Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1900-10-25
@9,3a3G90s0AayA6S20ss 3

He could do one thing that would
help to pass few hours away. He
went over the next day to Warwick
and there purchased a bouquet of the
finest scarlet geraniums. Quite early
the following morning, before any one
in the cottage was astir, he stole
through the garden and placed them
where she went TO feed her bird. He
stood for some minutes trying to
fancy what would unprecedented
she would fling them away with scorn,
or whether she would take vivid
scarlet spray and fasten it in the
bodice of her dress.
He had made his home at 1.-THE Bar
ley Now" pretty wayside inn that
might have been the original of the
world-famous "May-pole" This morn
ing the landlady of 'The Barley Nov, .
as she carried away his untouched
| breakfast, said to him:
''You are not WELL sir; you walk too
much, or you work too hard; give
yourself days rest"
He laughed to himself What rest
would there be for him until he should
have learned his fate?
The breakfast being carried away.
he went out. Better would 1t be to
spend the minutes of consuming tor
ture out in the open air, where no one
could comment on his appearance or
wonder at his words. And. as he
walked along, he repeated over and
over again a song that required to his
mind
II fain would speak, yet dare not, for
Her gentle souls distress.
What is 1t to me one sorrow more,
SO that she has one less?
'Yet could wish, when am dead,
Her eyes should look through mine;
And on my heart engraven read
This motto Dir Alleinn"
How the words seemed to echo
through his brain over and over again!
Then bird flew, from the great oak
tree, and he thought of Swineburne's
beautiful line.
"A bird to the right sung follow"
The bird did fly to the right; 1t went
over the river. and into the orchard
that belonged to Acacia Cottage. He
would follow; he had told her that he
should be there by ten, and it was yet
only nine. Would she have found the
geraniums? And, If she had, would
she wear them?
He could see all over the garden and
orchard from the green lane that ran
parallel with them, and there he stood
awaiting his doom. He remembered
once to have read that, when a man
stood up to hear his sentence of death
passed, II was not the terrible words
that impressed him so much as every
little detail of the scene in court; so
he found IL with himself now. The
one great Issue seemed to pass by him,
as though he hardly knew why he was
there, and the smaller details seemed
to press upon him. The linden-tree
under which he had asked her to stand
for brief moment. grew at the end
of the garden, q plum-tree stood near.
He saw the birds seeking ana enjoying
the ripest plums, then flying in search
OF other sweets; he saw the kitten,
soft and white as a SNOWFALL, creep
along the wall, climb the tree, and lie
In wait for small bird and then he
saw the fiutter of q blue dress amongst
the trees. His suspense would soon
be ended now.
Down the garden paths, over the
grass, across to the white rolls, came
Violet: and then stood for one moment
under the branches of the linden-tree.
Lord RIVERS eyes flashed with hap
Ply pride, his face flushed with pass
ionate delight, his heart beat fast. his
pulse thrilled. She had looked over
the edge of the hedge into the lane.
and he saw the CLEAN of golden hair,
the beauty of her pure young face
an, Heaven be thanked THE scarlet
geraniums on her breast.