The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-08-05
ELDER BLOOM
by MARTHA MocuLIocH. VIII ,au,

BY MARTHA MocuLLocH. WILLIAMS
You say elder bloom Is sickish sweet? love it-it
minds me so Of thnss-thinss maybe had better for
It's hard loving and losing just pure pride
your way. John said was twenty only BY the
oookthe big Bible, where all ages were set down.
seven But he thought was old enough to marry him
somebody else thought So too-Ailan Waite the
al three-John had always helped Alan on and on
mis- pony. and in class It had often my way to
make things little easier for him. A good lad he
was In spite OF being sadly spoiled.
It hurt his people terrible to have their only child
cred leg and twisted foot Except for them, he was
some way when looked at him, John. face always
came came between good ugly. honest face, with the
kindest brown eyes to light It.
loved John all the way up from spelling books
yet NE never cared for me. except little lonesome
to him that he couldn't live without He told me so
now nut her. ,oy ever t hea shouldn't be Living
myself wondering n he had not sensed how loved
MIN and had come to me out OF pity? SO hung
He was patient enough with me-too patient for our
. Allen Waite began haunting me. and say
II was truth. though all along until full grown
and freckedI who cared no more for rock. than to
have them whole and clean, and had rather play hop
and sew patchwork or make buildings. darn stock
ings
Aunt Jane had changed all that-she was my moth
the lady My stepmother had cared-nobody had
until Aunt Jane came She made me pretty dresses
and brushed my hair till it like spun gold took
or my freckles with butermilk. and kept in gloves
TIL my hands baby soft She was to blame
for the boys both loving me. But they never held
1t against her--and certainly don't It's right down
ptifu TO think of girl growing UP and know
ing what it is to play the great game. Love is
great game. / had I'LL of 1t that twenty
In early June the elders all Powered the richest.
heaviest bloom ever them. And there
such clumps of them all up and down lane. with
wild roses in between and Wild buckwheat climbing
and tangng everywhere. loved to walk there. stop
ping whites to bury face In the elder bloom.
never liked to pick the clusters-t seemed sort OF
sacriege. The moon fuied they In prime, and
John walked with me through its shining He lived
little of, and came almost every night The lane
was our refuge Aun. Jane had gone away for a lit.
for anybody short of the minister.
loved to know and hear all anybody said She could
walking the lane length In the moonshine.
She was all for Allen. thinking so much Of money
she did. He came In the day tme-evenngs his
father wanted him to stay and talk over cases with
had law, bu. never practice. being
marry him the week after John proposed. Partly from
vanity. partly TO make John prize more, let him
dansle after telling him to waitI didn't know
what would say to him In the end.
That wasn't story--I loved John went in
that ever could Be his wife~and ii eouidn't-wel
certainly couldn't live along with stepmother. IT
money. She had said
You're welcome TO stay until you marry" fully ex-
pecting time be short.
That night of the full world all
silver the elder flowers than silver-peart. Wild
grapes in bloom, too and the spice pnks in the
garden Heaven itself cannot be sweeer than was tho
air and the dew heavy II showed In beads over
everything and FLASHED down bis drops whenever the
mockng birds stirred Three of them sang at once up
and down the lane-they had In the hedgerooms
and sang to their Never there such another
night Now to think OF itfor years the memory
was like fire.
Midway the lane heard somebody riding In the
far end OF -ridng There little rise before
the end. AS looked Allen come squirting
over II. bareheaded and STOPPING In his saddle lie
was upon US all In a Whit. and saying fretfully:
what you doing here. Lynetse? Come baex
with to your mother!
He said IL with authority. John stepped before him
caught his bride rein said before could answer
him: - -.
.I.ynette will stay here long she ikes-with
the she Is going to marry!
T.iari" Allen cried. scrambinE down. In spite OF
the wfthered leg he had the strength of bull.
He caught John In bearhug foaning out curses
John only smiled With q shake of the shoulders he
wrenched free half flung Allen from him, but canght
and steadied him. and holding him upright turned
Choose betwixt U.s. little girl" he said. Il thought
you had chosen me. Remember. shall never ask
again ,. .,
"Lynnettei Lynette! MY Goa! rove you So Ahcn
cried hoarsey. -
hid my eyes I wanted do right-to be honest
and trne-but John had said he would never ASK
How could nout him with a happy rival! wheeiea
about. called to them my shoulder:
at shant marry anybody-until please
No: that's not the end. John went away next week:
next year married Aiien--oh his deathbed He said
I'd made him mighty happy. Mysefg On, II hardly
matters about women. They Are made to endure not
entoy. - r
coming shall give the Waite fortune TO char
ity-my only trueslove has enough for us both
DiscourAgng the Heroes
recent report OF the Carnegie Hero Fnnd COM
mission covering the six since Its establishment
in 1904. that during that time 1t has made