Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-01-24
BLUE ROSES.
will you marry me 2"
Certainly not"

voice, and Arthur Shirley's face grew
anxious
why not ?" he persisted.
you had better ask why. To begin
with, / a i an old maid, andI don't like
men, and and you have chosen most
inconsiderate time to worry me- AS if
had not worries enough already. Look
at this Bessie Brown! Blighted, and the
show so near!'
Rita Gay's statement lacked accuracy.
She was four-and twenty, clear skinned
and gray eyed. and she had the prettiest
crinkle in her golden brown hair There
was a crinkle on her brow as well at this
minute, as she gazed distractedly from
her importunate lover to the wilted
spray.
Shirley frowned.
Pm talking of marriage, which is a
serious thing" he objected, ''and yet you
persist in putting it second to lot of
roses that have the measles!"
Rita's heart acknowledged the justice
of his reproof, and she instinctively seized
on the offending point to turn it into a
grievance.
your remark just proves" she said,
chat you and / are not in the least suit
ed. Our tastes are different. You don't
care bit for flowers"
! Il grow roses"
You don't. They grow themselvesln
| Shirley's voice grew more anxious.
But, Rita" he urged, when the show
:. hu,y IL
| tions, promise me to think quietly over
what l have said. Keep your answer till
| them"
MY answer is final And you need
never refer to the subject again, for you
have no more chance than you have of
growing "a blue rose"
The dark band of clouds in the east
that had brought blight to the roses had
also blighted poor Shirley's hopes. When
he had been ordered from the hotbed of
the stock exchange to the cool glades of
Durley, he had disobeyed his doctor BY
putting double strain on his shattered
nerves. For he fell in love. At first he
worshiped in silence, for Rita was indif-
ferent and thorny, until he adopted the
right tactics. Rita helped him to grow
Tosesl o.
Everyone in Durley grew roses beau
tiful roses, too, in spite of the fact that
no one possessed any exact scientific
knowledge But the climate and soil were
congenial, and the roses evidently liked
the attentions they received. Instad of
being remote Surrey village, the little
hamlet might have been a tiny corner of
Persia, so sweet was the perfume of the
rose in summer, and the essence of pot
pourri in winter. 1t was natural, there
fore, that the great gala-day of the year
was the Durley Rose Show.
| The following evening, when he strolled
out on his lawn to smoke his after-dinner
pipe, he greeted his fair neighbor with
| his usual friendliness. She answered con-
strainedly, and only allowed him to see
the back of her white blouse, as she in
dustriously syringed her beloved roses.
| This was bad manners, and also bad pol
! icy for Shirley, secure from the fire of
Rita's eyes, completely recovered his
nerve. and in five minutes had the audac-
| ity to ask her opinion about an ailing
bud.
The bait was too tempting, and min
ute later Rita was on the wrong side of
her fence, putting Shirley right about
his treatment of his flower. Friendly re-
lations restored the girl made him a
present of a confidence.
''Just think" she said, II have heard
today that Dr. Barton is going abroad,
and won't compete for the best collection
of blooms at the Rose Show. He always
beats everyone. And-and-I believe, at
least, | have chance of winning it, /
shall never have one again, and you can't
think how excited | am about it. But
! don't know why l should bore you. Only,
| felt l simply had to tell someone
Il am glad you told me-" said Shirley
gently. And you must win the prize.
That is certainln
The long June days wore away, each
| bringing fresh promise of new life and
| beauty to the roses A week before the
show, after blissful evening spent with
| Rita in helping her to minister to the
| precious roses, the girl suddenly lifted
her flushed face from rose bush.
They're coming on beautifully" she
announced Il feel my chance is a very
healthy one. But l mustn't be selfish.
! You have neglected your roses for NINE
If you don't mind, l will come over and
inspect my pupils progress"
"Delighted!" said Shirley, all ignorant
of his impending doom.
Rita strolled around the garden, ex-
claiming at the beauty of the general eff
! feet. But as she walked to the bed.
where battalion of rose trees, each
bearing a single bud, reared their heads,
a slight crease appeared between her
eyes. She criticised and inspected every
row, and as her face grew dark Shirley's
spirits fell.
The queen of the flowers is as tickle as
most despotic sovereigns, and, with the
caprice of her sex, had chosen to thrive
under Shirley's careless treatment and
ignorant experiments in "A manner that
surpassed all the results of Ritas tender
care. a fatal blunder had been made by
the lover for the pupils roses were finer
than the teachers.
They look wonderfully promising"
said Rita. with quiser in her voice
You viii have to compete and l am
sure you will get the prize"
Not against YOU. l WON'T"