Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-07-13

the hour OF the latter triumph. Inc
prince praised him, loaded him with gifts
and appointed him head gardener of his
country seat.
He then asked how the flower had been
produced AS he heard the question, some
demon must have prompted the florist, or
he unblushingly answered that part of the
secret he had learned himself and part he
had purchased from Matsuda and Nomori
for 500 pieces Of silver to be used as
O-San's wedding portion.
The story was plausible, and the daimio
was enraged. He dismissed Maruki and
sent for his two florists. They came, and
of course, protested their innocence But
their pleas were Of no avail. The prince
was so incensed that he decreed them to
be thrown into Jail, to be taken out every
morning by a guard, allowed to work in
the garden and returned in the evening,
and that if they did not produce red
chrysanthemum within year both should
be beheaded.
When the evil news reached O-San, the
poor girl tainted and did not regain her
strength until the next day. Then she
went out into the garden and tried to talk
with her father and her lover. At first the
guards repulsed her, but soldiers have
usually kind hearts beneath rough exte-
riors, and after many entreaties they per-
mitted her to do as she desired.
The conversation was not reassuring.
Neither Matsuda nor Nomori had the least
conception of how the flower had been
produced or even Of any way in which to
begin experimenting in the matter. The
day passed in this manner, and at evening
O-San went home much dispirited
The next morning she started early and
called upon all the florists in the neighbor-
hood and asked them if they knew. Not
one of them did. Not one had ever dreamed
Of anything like it, She continued her
quest day after day with no success, al
ways arriving home in time to say some
thing encouraging to her father and lover.
When two months had slipped by, poor
O-San found that she had seen every fiori.
culturist in that part of the country ex-
cepting the malevolent Maruki.
Still undaunted, she again Started out to
see the astrologers, geomancers and sages.
Some Of them were kind and generous,
who, when they heard her piteous story,
would take nothing from her. Others were
greedy and scheming, who would say moth
ing until they had received large fee and
then said nothing.
In this way her little money went, Their
her jewelry and then her wedding pres
ents. BY the time she had consulted al
the wise men she was as poor as begga1
and was almost broken hearted. Three
months had passed in this way, and SHE
was almost desperate, when she heard of q
great foreign sage in neighboring city
1t was her last hope, and there she went
She found the sage, benevolent, white
haired man, who had mastered all the
learning of the world.
When she related her task, he looked
distressed and said: 81 am sorry, my
daughter. I taught Maruki the trick
which consists in feeding the chrysanthe
mum each evening at dusk with three
drops of fresh blood. The finer and pure
the blood the finer the red of the flower
Your blood would do better than mine
mine better than that Of a wicked maj
and his better than that of an animal
Maruki used that of doves"
O-San cried for joy at learning tn
strange secret.
She was home in time to see her loyet
ones, but said nothing of her discovery
That evening she selected several chrysan
themums and put them in the most favor
able place near the house. Then, cuttin
| her arm with her lovers knife, she fe
each bush with three drops of blood.
The days passed slowly. The plant
prospered amazingly, thanks to her care
which never faltered. In stormy weathe
she put umbrellas over them and boxe
around them. In chilly nights she woui
wrap them loosely in warm cloths In dr.
weather she sprayed water over the leaves
and at all times she gave the plants tn
| fertilizing fluids her father had taught he
| to prepare.
She allowed no moth OF, butterfly t
alight on them and no caterpillar or snai
to climb up the pots.
And every evening each had the thre
| drops of blood. When the buds appeared
| the bushes were models of beauty and ele
| gance. Then came the period Of intens
excitement Surprising she had made a
error2 Surprising the sage had bee
| wrong? Surprising another variety {
| flower ought to have been chosenP
All these fears filled her with dismay.
Who shall describe her feelings whe
first one bud then another and then
| dozen showed flashes of red petals beneat
| the green Govern Who shall depict her 10
| at last one morning on finding her plant
ablaze in rich, royal scarlet? How sh
| laughed and sobbed when she got ready t
carry them to the palace How the guards
| as we'll as her father and lover, carried o
when she showed them the flaming glory
| and how the prince and the court behave
! when rich blossoms shot scarlet splendc
through the palace halls is for other per
! than mine!
| But when she stood up and falteringl
told her story, and when she drew bac
the sleeve of her ikmono and showed til
beautiful arm marred by white and pin
and red scars, the daimio rose and pro-
trated himself before her.
He ennobled her, her father and her 10y
er and said that the wonderful flowt
should thereafter be known as O-San
Love, and O-San's Love 1t is even unit
this Marguerite Arlina Hamm !
New York Mail and Express
/
Needed Tonic.