The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1908-05-23


The first, lovely cluster of rosy
crimson buds, of texture as soft and
fine as her own cheeks, had reached
her on her sixteenth birthday without
sign to show their giver. Some mis-
take" she thought. Time will show"
But time did not show.
The second came the next Christ
mas-rich, creamy, fragrant; but
again without card. Delighted, with
the frank delight of schoolgirl who
found herself suddenly a-tiptoe on the
edge of romance, she tried to find the
sender. In vain! A dozen suspected
friends to whom she displayed the
flowers, watching the while for some
tell-tale movement, listened or SYM
pathized without sign of self-betrayal.
And still the roses came. Up to her
coming out" they came spasmodical-
ly, usually at birthdays or holidays, or
whenever some special occasion
seemed to call them forth; later they
came almost continually. Like many
American girls, she had friends from
Maine to California, and visited In a
score o: homes; and wherever she
went the roses followed-always
anonymously.
At first their coming was recur
rent understanding to be spoken
Of between girl and girl in romantic
confidence; later it became hushed
secret to be held close in her own
II A.
parry the curious questionings Of her
friends so deity that even those who
had known of the mystery in early
years did not suspect that the veil had
never been lifted.
For 1t had never been. The most she
learned was that the giver must know
her well, and while clinging to his
anonymity, must wish. paradoxically,
to make his gifts as conspicuous as
possible. Let her leave home to visit
friend, and she would find the roses
awaiting her; let her give an enter
tainment, and in the thick of it the
roses would arrive; let her start home
from a trip, and among those who saw
her OF would be florists boy with
the inevitable bouquet. At times the
thing grew positively eerie
Largely in consequence of these
flowers she became a social success.
Men-young men, especially-are like
sheep; where one leads, the whole
flock will follow. To be admired is to
win admiration: to have ''beaux" is to
gain "beaux;" to succeed is to tri-
umph. The young men who saw her
receive flowers counted her worthy of
other flowers, and when young man
makes gift to girl he is compelled,
in self-justification, to seek her COM
pany. How much Virginia owed to the
aura of admiration the roses created
around her. and how much to her own
good looks and lovableness, it would
be hard to say. At least the roses led
the young men to discover how gen.
orally desirable she was. She counted
her 'scalps" by dozens.
Counted her scalps-yes-but she
did not marry. Twenty-eight, twenty
nine. thirty-one by one she saw the
milestones slip by her, each a memo
rial to the passing Of one or more
young men, each of whom moped,
sulked, or smiled while, according
to his nature, and then went on and
married some one else.
1t was not that she did not like
them. She did, many of them. But
whenever one grew pressing, between
IT., ord bar mould ~iso fbo e0ooto.
of her unknown admirer-he who
might some day come to ask the re-
ward of his long consistency. Concern
ing him she knew nothing-nothing
except what might be expressed in his
repetitional offerings. He might be
old or young, tail or short, handsome
or homely-she knew nothing. Yet
from this very ignorance she built up
his complete portrait. AS romantic
schoolgirl she painted him with dash
ing strokes and great splotches Of
color-if not quite cavalier with
flashing eyes, yet very nearly as chat
ideal; as a woman grown, she drew
him with strong, clear-cut jaw and
powerful frame; as an old maid, she
limned him of the Douglas, Douglas,
tender and true" type. So gradually
the mental portrait changed-growing
with her growth-that it seemed I'M
changed. In time its original became
as real to her as anyone whom she
had known, so real, in fact, that tangi-
BILE admirers seemed misty and waver-
ing. And as she saw them one by one
settle down with other women, she
turned with ever stronger romantic
devotion to her faithful visionary ad-
mirer. BY and by she came to live In
dream-a dream deux.
Only once had she been reused, and
that was when Paul came a-wooing
Again and again she sent him away,
but ever he returned, until persistence
had won him a place in her thoughts
almost equal to that of her dream
lover. She began to question whether
it was well to longer wait for one who
showed no signs Of coming forward.
This change of heart conceded with