Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-04-17

happy when lie planted them,s she re-
iterated. Il amt wantin' to sell 'em to
any but happy folk
lie laughed iovially. Make your
mind easy on that score. ma'am We
amt none of your grizziers, the missus
ard me! Come now. | must be gettin'
back" He rubbed The eoppers on his
apron and dropped them into her hand.
When he was gone she waited again.
The crowd was thinning. 1t would not
be dense again till evening, and she
could not wait till then The abbey
bells sang again. the same tune. She
listened to it less happily The day was
wearing on, and folks had not seen how
fine her flowers were-his flowers. rath-
er. those he had planted with his own
hands. She glanced at the basket. There
had been thirty punches in it: there
We're now thirty three.
The wind came scurrying through the
market square, tossing up white frag-
ments OF paper, twiriing the vendors
aprons, and beating into the air fine
showers OF dust.
The old woman shiyered. at be main
cold; | had best be a-gettin' home. as
ne said. It's tidy climb to Saint Ste
phen's. Maybe | shall sell a bunch or
two on the way" She caught up the
basket heavily, and half -turned to shell
ter herself against new buffet of wind.
She faced now flower stall. and as
she braced herself rigidly a couple moved
toward her. turning away from the stall.
ne glfl was bearing great bunch of
double yellow daffodils. vivid and riot
Gus Her face was radiant "They are
glorious" she said. II am not sure that
! cont like them quite as well as the
single ones after al!''
There are some single ones!" ex-
claimed the young man.
The girl gave little cry. $50 they
are-single! basketful, and single ey
cry one of them. After we have searched
everywhere, Diek!!n
They are rather poor, he said con-
soling,y.
Not bit of it, Dick. They are love.
Il. All single daffodils are lovely And
that poor old soul--she looks half.
deadl"
The pity that mingled with the radi-
ance on that girls face was too much
for the lover. He touched the daffodil
sellers arm as she was moving away.
We want to buy your flowers" he said.
She looked at the couple in a dazcd
kind OF way. Here were customers at
last radiant and glad and young. She
had been waiting for such all day, and
now that they had come she could not
take the fact in.
They are so beautiful-single daffo-
dis said the girl II wonder YOU did
not sell them long ago"
A faint color erept into the old cheeks.
the faint flicker of the old pride. The
flower-seller told the story again, al
most gladly now "He planted the bulbs
hisself, my man did, afore he died And
he were that happy over it; / amt seen
none happier nor he were then. amt
never sold the flowers afore. not till this
year, when they was that fine and plen-
tiful / knew he'd want folks to have
EN-, And | wasn't wantin' to sell them
to any but happy folk"
You must love to see them come up
year after year-to remind you of him.
said the girl. She looked at her lover.
The old creature was sorting the
punches together She said softly to
herself they stopped to catch the words
1T be better nor the parson and the
resurrection of the dead
They bought all her flowers: the
young girl took them tendarly into her
arms, the peaky, dwindling blooms.
Then they watched her walk away, rap
turous, happy, talking to herself as she
went. Her heart was full. She had
sold his flowers; they had been sought
after sought after by happy folk.-Ag-
mes Grozier in The Sketch.