace
fully, as if balancing on one foot steel
shod and swinging the other foot across
it in waltz time was as easy as waltz
| ing in a room.
| When the great gong would strike
each skater would gracefully turn and
go to the other side of the rink, so COL
| lisions We're avoided
| Rem happened in to look on and soon
his dark eyes rested on and followed
| ffxr tbn
suit trimmed with chinchilla. Who she
was he did not know, and he dreaded
chatting too much to ask anyone of
his numerous friends on or off the ice
who We're passing him every minute,
so he only stood and gazed
| Dolly is going home now, she will
lend you her skates called out fresh
young voice near Rem to one of the
girls looking on. And the blue-robed
skater, Dolly, came up swiftly to the
platform. her blue eyes sparkling and
her cheeks aglow with rose tirrs.
| Yes, take mine: it's too delicious to
miss one note of that music" said
Dolly, deftly seating herself and remov-
ing her skates. With. just the daintiest
| twirl Of her hands she adjusted her
suit as she stood up, graceful and slim,
and with a hurried good night flashed
out the doorway like a hurrying Gin
derella at the Princes ball
| The rink was a mile from her home
on the Northwest Arm, and Dolly usu-
ally took car to the banks of this
cove, and in summer rowed herself
| across In winter she usually crossed
| on the ice instead of taking the long
| road around.