Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1909-02-25
The SUNFL.OWER
Girl

Perhaps | am absurdly jealous, as
you say Madge plaintively admitted,
but, oh, Laurence, you say such
pretty things about such lots of other
girls!"
Naturally" replied her lover bland
ly, Il am a poet" He had once, at his
own expense, published 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 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 beautiful girl in a yellow gown
leaning over golden balcony. Her
| yellow ringlets blew across her cheeks
| to mingle with the bunch of sunfow-
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 l shall buy the pic
ture,' said Laurence
You cannot, for it 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 symbolizes 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
tons
The quarrel grew as luncheon
progressed, until finally Madge pulled
off her engagement ring and dropped
it into Laurence's coffee.
You needn't see me home she
said. I'll take carriage. You can
go % 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 a lesson.
shan't go What storm in a teacup.'
That evening Madge awaited him
sure he would come and bring back
the ring. But he didn't come. After 8
sleepless night Madge sent note te
Laurence's home. 1t said
Unless you come to meet me al
four O'clock, l 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
hell 1t did not come
From four o'clock TO six she spen
n wishing that she had never beer
eorn
Al six o'clock her brother volun
{ teered to go round to Laurence.
But he wasn't at home the brothe
said on his return. His man sal,
, that he'd gone down to see Mr. Aims
worth, and that he didn't know whel
to expect him home
After dinner she ran up stairs t,
her own sitting room, flung hersel
, down on the sofa, buried her brown
head in its yellow cushions, and-oh
q why do servants insist upon bringing
! IN coffee TO people with broken hearts
But it was not the coffee.
3 1t was Laurence. Dusty, disheveled
carrying parcel.
!. "a little peace offering, said he, +"
q study by Ainsworth of the sunfower
at his place. Dyou like it? l mean
a to bring it around at four this aftel
i coon. You asked me to call then"
e ITS half past eight now" sal
: Madge, Jelly.
8 Il know it, dear. But when &c
p down to Ainsworths found he'd jus
i. fallen down the studio steps an
broken his leg. No one to look afte
( him but his landlady's daughter-th
= sunflower girl
X "She had red arms" Laurence r.
n sponded later, in answer to Madge
sc questions; "she wore cruel pink co
n ton frock; she had freckles also