The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-05-26
Mrs. Pell's
Decoration Day
EMILY s. WINDSOR.

laborious piece OF Work for her to calcu-
late that IL she saved II cents each of those
fourteen weeks, she would AVE sl.Gs.
She had just finished counting it UP a
second time in order to be sure that 1T
was correct, when her %neighbor. Mr.
Wilkes, from the next room below in the
big tenement house, came in for their
usual evening chat. She was a thin, ner-
vous looking little woman OF middle age.
Neither her faced crap hair nor her dress
was tidy. She was e strong contrast TO
Mrs. Psll, who was always neat and clean:
she was much older thar. Mrs. Wilkes,
too
Most of Mrs. Pel's days were spent in
office cleaning. while Airs. Wilkes' time
war well filled with washing and iron
ing. ~
After they had exchanged their news
of the d; y, Mrs. Pell said: Would you
think that II body could ge. a nice lot
of flowers for one dollar and ~sixty-eieht
cents?"
Sure and Id ,hink tina, a lot Of
money to be spendin' in such a way"
answered Mrs. Wilkes, with d look of
surprise on her weather-beaten face.
I'D like it TO me more returned Mrs.
Pell, but no; a cent more than IL cents
a week can ] spare
I'm sure I'm not KNOWN what your
CinAi aoodA' saw XIV SUI
prise in her face Increasing.
IN be ,ellin' YOU. It's for the graves
on Decoration day. I've Just set my heart
on coverin' EN- with flowers this year.
I've been wantin' 10 DO j, every year, but
somethin' always happened to prevent.
But his year, they're goin' TO be there"
oh" CALCULATED Mrs. Wilkes.
Yes went on Mrs. Pen, I'm feelin'
sure therein be nothin' to prevent this
year. And it's white roses l want. Teddy
was crazy after en-
She rocked her chair. and MD her face
in her blue Bingham apron.
Mrs. Wilkes could not enter very deep
lN into her friends feelings. She had
never had any children, aid her husband
had been lost at sea so many years before
that he was now bu, q DIM memory; be-
sides, lie had never i'll life given her any
reason to mourn his loss.
Blu She kept respectfully silent until
Mrs. Pell's burst of grief was over.
Then she said: White roses is nice.
You ought 10 be gettin' d lot for so
much money"
Mrs. Pell shook her head. Il don't
know. Flowers is dear"
Mrs. Pell carefully put aside - cents
each week from her meaEer earnings.
Every time that she passed a florists
window on her way to work, she would
st,p and look al the flowers displayed,
oiia ~ w Nv nv 1liS
the most beautiful White roses. For l
must get the finest to be had" she would
think.
The prospect of buying those flowers
often formed the subject of her chats
with Mrs. Wilkes.
To the latter Sl.Gs seemed an enor-
nous sum 10 spend Ia any such a way.
BE sure that you get the worth of
Your money she would say.
They've got &c lie line ones" Mrs.
Pel would answer.
Spring had been long in coming that
year, and ii Was late in May before
the garden roses began to show their
colors. Mrs. FeIl mad few opportunities
OF seeing amy Of these. the tenement in
which she lived being IN a district where
th.re was not enough earth room for a
blade of grass 10 grow. Mrs. ell. like
many of her n%eighbors, had Il few pots
of geraniums on her window stills. hui ,hsy
were not luNuriant IN growth. The air,
close and sunless. was rot conducive to
Horticulture. Mrs. Pei mad once tried 10
raise a White rose. hut il had died an early
death.
Then her walks 10 and from her work
were not IN the reslae!i, Part Of The CITY.
But on Sundays. wheue sh- WAS not
too tired. she went 10 church. Her way
thither led pas, many beautiful gardens.
one of them she particularly admired 1t
was d large. old-fashiuned garden sur
rounding a beautiful old house. There
were roses and roses. Roses climping over
ir.llises. AND clambering about the broad
yeranda which ram along the side @. the
house.
They were lust such roses as had rrown
about the li,le country nome 10 which
she had gon. as = trid. saws the Chicago
Advance. The sight of them took her
back to the DAYS when she had been so
happv.
Then had come the dark tine when her
husband had returned from. the war with
broken health. To mend their fortunes
they had come 10 The CITY. But things had
gotten worse Her a,Isna ma mad soos AID
She and Teddy had struggled alone. She
had looked forward 10 the aay when
Teddy would be taking care Of her. for he
was a good HOY. Ru, he had r,een Lava he
side his father eight, wears ago. How he
had loved those roses He had of,en
said that he would have a garden finn of
them when he was man. He would be
a man now if he were living.
The Sunday before Decoration Mrs. Pell
went 10 church and returned bv wav of
her faNorite garden. She STONED 10 look
at The white roses. There were such GUAM
Titles of them. The air was filed win
their fragrance. How she wished that she
could have enough of them to cover her
graves. Somehow. they seemed sweeter
than the flowers at the florists.
The day before Decoration day came.