Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1896-01-09
IN THE GARDEN,

space, not more than 200 yards, perhaps,
bounded by high stone wall, and then
you may have somc faint conception of the
loneliness of this old garden that l am
thinking of.
What roses grew therel And then there
were all sorts of plants and herbs and
flowers that only our grandmothers know
the secret of growing.
What paradise for insects and birds
was there! They hummed and droned and
chirped and twittered and nestled and sang
and lived their happy lives out unmo-
Tested.
All this busy life was at it's busiest
when Cousin Marian came to us, and as
she stepped for the first time into the gar
den the roses threw out sweetcr hreaths,
the birds sang their 1oveliest, and the ap-
pie blossoms over her head flushed q deeper
pink for very joy, or so, at least, it seemed
to the boy watching from the garden wall.
The old garden was as much his as mine,
for the tall, handsome lad was Neighbor
Cray's Phil, and Phil Cray had always
claimed q share Of my childhood.
''Grandmother Is as much mine as II
she had been born So" he reasoned in his
convincing way, "for love her as much
as any boy could love 40 own grandmoth-
Is to blame for not depositing you in the
nest intended for my little sister" And SO
he had his will. But Phil was going
away to be gone five years, and he was
taking q farewell look of the garden, when
his eyes fell upon Cousin Marian, stand
ing in her white dress where the sunlight,
Pickering through the apple boughs,
caught the CLINT OF gold in her bright hair.
"A picture to delight the heart of man !"
the boy thought.
Phil remained away the whole Of the al
lotted five years, graduating in his profess
sion in New York, then spending two
years abroad making special studies in
Paris and Berlin. In his frequent letters
to grandmother and me do not think he
ever mentioned Cousin Marian's name,
though we wrote OF her always, as people
naturally write OF one who Is very neal
and dear, and SO he came to know all the
happenings of her whole sweet girlish life
Through all the years, with their varying
changes and chances, u vision of girl
with sun bright hair and violet eyes that
had the wide open, innocent look Of n
child's walked beside the young fellow,
making him strong to resist tho tempta-
tions which ever beset the path OF ardent
young manhood.
And the girl had passed from childhood
into woih&nhood, leaving her vitality be-
hind 1t would SEEM for the past two years
had been spent by Cousin Marian at the
conservatory, where she pursued her mu-
Steal studies with snch araor as TO come
nome at length crowned with honors, II
Is true, but u physical wreck, her nervous
system completely shattered with sensl'
tive dread she shrank from seeing any one
Ii al E1lintf 9Th
dosed her with the loving care and tender
ness he would have bestowed upon a
daughter of his own, but she grew worse
instead OF better, and gradually our
friends came to us only by stealth, rs it
were, when she was safe IN her own room,
and hope Wa ding out OF our hearts
when Phl ci'i.:o home
Old l'r. FI'i"'t was cloSetcd with him
for hours II" dry after his arrival, ana
when lie lSit h'in he came straight to
granu'npih'', advising her to put Cousin
Marian ease MO the hanus ct Ut. Phll,
ana somehow nope revived W!thln us
mat AFTERNOON we three were IN the gar.
den-Erahdmother' cousin Marian ana
-Erahdmother sitting by the lnNaild
chair holding some iieecy white knitting
IN her hhhdH, Nheh we saw ihll' tau ana
distinguished I"""lher anu on, now hahu'
some walking straight toward us. or.hd-
mother talked on IN sort low tones,
thoGRh SAW her GEAR oid hahds tremole'
ana she dropped more stitches THAN ihe
SHINING needles caught up. ana as lhli
reached lis she SAID calmly
rms Is our old FRIEND, fhll cray,
Marian dear anu fhli taxing on ms nat
leaning over and taxing Cousin Marian
slim, passive hand In his, holding 1t a
moment not speaking hut looking IN
tentfy into the eyes which We're wide open,
gazing up INTO his. releasing The hdi d
gently, he sat down by me and began tC
tax oil ola days
Presently saw that COUSIN Marian had
uQ"u her lace as IL Iad hot worn LOT many
t 49,. n'! '.i,;, al,, I"- st,
az" "iS '''i9 "',ii''S "'N'' i'.i y