The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1910-10-04
THE YELLOW
ROSE LADY
By TEMPLE BAILEY
Copyright. 1910. by tho Associated Ii
erary Press)

/
When Abner Dove first caught
sight of the new summer boarder
she was sitting on the steps of the
hotel. She was all in white, with
her hair arranged in curls and puffs,
and banded by pale yellow ribbon
in strange yet fascinating fashion.
Two hours later, when Abner had
MIXED the cows, he picked four wild
old-fashioned yellow roses that grew
in the fence corner. When the
boarders appeared on the porch after
supper, with the goddess of his
heart in their midst, he waited until
the darkening of the shadows made
his approach possible, laid the roses
on the rail, and, with beating pulse,
withdrew again to the shadow of the
trees.
He had his reward when he heard
a voice say-a tender, thrilling
voice, "Why, the lovely roses-how
funny They weren't here a mo-
ment ago, and-why, who could have
picked them ?"
Abner could see that she was not
satisfied with the explanations that
followed. In the background he
heard another feminine voice, lit
tie naughty, ask, GLOW do you know
they are meant for you?"
The girl with the roses in her
hair said in a startled way, ooh, of
course-only they matched-my rib
bon"
"As if anyone could not have no.
ticed that 7" said a voice in the
background.
Abner wanted to speak out and
say 81 noticed it." but he had no
place among those people To them
ne was simply countryman, a
farmer How could they, who esti-
mated mans worth by the clothes
he wore and the money he spent, I'M
derstand his standing in his own
community, where his fathers large
ownership of land made him some
thing of a parsonage?
BE had asked her name and found
that it was Campbell, Elsie Camp
bell, and that she had much wealth.
"All the men tag after her." said the
waitress who gave him this informa-
ton, "but l don't understand what
they see in her. like that little
Miss Wells much better"
(Which is Miss Wells?" Abner
asked.
ooh, she's the other GIRL" said
Mary, vaguely, as she went back to
her work.
Abner decided that the other
girl must be the one with the haugh-
ty voice. He did not wonder that
the men did not care for her. 1t
was the little lady with the curls
who was altogether lovely.
He was surprised, therefore, as
time went on to see how much she
was left alone. After that first night
the men drifted toward the naughty
girl, who, by daylight, appeared to
Abner's curious eyes as a stately
She Was All In White, With Her Hair
beauty whose arrogant manner
matched her voice. She seemed to
be much in demand, men in auto
mobiles and men on horseback es-
corted her everywhere, while the yell
low Rose Lady, as Abner had called
her, after that first night, seemed to
have few invitations.
Abner, weaving romances about
her, decided that she held herself
aloof. He liked to think of her as
a princess, to whom these people
were but vassals at her command.
As for himself, he was content to
be her slave, to worship afar off, UNI
seen, unknown.
Yet as time went on he felt that
this was not adequate. He wanted
to speak to her, to show her some of
the beauties of forest and of stream.
Now and then she spoke to him
in her soft little voice, and he would
grow weak with rapture at her SIM
pie "Thank you" or "Please" as he
did some small service for her. Once
she came out to the barn and found
him mending the harness before the
open door. A white cat and two kit
tens lay asleep in front of him.
ooh" she crooned, and went to pet
them.
you'll soil your dress" Abner
warned, and she caught it up and
laughed a little when he insisted on
bringing a newspaper on which she
lmelt as she Rugged the pussies.
Abner thought her gown was love
ly. 1T was lawn, and it was cut low
to show her round, white throat. He
felt that women's clothes must cost