Evening journal., 1905-04-17
The Father and Mother
..Of the Flowers
[origlnail

Ioriginal.l
Paplnta was the daughter Of a Span
ish grandee, Don Miguel Rebera, and
lived with her father midway between
Yalladolid and Salamanca. Papinta
was absorbed in flower culture. In the
early spring the flowers that had been
kept in the conservatory during the
winter were carried out for her, and
she planted them herself Then while
they we're budding she cared for them,
pruning and watering them with her
own hand At times she would talk
to them as If they were children.
"Aha, my fine fellow" she would say
to a tiger lily. you are magnificent.
and ] admire you very much, but you
are too Independent of me. You could
get on as well without me. My little
violets here, nesting down close to the
earth, need all my care, and they are
the rivals most to be dreaded by you.
What Jack. are you going to open so
soon2 May the Virgin keep the frosts
away that you may bloom in all your
crimson splendOr."
One day while she was thus talking
to her flowers she looked up, and there,
leaning on the low garden wall, was a
young man. Papinta had been so alb
sorbed in her pets that. for IA moment
she saw the face Of the stranger
through them. The features seemed
contained within the encircling petals
Of a rose. which in a twinkling faded
into a lily, then into other flowers in
the same rapid succession. In her fa-
Tiers house were marbles of ancient
gods and goddesses, and the stranger S
head and shoulders to Papinta resem-
bled a bust of Apollo The face was
certainly very beautiful. and the eyes
looked at the girl with an expression
of marked approval.
you love your flowers" said the
young man.
Indeed do
q call them my children"
so do l. How strange."
'Will you give me one"
Papinta plucked budding rose
went to the wall and gave it to him
He took it, enjoyed its beauty and il
fragrance. then. turning his eyes agaii
on Papinta. said:
1T is very lovely, but there is {
flower in your garden far lovelier."
"Which?" asked Papinta, lookini
aside
1T has a blush in It's cheek that NJ
other flower has, for It comes and goe
within a few moments"
Such natural love making in SPAN
has never been permitted. but it wa
some weeks before Don Miguel discoy
cred that his daughter, every day at
tending her flowers. met a young stran
ger. and when he learned the secret
was too late. Papinta's heart had gOn
into the possession of the father of tn
flowers. OF course her meetings wer
stopped. for she was not allowed to 2
to her plants again. Whether it wa
that she mourned the separation frOr
them or from her lover, or both, she fe
i'll and passed rapidly into burnin
fever.
While delirious Papinta saw visioT
She was in heaven and in that part O
. heaven TO which she was assigned I
Al dwell. the heavenly gardens. The fiov
] n ers there seemed endowed with life
4 fNsome lifting their heads erect as If col
III scious of possessing supernaturf
strength for good, others modestl
bowling as if in a sanctuary, Will
some crept on the surface as If COZ
scious of unworthiness. On all ther
shone a light of heavenly splendol
Presently they raised their heads an
turned them in tbe same direction. p;
pinta looked, and there coming sh
saw the father Of the flowers. He wa