The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-09-30

r thing about roses COulu tell lndt
"a by it's heavy woody stalk and its
struggling limbs. That is every
body except just Miss Anna her
self. Yet instead Of trailing, as
all well-conducted vines should, 1t fair
ly sprawled against Miss Anna's front
trellis, throwing out long succulent
green shoots that nodded and bent ana
twisted among the Stats, but woull
not cling. A climbing Devoniensis
Miss Anna called it, and could always
produce the little wooden florists tas
with the name written on 1t to prove
the truth of her assertion.
In the sense that climbing means as
cending, the rose was most assuredly
and undisputably a climber. There
were not more than six inches of feeble
stalk showing above ground when Miss
Anna first got 1t from the green house,
but by the next fall the rose had sent
out long shoots that reached half way
UP the trells
cit is a pervert," the captain had
said, even at that time. And very
serious time it was for the captain, as
events proved.
Now you must know, Miss Anna's
garden and the captains adjoined.
They had always done so, once more
Intimately even than they did now,
for then only a trim privet hedge had
separated them. Splitting the hedge
midway, a wicket gate had swung.
opening either way upon neat little
gravel walks that led to both houses.
In those days both the captains moth
er and father and Miss Annals mother
and father had been alive, and sage
and lavender and thyme and sweet
marjoram had hampered the gravel
walks, and honeysucke and virgins
bower and Ranksia and Grenelle roses
had trailed on both porChes. In those
days, too, Miss Annals gray hair had
been brown and the captains bronZed
and beared face had been smooth and
fair.
The very end Of those day had come.
perhaps, that night when the captain
stood on his side Of the gate i'm the
moon light and told Miss Anna good
bye. He had looked very tall and
straight In his gray uniform with brass
buttons, and his plain, honest face
shone almost handsome In the moon
light.
well. goodbye, Anna" he had SAID
quite simply.
Goodbye, Josh" she said. little
tremulously. Then she waited with
her heart beating very fast.
''If I ever come back" he began.
Then he stopped and cleared his throat
and shifted his weight to his other foot
Again Miss Anna waited, and per-
haps her heart beat faster.
'If | ever come back" he went on
slowly, 81 reckon these flowers will
have grown lots"
Again Miss Anna waited and her
heart almost ceased to beat this time
but by and by she said quite calmly.
II reckon so, Josh"
Look after mother, won't you, An
na?' he asked.
"All right"
"Well. goodbye Anna"
Goodbye, Josh" and he was gone
Afterwards on the long march this
parting came back to him, and he
would have given worlds just then -
turn back and have it over again. But
when he lay almost dying in the
trenches, when the battle ragged about
his head as his comrades fell before
the foe like grain before the storm, ne
were Better by far his own sorrow
than to have brought suffering upon
her He had left her free. with all the
world before her where to choose.
But this was long ago. 1t was not
until after he came back that they
called him captain. Not because he
was one, hut because he wasn't. There
were so pitifullv few who came back
anyway, that perhaps it did not matter
Just to give an extra title now and
then.
CAPTAIN or no caDtain, he was but a
poor nitiful shadow of his former self
when he came back. Gray had already
begun to show in his sandy hair and
beard, his checks were thin and sallow.
there were no shoes on his feet and no
coat upon his stopped shoulders. But
Miss Anna had known him. She had
seen him afar off as he came limping
down the narrow village street and
stood behind the hedge and waited. 1t
was she. too, who went through the
little wicket gate and helped him un
his own steps, and told his old blind
mother, She was the only one left. The
captains father and Miss Annals faith
er and Miss Annals father and mother
all were gone.
1t was a dreary time before the cap
tain was well and strong again. In
fact, the year was we'll underway and
planting time was over. OF course
there We're no hands at the plantation
SO the crop would have to go by for
that year, if not indeed forever, for
what did the captain know about farm
Ing to be sure?
In the meantime, on Miss Annals side
OF the hedge radishes were up, lettuce
was ready to transplant and peas were
In need of sticking. She was out in the
sweet of the morning pulling the first
sprigs OF grass from among them when
she heard mighty shipping of shears
and looked up TO see the captain trim
ming some stray shoots from the pri-
vet. He was standing very near to the
gate, and she went uD and leaned upon
It to ask how he felt. Her face was
flushed with stooping and moist with
the warmth. One little brown curl had
broken from her coil and fell down
across her forehead. Her sun bonnet
hung loose by the strings framing her
sweet face.
The captain stopped his clipping
when she came up, and leaned on the
other side OF the gate 10 talk to her
Perhaps the captain was not as strong
as he fancied, for by and by ne forgot
what he had meant to say to her and
said quite gently:
do you remember when we stood
here that night in the moonlight"
Yes" she said calmly, but her eyes
were cast down.
And / said II I came back" the
captain began.