The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1904-03-17
LucyJane's
Birthday ~
Nv SARA LINDSAY COLEMAN
Copyright. ms. BY DAILY story Pub. Co..


of the dress Lucy Jane was fash
Joining for her eighteenth birthnight
party the girl. at the risk of a nip in
the neck from the dressmaller's scis-
sors, wriggled around viewing herself
in the cracked little mirror that was so
unfair to her young fairness and said:
''It's lovely, you dear Lucy Jane. Isn't
1t a beautiful world?"
EYES," said Lucy Jane, softly, when
one is 10 and loves it is"
''Ah," said the girl. nobody under
stands as do. You have been
there yourself. If you are an old maid.
And isn't 1t fun? Did one ever threat
en- to fling himself into the river and
almost brighten you into saying 1t?
And did another snip OF a strand of
your hair quick? And did he, he. Lucy
Jane, take one dozen instead of only
just one?"'
Lucy Jane leaned over the girl
breathlessly; for the moment they were
girls together.
''Yes.' she said. just over her breath.
SIT was on my eighteenth birthnight.'
Then why, why?" the girl stammer-
ed. her eyes questioning Lucy James.
"Never mind" said the woman gent
". She opened the door for the girl
to pass out a: 4 put an impulsivet hand
on her shoulder. II hope,.you will be
happy, dear" she said.
Lucy Jane went back to her work
but presently the girls birthday gown
fell from her hands to the floor and lay
there. It was Lucy James birthday:
she was 40. Her eyes wore faraway
look as she gazed. down. the long road
she had travelled since that eighteenth
birthday. The stones cut her feet, the
dust choked her as she went with men,
ory over 1t. T..
At q knock at the door she started
from her reverie. 1t was more dresses,
no doubt. She was thankful for work,
of course. But: sometimes. when the
house was piled ceiling high with work
that never seemed to come to a finish
and tired back and nerves cried for
rest, she wondered wearily It the vii
layers would ever give her time to die
At the door pink roses we're thrust In
her face by little black messenger,
who beat hasty retreat.
She recognized the roses-only one
garden in the village produced such
she recognized the messenger. and al
though she wondered at the unusual
ness of the occurrence, she shifted
them delightedly. She loved flowers as
her neighbors loved their babies. :
When Lucy Jane drew card from
among the roses and read: If it's yes,
wear fhese," she was almost stifled by
her hearts, swift beatings. Her lips
trembfed; her eyes blurred. :. The rough
road Of her life had a, turn in, it and she
saw aAglimpse of the blue sky, caught
a snatch OF song from the birds glad
throat. - So i.
There had never been time when
Lucy Jane hadn't loved the: sender Of
those roses. Their laughing little faces
had kissed each other through a bro
ken paling in the fence; they had sto-
len out on snowy mornings to their
rabbit trap-it was on his sled she had
coasted, and later their voices had
mingled in the village choir:
Lucy James eyes went back to the
written words-one couldn't doubt
written words. She had waited,
wearied, wondered, watched; then. see
ing her faded face in the mirror, she
had crushed the dreams into tight
little ball down in the bottom of her
heart and gone through her days in
col0rless content.
AS Lawyer Coates awaited Lucy Jane
in her prim little parlor he fidgeted.
His errand was an awkward one. He
had come to explain about the roses
and some old time memories had over
taken him. He had loved Lucy Jane
since their babyhood days when he had
pulled the palings off the back fence
that divided them; she had given him
letters to mail to his rival with such
persistence that he had ceased his at
tentions to her.
AS he sat there he remembered the
mad whirl of love and anger that had
swept over him, and he smiled somewhat
grtmly as he told himself that the fire
Of that old love had burnt itself out.
Poor Lucy Jane! Life had taken the
roses out of her cheeks before they fairly