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


times called her so-"Annie, you are
not well, are you?"
"I? AS well as can be-" she said
quickly.
"Then you work too hard"
Work never hurt anybody, and
never will" she said quite emphatical-
ly. She had buried the rose, and now
she gave II a very firm pressure with
the toe of her small boot.
81 hope have done nothing TO offend
you" the captain went on"
"Oh, nothing" 1t is a wonder Miss
Anna did not tread the rose TO death.
"Well, you see." the captain began,
"I didn't know but that you'd misun-
derstood me about Jim Benton. Annie,
you've seemed so different and-hard
since. l didn't mean to say anything
about it. ever again-but-but-I
thought maybe you thought 1 ought
to-"
Thought you ought to? "Why"'
This was not helping him out much,
and the captain needed help If he ever
needed it in his life.
81 thought maybe you cared for O..
Just little bit, you know, Annie-aud
that you might think ! ought not TO
have said what did that I ought -
Miss Anna stopped down now to
straighten the leaves which she had
disarranged with her foot, and he could
not see her face.
Though I cared for you " she said
quite slowly and deliberately. II don't
see what could have made you think
so, | am sure, Josh"
And the captain wondered himself
what had made him such a fool, and
devoutly wished he had never been
born. But he had been, and there he
was and he must keep on being there
and seeing Miss Anna every day of
the world and loving her more and
more each day, and knowing that she
never had any never would care a snap
for him.
Early in the spring. before there were
any other roses on the place or in the
whole village, Miss Annals new vine
threw up three long green shoots that
were fairly studded with pinky-white
buds.
IT'S too early. Anna" the captain
said The frost will catch them"
And sure enough it did, but there
were plenty of others that came later,
stiff stalks into shape trying to make
them cling to the trellis.
But somehow the captain was not
quite pleased with the rose even when
the pin buds burst, and gradually fad
ed into big Creamy-white blossoms. 1t
didn't seem natural. he said. 1t seemed
to him that Miss Anna was training it.
and forcing it out of it's true nature
Miss Anna said that for her part she
thought flowers needed training just
as much as folks did. If their first in
tentions were wrong it was well enough
to train them right. Folks could train
themselves. If they would, but flowers
had to be coaXed.
But the captain was not satisfied
He did not like going against nature
and it seemed to him that Miss Anna
was using the same process with her
self as she exercised over the rose. The
whole thing hurt him.
1T is a pervert, Annie" he said one
morning, seeing her fill her big baskei
from the long shoots that sprawle
quite up to the house top now, land
don't like perverts, either flowers pr
folks They ought to be what God
meant them to be-"
There was a suspicion of a twinkle In
the captains blue eyes. He had come
to understand things better. Miss An
ma, flashing a quick glance at him
caught the twinkle on the rebound as
it were, and answered quite sharply
"Pervert or no pervert, I am salts
fed"
"Do you think you will be always? -
he asked. The twinkle had left his
eyes, and instead there was an eager
longing look in their faded depths
Are you never going to-to-Cut that
rose back and let it be a hush?"
Never" she said, and the captain
was left standing with his shirt-sleevef
arms folded atop of the fence where
the little gate used to swing.
But the captain did not give up
Having once understood there was nc
backing out so the question grew tc
be habit with him, growing from
month by month to week by week am
day by day.
AREN'T YOU ready to trim that rOs,
vine, yet, Annie?" came to be his
| morning greeting to her But "Na'
continued to be her response. Other
wise things were changed and changin.
| around them. The captain plantation
had gone along with many others !:
the community to satisfy Jim Benton,
claim for running" il. In the cap,
tain's garden roses and honeysucLl
ran riot, and grass tangled amid tn,
thyme and lavender The captain
knee was growing so stiff from tn,
Yankee bullet that he brought HON,
in 1t that he could SCarcc'y stoop eya.
to weed his garden. On Miss Anna
side of the fence things prospeicd. Ha
scheme for enlargng and improving
her garden had bean a good one. TIL,
train which by and by came to pas,
the sleepy little village carried int
| town daily hamper after hamper OF
flowers from Miss Annals yard. The!
brought a good prize too, and The bust
ness was steady. From March Ia
Christmas there was never day tha
the flowers failed her. The Climbinl
Devoniensis. as aho would call it, wa.
| much sought after. hec dealer wrote
her, and always br0ught a fancy price
1t CHANGED that the rose was i'm ful
bloom in March, when tho clptain'y
| old mother died. and Miss Anna fairl,
covered the Hoffln with the creamy.
white blossoms. Afte, that Ihe rCst
semed sweeter. dearrr t. the captain
| Very sweet indeed it seemed to hin
that summer day a few months later
| when he bade gDod-byc for n littl,
while to the little village. The poo
left knee, stiff these mary years will
its Yankee bullet, had grown more ali,
more painful, ana the captain was go
Ing to town to see what could be done
There followed long days If painful
waiting in the old hospital, but the
| captains heart was not cast down. fl
LnnA,. "a hnnn hid