Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1909-03-18
The SUNFLOWER
Girl


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 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 thu
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
worths 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 a 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 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
1
had "crimped" her own with tongs,
Laurence had forbidden her ever
again to use such artificial abomina-
tons
The quarrel grew as luncheon
progressed, until finally Madge pulled
| off her engagement ring and dropped
1t into Laurence's coffee.
You needn't see me home" she
said. I'll take carriage You can
go 10 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 off
our engagement because of Stella"
thought he. "She deserves a lesson. I
ehan'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 a
sleepless night Madge sent note to
Laurence's home 1t said:
Unless you come to meet me at
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
bell. 1t did not come.
From four o'clock TO six she spent
IN wishing that she had never beer
born
At six o'clock her brother volun
teered to go round to Laurence.
But he wasn't at home" the brother
said on his return. His man sale
that he'd gone down to see Mr. Aims
worth, and that he didn't know wher
to expect him home"
After dinner she ran up stairs tt
her own sitting room, flung hersel
down on the sofa, buried her brown
head in its yellow cushions, and-oh
why do servants insist upon bringins
IN coffee to people with broken hearts
But it was not the coffee
1t was Laurence! Dusty, disheveled
carrying parcel.
"a little peace Offering" said he, q;
study by Ainsworth of the sunfower!
at his place. D'you like it? l mean
10 bring it around at four this after
coon. You asked me to call then"
Its half past eight now" sait
Madge, icily.
Il know it, dear. But when l go
down to Ainsworth's / found he'd JUS
fallen down the studio steps an,
broken his leg No one to look afte
him but his landlady's daughter-th'
eunfloWer girl
"She had red arms" Laurence re
Snonded later in answer to Madga,