Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1898-04-29
Reuben Coles Change.
NY AvSrr whwIr.rov roYvpLL.
d roses, Reuben?" Leah Cole

said, quietly.
The seed catalogue lay open, and
she could see the bunch OF thrifty
onions on the open page. Reuben
most always ended his list with onionsl
There wasn't time to wait any longer
it was now or never.
"And roses, Reuben?"
Reuben Cole bent over his laboring
pen, apparently deaf to the gentle,
wistfnl voice. His hand was painfully
cramped, aud the parallel lines in
dented between his eyebrows told OF
his mental toiling. Flowing half
day, steady, on the windy side of
Stone Scrabble hill was nothing to
this.
Leah could have helped him il she
had only dared to suggest it; but to
her simple vision there was something
majestic and unapproachable about
Reuben with pen gripped in his fin-
gers. 1t required all her courage to
mention her hearts desire - the
roses.
''But Tn bound I will, she COM
muned with herself, stoutly. "I'll do
my part, an that's all the Angel Ga
briel could do il he wanted Reuben to
put robes onto his list"
But her heart failed her as she
watched Reuben's slow pen trace
"two packages of best onion sced,"
and then sign "Reuben Cole" in great
quivery letters. 1t did not write
Crosses" aud Leah Coles plaintiye
face fell.
Reuben Cole was not deaf. None
of the Coles had ever been, even in
their eighties. 1t was matter of
family pride with them all
He had heard Leah's gentle re-
minder about the roses--oh, yes, but
he had let it pass uuheeded, just as he
had the year before and the year be-
fore that. Leah always put in her
oar TO- some foolisbncss like that
every time he sent off his order for
seeds and berry caues. One year it
was towering almonds an some kind
Of Tartar honeysuckles. II lie got 'em
once he'd have to again, and wasn't it
about all he could do to manage the
garden sauce? They'd got to have
that, but they hadn't got to have
mess o. bushes an flower beds litter
ing up the front yard. Leah was real
curious about that.
The Cole farm was a prosperous
one. According to it's place in the
taxgather's books, it ranked as one Of
the thriftiest in the town. There
were always the newest varieties OF
small fruits in it's berry patch and the
newest kind of garden sauce in it's
garden. It's field crops were fine i it's
level moving fields wonderfully pro-
ductive. The ne;ghbors averred that
they never did see greeuer, heavier
grass than g,ew in Reubea Coles
meadows, and his loads o. hay at hay
ing time were sights to behold.
But the front yard at the Coles was
barren and dismal. To be sure, there
were Lesh's beds of old.fashoned
flowers that she spaded and tended
herself with steady patience; but they
had q discouraged look in spite of
her care. The little old-time posies
refused to blossom thrifty iu such
barren, undressed soil, and Reuben
could not spare any dressing for it.
But the grass--oh, that was the
worst! 1t tormeuted poor Leah's
beauty-loving eyes summer after sum-
mer. She did 50 long to see it bril-
liantly green and carpety, like other
peoples front yard grass. Across
the street, little way down the hill,
the Hobbs grass was 80 green. You
could feast your eyes on it an bury
your feet in its luxuriatin' thickness
an they always kept it moved.
Leah Cole did her own front-yard
moving. 1t was not very successful.
The day after the seed list was sent
off, Leah took her sewing out into the
yard. 1t was one of those surprising
iy warm, summary days that come
sometimes in early spring, and she
could not resist the temptation OF ito
But she did not sew much. She wan
dered wistfully rouud tile big, bare
enclosure, girt in by it's unkempt
fence. 1t took all Reuben's time to
keep the pasture fences trim.
~ b uiCe'suupcu yuru, muir
INJURED Leah. "It's got the 'possibles'
in it. Mowin' an dressin' an fixin'
MP the bushes an things-land alive!
wouldn't they make it nicep I'd like
70 see it Jest once before diep'
She went about picking ont her
"sites," as she called them-this cor
ncr where she wanted Tar,arian
honeysuckle like Amanda Hobbs
this little long;sh place where she
wanted row O. rosebushes = this shell
tered spot for the towering almond.
There were good many sites.