The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1904-01-07
'Fv'W@Ty' 2 80
DRUSILLA'S ]
GARDEN ]
Is
By TEMPLE BAILEY {
Copyright. 1908, bB T. c. Mcclure :.
. q Z. 9. - z. |.
By TEMPLE BAILEY
Copyright, 1905, bg T.C. Mcclure

he BdFueH WIS really pilS DoA VI
the fire escape, but there were panSies
In 1t in the spring. and later tiny
rosebush bloomed. Then geraniums
held full sway until winter, when Drn
silla took the box INTO the house and
raised a few pale yiolets.
Every morning Drusilla picked off the
Nithered blossoms. and in the evening
she watered her plants. for Drushla
was busy all day, polishing and filing
the nails of the patrons of tie manicure
establishment in which she worked.
When IL typewriter was first placed
at the window of the big office oppo-
site the fifth floor of the tenement in
which Drusilla lived and n dark young
man seated himself in front of it the
young girl watched the installation
over the heads of her purple pansies.
But when the young man looked
across and smiled Drusilla stepped over
her threshold and shut the dooe With Il
slam.
"Impertinencer she calculated in the
dimness of her room. but her lips smiled
in answer to the look that the young
man had given her.
But the blossoms cried out for water,
and presently Drusilla's fair head,
adorned With perky black velvet bow,
bent oY sfsthe pansies. The hands of
the young man remained suspended
over the keys. Then he rose and walked
to the window but Drusilla picked on
some dried leaves and brought out an
infinitesmal watering pot. She made
n cool picture in her white shirt waist.
A little Whit of damp earth blew
across, cooling the heated atmosphere.
The evening hour grew to be an i'm
portant one TO Drusilla, for she arrived
home at &, and the dark young man did
not leave until 7. She sat up late
nights TO finish a certain blue lawn
that had train that trailed over the
iron steps of the fire escape, to the fur
Their undoing of the infatuated young
man over the way. She hummed little
tunes that caused the complete cessa-
ton of the "clickety -click-click" of the
machine opposite.
But still she kept her eyes to herself,
for Drusilla had full sense of her dig
nifty as a workingwoman. There were
certain conceptions that could not he
dispensed with in her circle. and one
of these was the formal introduction.
Hes a dear" she confided to Maize
Dunn as the two girls arranged their
little trays and got opt their shining in
nj nj nj lar II
creams. But I'm not going to let him
think I'm ensy."
With which rather inelegant sum-
ming up of the case Drusilla showed
that she was true conqueror of men.
So for many weeks Juliet or her
balcony remained cold. while Romeo
at the typewriter sighed in vain. He
threw small balls of paper in among
the pansies. and Drusilla brushed
them calmly into neat little dustpan,
but when the dark young man had
gone she picked them out carefully
and read the fervid messages:
you are my pansy blossom
"There's only one girl in the world for
me-"
Only once, however. did she con-
descend to an exchange of ciyilities.
On certain damp morning the young
man coughed. That night he conghed
again. Drusilla was worried. Finally
she retired into the obscure rccesscs OF
her room When she rcappeared she had
a bottle in her hand. She set it on the
fire escape shelf. In huge letters on the
label was the admonition:
For Coughs Take Spears Specific
Then before the young man could
nod enthusiastic response she whisked
back into her room, leaving him alone
with her suggested remedy.
The next morning similar bottle
adorned the young mans desk, and he
took dose conspicuously, standing
close to the window while he measured
1t into a spoon.
But the cough continued, and the next
day Drusila wrote on slip of paper:
"Shut your window"
The young man clicked off some
thing rapidly on his machine and plant
ed his reply carefully on the ledge:
81 would rather die"
"Well, he is devoted" said Maize
Dunn, "if he won't shut a window be
tween you. But maybe if you talked
to him you might get him to be care
full of himself"
Il guess | am not responsible If he
is fool" was Drusilla's sharp com
ment as she soaked her finger tips in
warm water preparatory to giving
them a treatment,
But that dry the sun came out the
dry, soft air of the spring was like
balsam, and the cough stopped. Sc
stopped also the exchange of courtesies,
and the young man sighed for illness
or worse if it would only bring look
of warmth to his lady's eyes.
And worse came.
1t happened one day at half past g.
Drusilla's shade was down, but the
dark young man knew that she was in
her room. for once her pink tipped fin
gers had adjusted the curtain and
savory odor told of her supper cook
ing
"Clickety- click" went the type
writer and then suddenly "Clang-
cang," deadened by its distance to
the fifth floor, came the ring of the fire
engine bells.
The dark young man leaned out Far
below him he saw great crowds gather
Ing. The smoke floated up from the
putting engines. Then all at once he
caught his breath sharply. The win
dnu,n ~ tho Ahird Hnot of tho tnnnI,nnnt