Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1906-04-28
THE FLOWER OF HOPE

The rain ceased at last, but the
steady %downpour seemed to have
washed the color out Of everything, and
1T was a drab landscape that | looked
upon as | plodded through the mire by
the side of the river. The little waves
as usual. were tumbling over one an
other in the s~wift-running water, but
b white tassels of the bird cherries
that lined the banks now hung limp
and mud-splashed. Turning aside from
this depressing sight began to climb
the path through the pine wood, and
beauty. Trailing in long ~festoons
down a steep bank were masses of the
lesser periwinkle, the iowe- of hope.
Sheltered by the trees overhead, the
pretty mauye stars smiled serenely
from their nest of shining green leaves.
Chngfng TO the branch of a tree with
one hand, | was al lie TO pick a bunch
OF the flowers with the other. But a
man suddenly appearing rom higher
ND almost trod upon my head. Star
tied, | let go the branch and slipped
ANONYMOUSLY down the bank. The
man leapt down b. my side, and began
10 pick up my scattered treasures, say
ing In German: 'Par1o1, ! did o see
you" At first | thought he had been
drinking; his eve we're bloodshot, and
he had a wild, disordered air. Then I
recognized him as the b sinful young
peasant who had stood in the back
ground while | talked some days ago
with Anton, the old working jeweler,
In his shop. ! had taken a brooch to
be mended, and Anton was turning or
polishing a gold ring on a wheel, but
had ceased working to attend to me.
Seeing the eyes of the peasant fl ell
on the ring, | had guesscs that II was
being done for him, and had said that
! would wait, but the jewelar had in
sisted that there was no hurry for
what he was doing. Afterwards had
heard that the peasant Johann was
shortly to be married to Liza, a girl
at one OF the farms.
Now | noticed hat he held his hat in
his hand, and had filled it with peri
wrinkles. "Yol, too. i We been flower
gathering" | saia.
Yes, have J uc6se thsm 10 make
a wreath for Ii ~
What a pretty idea; how pleased
she will be- said. thinking that he
meant for her Wedding.
Then, TO my dismay, tears foleil
down the mans cheeks. and he began
to sob like a child, and as | inwardIy
called myself a fool, he explained.
All, wlo but the good God can tell
what pleases Liza now we were to |
ave been married by the priest to- |
morrow, and she will be buried instead. |
and here when a maid dies we give |
her a wreath of sinngruen."
' And | call it the flower of hope" II
said. sadly. J.Mzgsssi&asEGss%
. Perhaps the man knew how sorry |
felt for him, for he stammered out. |
IF the gracious lady would be so good
as to make the wreath for Liza herself,
why, Liza would be prou4 n happy
II she could know II" s-
Seeing Johann really wanted it, |
helped him Irvine the wreath, choosing
only the perfect, unfaded flowers.
Later on saw Liza; she looked very
peaceful clothed in white, with the
chaplet of flowers on her hair, and
tall candles burning at her head and
feet. 1t was difficult to realize that
only a week ago she was tramping
through the fields with her hoe. Later
On still | had a talk with my friend
Anton about this sorrowful ending to
Johann and Liza's love tale.
"Ah, yes, indeed" said the jeweler,
as he twirled a silver hatpin In the
fame of his spirit lamp. sit is hard
luck on Johann, harder than Fraeulein
knows
How is that?" l asked.
why, for two years Johann. could
not make up his mind whether to wed
Liza at the farm or Marie at the saw
mills. He loved the one, but the other
had the bigger dowry."
"He chose lover" I questioned.
mo, indeed; Marie and he loved
each other, and that is where Johann's
bad luck comes in, for he will not get
Liza's dowry after all"
We'll, now he can marry Marie if
she will have him. said, feeling con
tempt for Johann.
But Anton, being a man, was more
pitiful. "Ah, the poor fellow, that is
just his hard luck. When his wedding
day was fixed Marie married the ear
dener up at the s.hloss, so that she
should be a bride before Liza"
so I still call periwinkles Lowers of
hope, for when ! recall Liza's pea 'eful
face | do not think she is TO be pitied.
BOOK BEER FAD DYING OUT
Goat Pictures Not SO Much in Evil
dence This Spring as in