The bee. (Earlington, Ky.) 1889-19??, 1908-11-12
The SUNFLOWER
GIRL

EcIHdDS j am aDSuf0ly jealous, "a
you say" Madge plaintively admitted
but, oh, Laurence, you say sucl
pretty things about such lots OF othei
girls!"
Naturally" replied her lover bland
", II am a poet" He had once. at his
own expense published a slender vol
ume Of verse, entitled, Petal Dust and
Pansies," bound in white vellum, tied
up with green ribbon, and dedicated
To the Ideal Girl"
II should have thought" she
faltered, that your ideal girl was the
one you'd ask to marry you"
you take me so literally" he com
planned, with a twinkle which she did
not see. you confuse the ideal with
the real Besides, was talking of
poems and pictures; and, talking OF
pictures, let's go out and see Aims
worth's picture at the academy before
tea. Run and put your hat on, child
Now, this picture by Ainsworth was
the center of attraction. 1t represent
ed a beautiful girl in a yellow gown
leaning over golden balcony. Her
yellow rlnglets blew across her cheeks
to mingle with the bunch OF sunfiow-
ers that nodded beside her golden
head, and over everything seemed to
simmer the yellowish haze OF a warm
spring afternoon.
Exquisite" exclaimed Laurence.
"Do you admire herr" asked Madge
so much that ] shall buy the pic
ture," said Laurence.
you cannot, for IL is already
marked Sold" said Madge. "And, as
for being exquisite, look at her hair all
across her face. You can't even tell
whether she is pretty or not"
That's the charm Of IT," said Lau-
renee. "She symbollzes the ideal
Come along to lunch. You don't need
to admire yourself in the glass, Madge.
Your hair Is as smooth as satin"
His remark was the last drop in
Madge's cup of evaporation. Her
brown tresses were long, thick and
glossy, but they had not the slightest
wave or "kink" in them. And the girl
would have given her pretty ears for
hair that curled; but once, when she
had 'crimped" her own with tongs.
Laurence had forbidden her ever
again to use such artificial abomina-
tons. "a
The quarrel grew as luncheon
until finally Madge pulled
off her engagement ring and dropped
1t into Laurence's coffee. sf.,s
you needn't see me home". she
said. "I'll take carriage, You can
go to your friend Ainsworth and get
him to take you to the fair unknown.
Half annoyed, half bewildered,. Lau-
renee was left to fish the ring out of
the eclair. -,
. She'll expect me to go round this
evening. as l did when she broke of
our engagement because Of Stella
thought he. she deserves lesson. /
shant go. What a storm in a teacupi"
That evening" Madge awaited him.
sure be would come and bring back
the ring. But he didn't come After a
sleepless night Madge sent = note to
%GuA SAOC hoUl0. II SAAus
Unless you come to meet me at
four o'clock, shall know you do not
wish TO come again. NJ"
Until four O'Clock she spent the time
IN waiting for Laurence's ring at the
bell. It did not come. rst. -
From four o'clock to six she spent
in wishing that she had never been
born. - n-b's
At six o'clock her brother voiun.
teered to so round 10 Laurence. ~
But he wasn't at home" the brother
said on his return. His man said
that he'd gone down to see Mr.. Aims
worth, and that he didn't know when
to expect him home"
After dinner she ran up stairs to
her own sitting room. flung herself
down on the sofa, buried her brown
head in It's yellow cushions, and-oh,
why do servants insist upon bringing
n coffee to people with broken hearts?
But II was not the coffee.
1t was Laurence! Dusty, disheveled,
carrying a parcel.
"a little peace Offering" said he, "a
study by Ainsworth OF the sunfiowers
It his place D'you like il? / meant
10 bring II around at four this after
noon. You asked me to call then"
TITS half past eight now" said
Madge, icily.
Il know 1t, dear But when | got
Town to Ainsworth's I found he'd Just
ALLEN down the studio steps and
broken his leg. NO one to look after
him but his lRndlady's daughter-the
suRhower girl.
"ghe had red arms" Laurence re-