Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1900-02-21
TIE PU'r6rniafS
OF Tie Admiral
A Pretty Sketch Of an Old Sailor
and His Daughter.
By MARTHA GILBERT DICKINSON.

NVN~N~N~~v$O~N 80
AS long as Sercta could remcm her
there had always been yellow lilies at
the end OF the garden walk. and as
long as the lilies could remember there
had always been Sereta blowing down
the walk
Here they are again. Samuel" she
cried every spring. and the hard faced
old gardener would 20 on with his hoe
ing and reply. "Py'rennialS. Miss
Sweeta; when they come. they stay"
There WAS vague spot somewhere
in her memory of day when il first
occurred TO her that She. too. was
something OF "A ''py'rcnuial." She knew
no more than these golden playfcllows
how she came into the admiral'S gar
den and. like them. spring after spring
found her sunny head among the re-
turning flowers But il WAS not until
she was head and shoulders taller than
the talleSt white Easter lily that she
Inquired further: What is "A pv'rcn-
NAL SamuelT What makes II "A py'ren-
uialT
"A py'rennal." said Samuel cuuvinc-
ingly. has character enough Ia 80
right along and keep goin. right ahead
It's got uu call to be sowu or trans
planted or slipped; IL blooms till it dies.
and next year Il gets up and blooms
again"
The admirals garden. all rose petals
and butterfly wings. was glowing
background for the girl flower breath
ing her youth fragrance out with theirs
on the summer air Beyond lay some
terraces. shaded 10y lofty clms. aud Il
wide built house. well back from the
read and three or four miles from the
"shirc" town OF the rather lonely
county
one stormy day when the admiral
was smoking his pipe and raising his
eyebrows occasionally at the fire rs if
exchanging amusing memories Sereta
followed his glance until il rested upon
Il photograph that always stood in the
same place on the high colonial man
tel-an ocean liner. nose down. under
full speed and she Spnkc before her
natural shynesS checked her impulse
1t must be like bird To cross the sea
like that-like bird crossing the open
sky on a bright August day The ad-
miral smiled down NJ her. hul his face
had Saddcncd as he touched the shore
OF reality after his voyage on that sea
OF fancy where each must salt atone.
1t is better To sit in a big chair and
think about il. little friend" ne replied.
| These birds lind darker skies than
| your meadow larkS and run hen vier
! risks" Then the look OF wearneSs
came back that Sereta dreaded. be-
cause she did not understand il or how
To drive II away. After that day she
never prompted his conversation or
asked the thousand and one eager. irrel-
evant questions that Ignorance natu-
rally cravesof maturity: she learned by
intuition that questions are cruel: be-
sides she was afraid OF bringing the
look that meant something she could
not understand-some To be kept
asleep If possible.
But sometimes after her lessons were
done. or after his moderate dinner
glass had warmed his memories the
admiral would talk TO her uninterrupt-
edly for hours about that great un-
known place he called life. until little
thrills and shivers OF excitement crept
over her and she could not sleep all
night for remembrance and conjecture.
When Sereta was II. an odd little
rose jar OF humanity. all silences and
dusky perfume. her world suddenly un-
derwent n crisis. There came guest
to the hall
This revolutionary visitor was n man
without a wife and therefore preSuma-
bly, harmless and inoffensive Screta
liked him almost as well as Samuel
after morning spent together while
the admiral was busy and depending
on her TO do the honors for his guest
They were out OF doors. which makes
all things possible To begin with. and
the man on her hands was old enough
to appreciate her charm and lure hel
simplicity by his varied knowledge 9I
cOmplexer womanhood. SO she chattct
and explained all down the garden
through the py'rennials. laughed Will
him over the clumsy colts in the pad
dock, showed him the view from th'
pasture hill. brought him home l'y th'
woods and was singing 80 him IN th'
empty drawing room when the admira
returned
Somehow the afternoon Sv,r;c;l V'r,