Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1903-02-28
For q
Happy Day
By N. NC. WILLIAMS
Copyright, lgG, by the
:. :. Mcclure Company

scent Of the Glove pinkS. They stretch
ed in matted mass all up and down
The old fashioned borders. The garden
was big and n wide. weathered gray
house broodcd beside it. Time was
when the Tryon hous" had been the
finest and most hospitable in all the
countryside. In the day of broken for
tunes it still kept an aroma of CHEEKY
good will.
Iusty hundred leaf roses grew be-
hind the bordering pinks. PhilOmena
was shipping them ruthleSsly, cutting
them without stems and dropping
them in her apron. 1t bulged ridicu-
lousy with the mass &c bloom. but she
kept crowding i'll clipped pinky white
petals, pretending to be conscious Of
nothing but her work.
Somebody had come up behind her.
a tall, young fellow, supple and merry
eyed. He undid the apron strings deli
cately, gathered the band in his hands.
stretching daring arms about her
waist, and said: stop Staying your
thousands, Phil. one rose ought to
murder"
Philomena slid from his clasp, deX-
terouSly leaving the huddlcd apron
within his hands. IF were Il rose.
had rather be clipped for potrOurri
than be left TO waste and Wither," she
said with Il delicious upward tilt of
the chin.
'Beng interpreted. that means YOU
have not given up Il stage career, Ar
thur Wayne said, catching her hand.
Phil. PHIL he went on. you must
give it up. | cannot bear to think of
my rose. my rose of all the world,
whitening. fading, in the glare of the
footlightS.'
stop. We have gone over all that"
Philomcna said impcriOuSly. Il tell
You, | must 20. 1t is past hearing, the
way things are now. oh. | know my
aunts would not Starve. They've Il
roof over their heads. and Uncle John
but | cannot speak of him. What l
cannot bear longer is To see them
pinchCd. unhappy. lacking the little
comforts that mean SO much in age.
feeling themselves dependent"
'You know our home would be
theirs" Arthur interrupted
Phil gave him Il rcproachful look.
You wont understand" she said. "All
their lives they have been somebody.
Eentlcwomcn. able to hold up their
heads. Grntlcwomcn hate charity.
They riSkcd money and lost it, against
uncles advice for my sake" Now,
when am told | have a fortune in
my throat, | must take care of them.
even il ii breaks my heart"
The last word was under breath.
Wayne made to draw her to him. but a
brisk. bustling voice behind them said:
$50 ho. Very pretty! Upon my word,
very pretty. Are we rehearsing for
Strephon and Chloc:" Then without
waiting answer the newcomer ran on:
Miss Tryon, be ready for the early
train tomorrow. I've a letter from
FranZoni. He will try your voice, pro-
yidcd you come to him by 10 o'clock in
the morning.
~ shall go with YOU" Arthur said,
openly taking Phil in his arms. Il said
you must choose. dear. Let me take 1t
back, If go you will, let me follow
everywhere"
mo, no, | will not let you spoil your
lfe!" Phil protested. but he held her
fast. saying. as he looked Music Mas
ter Graham square in the eye: "Philo-
mena Is my promised wife and not by
n 70 ir hnr
may take her shall go too"
Graham's eyes were quiZzical, yet
not unkind. That's as you please,
young man." he said. waving his hand
up and down. But if you'll heed
friendly word, stay behind, at least at
first. You see, you'd he so patiently, so
palpably romantic you'd he set down.
not as n fact, but a press agents fake.
The voice there" noddinc toward Phil
Omena, 'iS so pure. so golden, so rarely
true it needs to be kept high. not vul-
CARRIED. ! give you my word the roar
ing lions supposed to haunt stage doors
are really no more than yelpinS curly
poOdlcs. They tag after and fawn up
on you for an encouraging look or
word, come to the whistle and tumble
over themselves To follow Il finger even
half lifted. But as for danger, my
friend, even an unconscious look Scares
them. Miss Tryon has only to be her
self in order to he always and every
where perfectly safe
Notwithstanding ! shall co." Ar
thur said obstnately.
Graham shrugged his shoulders. Miss
Tryun, the elder of the auntS, came
tripping between the borders, her deli
,ately wrinkled face exhaling Il spir-
itual fragrance like the scent of dried
rose leaves. "Come in, all of yOu," she
said eagerly. "There's n peddler OH the
piazza, an elderly man. and he looks so
tired. carrying that heavy pack. Such
lovely things! Yes" deprecatingly to
Philomena. Martha and | let him
show them, but indeed 1t was after we
had told him we could not buy. I
thought. though, maybe, Arthur-Only
his mother gets so much in the city.
But really there is the loveliest length
of brocade. almost exactly like my
grandmother's second days silk
AS she spoke she had huddled the
other three in front of her toward the
house. much as she would have mar
shalcd fowls trifle unruly.
At the piazza steps Philomena sat
down. but the men both fell to exam
lining the peddler's wares. Graham.
indeed, almost instantly caught up the