The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-04-08

Polly picked up n full-bloWn rose
with Jerk that sent a hundred leaves
duttering about rs like pink snow
storm.
Roses" said 1 looking at the empty
stalks significantly, "are SO apt to fade
and wither"
and potatoes" replied Polly. "get
hard and old and 3knotty and develop
eyes,"
THAT'S So" said l. land it isn't well
for woman to have too many eyes,
Besides said Polly, gathering up
the fallen leaves and putting them and
the stalks in little pile, "a rose has a
heart"
SO has potato" remarked.
"But you have to dig through so
much exterior to find it," declared
Polly. "And the average man is too
lazy to dig. He wants the good things
in life's repast set out on his plate, not
hidden under it."
'And yet" said I, discovering the
| heart in a woman who doesn't wear
hers on the surface, and who seems
cold and unfathomable, is like discov-
ering birthday gift under your plate
in the morning. The surprise is very
sweet"
Perhaps said Polly, meditatively,
holding a rose against her cheek, so
that you couldn't tell which was
which, 'but how many men are going
to hunt for the surprise? Nine times
out of ten the poor little potatoes vir-
tues remain hidden to the end of her
days, when she is left on the matri-
monial kitchen shelf along with the
onions and the cabbages. A woman"
and Polly put the last rose in the
epergne and stood off to admire the
effect, ''like a rose, is meant to be or
namental. If she can be useful. too,
so much the better. but it isn't abso-
lutely necessary. There are so many
potatoes in the world-twenty to every
rose. Why, look at the woman's clubs
they are full OF potatoes, nice solid,
useful ladies, who make the world good
and intellectual and stupid and unin-
teresting. Look at the reform organi-
cations and the working girls unions;
potatoes! potatoes! nothing but pota-
toes. But when a man wants a wife
he doesn't apply to the intelligence
Office nor to the secretary of the reform
club. He doesn't so about searching
for nice, hard potato in short skirts,
eyeglasses and boots. He doesn't ask
a woman if she can make good pie
crusts and qarn socks 50 that they
won't be knotty-not nowadays, at any
rate. He just goes blindfolded into a
ballroom or pink tea, or a fancy dress
fair and walks out idiotically happy
With q rose in bis mental buttonhole.
Of c6ttrse, his theories are different,
and
"Ouch" I cried suddenly.
Polly turned with startled inquiry
in her eyes.
tits a thorn" 1 said, nursing my
finger, but looking at Polly with side
long significance. "Roses seem to have
thorns, don't they?"
s"Of course" said Polly, "and pudding
has spice They are as necessary as
LIE sd uCG vi lIlC lutdl, vi llc DGDDCl
on the potatoes. A little twinge now
and then does q man good and re-
lieves the fairness of things A little
defect in a woman makes her perfec-
ton more prominent. A little dent in
the chin accentuates the graceful
curve, little dimple in her cheek
makes you observe it's roses. And you
never fully appreciate the sweetness
of her smile until you have seen her
pouting"
Il think" I said, as Polly began pick
ing up the scraps and poking them into
a little paper box, chat I'd like a po-
tato with rose growing on it."
"Of course" said Polly, extracting a
rose from the jar and pinning it in a
bunch Of curls over one ear. THAT'S
what every man wants. They are all
like the baby who cried because he
couldn't see both sides of the moon at
once"
81 WISH" said, plaintively, that you
wouldn't put rose in your hair while
we are discussing q serious problem"
"Why?" said Polly, innocently.
Because" said I, 'it somehow re-
minds me of the lady who sent the
pink teacups-and, besides, it's dis
tracing"
Polly leaned over box and the rose
nestled down against her cheek.
"And dangerous" l added.
Polly pulled potato out Of the box
and held it up for my inspection
"Shall / change it for this?" she
asked, sweetly.
Don't you dare" cried.