Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1899-06-08
IN THE SOUL
OF A ROSE.
BY OLIVE HARPER.

leading from the rivers edge to the
lawn. Her white dress and pale pink
ribbons huttered in the afternoon
breeze, and made q sharp contrast
with the vivid green around and under
her feet.
Just now she was trying to solve q
problem such as has been presented tc
most women in their time. Two men
loved her, each for different qualities.
John Strong had been her friend and
protector ever since she could remem-
Der, aud she knew his loyalty and
gooduess-but he was a plain, unas-
suming person, caring little for society
or appearance. His leisure hours were
given to the study of mechanics. He
worked in machine shop as though
proud to wear the overalls and apron.
It is true that he looked like one of
the sculpturcd gods as he stood car
essing some part of great intricate
machine, but
The other was a rich mans son, and
his long, slender hands were never
stained with toll.
Alice thought of both these men,
contrasting them, weighing them and
sometimes almost deciding in favor of
one or the other. One was educated,
but workman. The other was poll
shed, but an idler. AS often as she
thought she had decided some new
question would force her to begin all
over again. She had neither father
nor mother, and lived with her aunt,
who had just married widowed
clergyman with such an array of noisy
children that Alice felt that she really
could not bear to remain, and she
could think of no better way out of
the difficulty than to marry.
If she married John she would 90
to live in the house near the big works
where his father had lived. She would
always have enough of everything,
bat unless John invented something
valuable he would never be rich. If
she married Charles Sturgess she
would go to New York to see life as it
is in the best society. Her imagina-
tion, pictured this as an existence of
fairS like beauty with no seamy side.
Still she walked and thought, but
came to no decision. She turned to-
ward the lawn leading to the beautiful
Hudson and had gone but a few spaces
along the path when she came in sight
of Charles Stur2ess standing beside a
rose bush, whose buds were just un-
folding. He stood moAent looking
at the bush then chose the most per.
feet and loveliest bud of all and broke
1t off short without stem.
Alice stepped forward just then, and
as he bowed and spoke he tore the bud
apart and pressed it to his nostrils.
He held it thus for brief space in.
haling the fragrance, then cast it
upon the gravelel path and ground it
down out of sight with his heel.
Alice felt chill pass over her. He
must have noticed, as he smiled and
said:
81 love roses So"
81 shouldn't think it."
''But do. love to choose an un-
opened bud and tear it apart and in
hale its very SOUL"
"And throw il away after.''
"Why keep it? But let US return
to the river. The sun will soon set
and we can see the glory from"
81 must go in. Excuse me-" Say
ing this Alice fairly few to the door,
and from there to her room. She had
had shock, and she needed solitude
to measure the hurt. The man smiled
gently, sauntered on to the river side
and looked at the sunset alone. He
30
her.
In the meantime things were not
going we'll at the machine works. The
engineer had always been reliable, and
with him in charge of the great engine
that drove the ponderous machinery
all over the immense works no one
gave thought for his personal safety.
But this day, no one knew how it hap
pened, the engineer lay in stupor on
the ground, and the pressure of steam
was so great that the whole place
trembled as the wheels whirled
around. Before the danger was dis
covered it was almost too late. Hun
dreds of lives were at stake, and there
was no one to save them. John sprung
to the engine to find that the safety
valve was closed and out of order.
He leaped up and seized the bar with
his bare hands and bore his whole
weight upon Though he felt it
burn its way to the very bone.
He never knew how long he held
to the bar that let off the steam, but
when he regained consciousness, he
was lying outside on the grass. One
by one the faces he knew dawned
dimly out of the mist before his eyes.
After awhile they took him home and
q doctor dressed the burns.
Next morning John was sitting
propped up ia an arm chair with both