The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1900-08-15
TED'S ROSE.

SioooliS, 81 ilC hcpI IL lCchOuI lOT uTy
spots, until some one called to him
"Hello, Teddy |" said friendly
voice from the florists window. "You
look very fine this morning"
"It's my birthday, and Pm seven
years old to-day" Ted answered
proudly.
.'Well, well, you're quite man,
sure enough /" Mr.. Burke laughed
"Walt moment, Ted, have Just the
thing you want" He came out pres
emily with three long-stemmed yellow
tea-roses, their cups of gold fairly brim-
ming with delicious fragrance.
"Been training them for this very oc-
casion," he explained cheerily, "and
they opened Just in time. They'll
keep long while if you're real care
full"
Ted was inordinately fond of flow
ers-yellow tea-roses by preference
he had them on birthdays, holidays and
as often between times as his mamma
could afford but there lad been no
roses of late things had gone Woe
fully wrong at the office, and Ted had
to be contented with looking at the
plants in the florists windows. lie
thanked Mr.. Burke, and walked away
with the roses held protectingly out of
range of hurrying passers-by and it
was hard to say which was the lovelier,
the roses or the cherub face above
them.
The crowd blocked his progress at
the street corner, and while he waited
he heard man say, in a low, distinct
voice
"Honder's that mlser, Northcut, the
poorest man in New York"
"And the most unhappy" said his
companion.
Ted had the curiosity to run ahead
to look at the most unhappy man in
New York. He was very tall and
thin and sick looking. Ted wondered
how he came to be 80 well dressed, for
even to his unpracticed eye, he present
ed good appearance. Somebody
must have given him his old clothes,
of course, just as papa always gave
his clothes to poor people. Ted
watched him with sympathetic inter-
est, and even followed him to the door
of nearby restaurant where he took a
seat at side table, and Ted could see
his face very plainly. Yes he certainly
did look very unhappy, and no one
seemed to care about HIM In the least :;
he would just slip in and give him
rose that would please him.
Ted picked out the largest and hand
soonest rose and carried 1t carefully
up the fast filling aisle between the
tables and laid il n the table before
the poor"' ..appiest man in New
"nr' started, turned round, and
eyed the little donor sharply.
"Hello, who are you ?" he asked
very brusquely.
"pm Ted Winterburn," came the
surprised answer.
The old mans lips moved and he
seemed about to ask another question.
He knew Ted's father well, indeed
he had him in "corner," where he
intended to keep him till his last dol
lar was gone. The thought of that
triumph gave him a great deal of sat
isfaction when he remembered certain
affairs of the past in which Winter
burn had defeated his interests.
"Hum !" he muttered, "roses in
mid-wlnter Such extravaganza {? He
deserves his bad luck. 81 don't think
you'd better give these away" he said
aloud "they don't belong to you"
"Why, yes, they does I" Ted an
swered Indignantly "Mr. Burke
Sived them to me for my birthday"
ooh, he did ? Well, that's different
lie took the one-stemmed rose in his
thin hand and shifted at it gingerly.
"Much obliged, Pm sure" he said, on
second thought
Ted locked over the meager fare
If there was anything in the
world he disliked it was cambric tea
and dry toast, such as he saw lying
on the poor mans plate. He could |
not know that his cliend's jaded appe-
tie refused to take anything but the |
merest necessities. He slpped the
tea IN silence until the waiter
brought Ted glass OF milk on silver
salver.
"Take it," said the man authorita-
lively, and Ted found that he was
really very thirsty.
"NQw," said the poor man, when
Ted put down the empty glass, "I'd
like to know why you gave me that
rose 2"
"Because / feel sorry for you,n came
The slow and truthful answer.
"Sorry9 And why 2" he demand
ed.
"Bccause you's the very poorest
and scrriest mar IN New York"
"Tho poorest man in New York I"
he echoed, grimly. "Who told you
hat 2"
~ don't know his name. 'Twas a
man on the street, and he teled an
other man that"
ooh !" with queer, mlrthless
smile, "and you feel sorry for a poor,
stranger 2"
eyes, 1 does" said Ted, very grave
y and sweetly.
There was little embarrassed pause,
iurlng which the keen, hollow eyes
ooked into Ted's beautiful face as
,hough searching for something, which
hey must have found presently, fer
he dark, old face relaxed into smile,
which utterly contradlcted the hard,
ines about the thin lips.
81 thank you very much for the
ose, my little friend," he SAID, "but |
: ,st of all for the sweet thought that
,pte,l your kindness. It's many
since I've had such precious 6
added, with queer break In !