The Beaumont enterprise. [volume] (Beaumont, Tex.) 1904-current, 1904-09-10

He was tall, gaunt, white haired
old man Of seventy or more. He lived
alone-iust across the street, in an
old fashioned frame building. covered
with vines and crccpers. In front was
a li;ilc plot narrow strip OF
rround-whcre lilies of the valley
grew in summer, Behind was long
garden filled in spring with rows and
rows of blazing tulips.
saw him first working with little
hoe among the bulbs with their long,
green leaves. After that | saw him
often. would stop for few moments
ON my way home in the evening and
watch him while he went up and down
the long rows, with sprinliling can,
or picked whole baskets of the gaudy
flowers for stranger who waited In n
carriage.
He asked me to come in, one even
ing, ana look al his tulips. ] went; he
showed me the different varieties.
stepping among them with Infinite
care. Then we sat down on n little
bench outside of the back door, where
hop vines climbed up the side of the
house, and he began the story of his
life. What prompted him to tell 1t
was my asking If he never ried to
grow any flowers except tulips.
Try, my man." he, said, abaently,
then was silent for while. A far
away look came into the iadcd eyes.
He took his pipe from his mouth ana
knocked the ashes to the ground.
you've nevo" heard then? thought
everybody knew ABOUT my Kitty -
Kitty ana her tulips.
1T happened years ago-ah, me, so
long ago; but it's rs fresh to me as
ever--my Kitty's simple white face
and dark, pansy eyes, His coat
sleeve went across his eyes as if wip
ing away tear.
when l think of that morning
when | left her to go away out west,
can always see the tulips, too. They
were something like these, only-an.
such blood-rcd ones and such White
ones. so pure and delicate. Kitty,
with her white apron and white linen
sun-bonnet. always reminded ME OF
the white ones.
She lived out in the country. The
house stood back from the road and
YOU had to go down a long lane past
the sheep pasture and the apple or
chard to find it. | went to soc her
every day. She was all the world to
me. | loved her--lovcd her with all
To hn M rripl
when | came blackjack from the
west. with my pockets full OF money,
/ bent down and kissed her and said,
We'll, good bye, Kitty-good bye, II!
girl. Keep light heart till | come
back. Good bye.
But she put her head on my shoul,
der and cried, oh, don't go, jim
don't 60 she kept saying over ano
over to the last. That was on the
morning before | went away, out
among the tulips, all by ourselves.
81 thought of her always. / wrote
TO her every mail for more than TWO
wears. but then | stopDed writing. for
there had come no answers to my let
ters for a long, long time-n"arly a
wear. ! thought something hau nap
nened TO my le'ters--that they reFer
reached her. 1t was such an out OF
the way sort OF place, where ! was
But there was money there if would
only stick to it, and did for two
wears longer. and then | went homo
home to my Kitty that knew was
waiting for me.
THE little station was only a short
way from the house-about hall q
mile. So | walked. say walked, hu'
il was more like run. shaded my
ewes at the head of the lane and
Looked down. thinking might see hei
outside. somewhere-feeding IN,
chickens. maybe, or sitting on the
stoop But | saw nothing of her.
To the left in the barnyard an old
man was milking a little black COW.
passed on up the path to the front
door. | knocked; but everything was