Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1896-09-05
A BRIDE ROSE.

She lived in little country town.
Such a very little town that, after you
went up the dusty street, on which
there was line of low, squat buildings
bearing legends on their several
weather-beaten fronts of Family Gro
-ceries," Drug Store" Post Office" and
General Supplies Sold Here"-why,
there remained no more town to see.
The rest of the old place just trailed
off into scattered buildings, some oc-
cupied, but many falling to ruin for
want of the repair of occupancy.
But if you went swiftly along the
quiet country road after awhile you
would come upon fair white cottages,
trim and neat, set in the midst of
broad acres of cultivation; and there
would always be space reserved for the
sweet-smelling blooms of old-fashioned
flowers, such as country folk have time
10 thrust into the soft brown loan.
In one of these white cottages she
lived. A little fair "old maid," as peo-
pie called her. maidenly soul, to be
sure, looked out from her sweet eyes,
and perhaps certain gentle precision
in her neat attire, and an adherence to
ways which Miss Floribel Rose had
proved to be good, might have earned
for her the epithet considered so unwel-
come. But to me she looked the very
essence of youth and purity and un
conscious innocence.
Be all that as it may, as I started out
by saying, she lived in the country, and
in pretty cottage, with bright green
blinds and broad surrounding fields,
and the prettiest flower garden in the
whole village.
Miss Floribel had a perfect passion
'2or growing things" and it was popu-
larly believed that should she elect to
bid the town pump return to its orig
snal wildwood condition there would
at once appear those little nibs and nobs
of green which show the beginning of
growth!
Miss Floribel wrought no miracles,
however, save those needing great pa
tience and constant care. But it was a
fact that, under her gentle care, flowers
seemed to become sentient things and
appeared to develop consciences of their
own, which obligated them TO certain
amount of bud and bloom, in return
lOI HeT lnlnlSIraIlOnS.
we will peep at her as she walks
leisurely through the small gate which
divides the flower from the kitchen gar
den on balmy May morning. She is
tiny woman-small head, small hands,
small feet and delicate features, with
fiower-like ripples and lines along her
gentle fairness. Her hair is soft and
brown, and waves away from a sweet,
placid forehead in smart, crisp little
rripples, which necessitate frequent ap-
plications of Miss Florbel's small pink
palm in series of subjugatory pats and
pressures. Her eyes are of deep and
sshadowy blue, and they look straight
out into this workaday world with an
expression of pleased surprise at find
ing it so good" Her figure is all soft,
warm curves; and she has many
-dimples which come and go in all man
ner of unexpected places. For instance,
who would ever expect to see little
quavering dimple set up for itself high
on the delicate bloom of an "old maids"
cheek? Very high up, so that when
she smiled at you, which she very fire.
quently did, there it was, provoking
piece of prettiness, near to the sweep
of the curling lashes, and in nest of
soft rose-color, which was the flush on
Miss Floribel's sweet cheek
On one side of the long, deep gallery
or veranda, that ran all across the front
of the white cottage grew a tall rose
bush, with long, delicately-futed foil
age and buds of pure, suow-whiteness,
cleaning in the midst of all the pale
sgreenness of the bush. This rose held a
strange place in Miss Floribel's life
Twenty years ago there had gone
from the village gay, rollicking lad
with reckless record back of him and
all sorts of possibilities fronting him
He was beautiful, to begin with, with
the beauty of slim, graceful lines, high
spirited and clear-cut features and deer
and rich coloring. He yas gifted
learning all that the grabbed I'D scholar
who taught the village school could
teach him, in the time in which this
other lads had just begun to compre.
hend, and assimilating all of outside
information that came his way. He was
"A fayorite with all who knew him, as
much for his lonely, solitary existence
las for his charm of person and man
ner.
About his mother had clustered ths
village romance. An undutiful daugh
ter--a runaway marriage-and the in
evitable sequel; the roturn to the state