Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1910-10-13
The Story Of a Rose
BY MARY A. BOWERS
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.

museum. These Enclosures would be
made up of faded flowers. memoranda,
bits of lace and occasionally a letter.
And among those letters there would
be found some that would wreck the
peace Of families. A librarian once
told me that every book returned to
the library was shaken and almost al
ways something would drop out. How
many of these articles could tell love
story?
Here is one Of rose:
! amor was-a white rosebud.
When l was born l don't remember
any better than people remember when
they were born. was very young
when / was plucked, and that is the
earliest event in my life that l recall
1t was June morning. June 10 Q'll
tell later why know this), and most
of the dewdrops on me had been abb
sorbed by the air. A young man came
into the garden. He was barely nine
teen and as handsome as a picture
He wore no hat, and the sunshine
poured in and out of his tumbled hair
He looked about among us flowers as
II searching for one he especially
wanted. Then his eyes lit on me.
was the only bud just opened. He
plucked me and took me into the
house. After breakfast he put me in
his buttonhole and, calling his dog,
set out down the road. Presently he
stopped before house. on the piazza
of which stood a girl. She, too, was
very young-only seventeen, l fancy
and was dressed in pure white, not a
bit of color about her. The young man
turned in at the gate and Joined her
Il have come to say goodby," he said
Il am going away this afternoon to
take the position that has been offered
to me-"
l saw the girl change countenance. /
don't think he noticed it, but you
know a man has not the delicate per-
ceptive faculties Of a white rose. They |
sat down together on wicker chairs
and chatted for long while 1t seem
ed to me that he would have liked to |
tell her that he loved her, but some
reason interposed. probably the fact
that he was just starting in life and
both were very young. AT any rate, he
rose to go without having done SO.
But he did the next best thing He
offered me to her and told her that If
she would keep me till he came again
he would have secret to tell her.
She tried to look Indifferent when he
called his dog and started back home
Bat as soon as he was well down the
road she ran into the house, taking me
with her. and up to her room, where
she wept long while. Then she no
ticed me on her bureau, where she had
placed me, and put me In water.
There l remained till she went to bed.
Just before doing so she placed me in
q book Of poems.
In the morning as soon as she awoke
she opened the book and kissed me.
Then. lest / should fall from between ,
the leaves, she pinned my stem to the
leaf. Under me she wrote June Is.
This book Of poems was to be my
very f1t dwelling
place for a white rose The girl read
he book very often and always caress-
ID me when she did so. A year pass
ID, and when the next summer had
gone she wrote under me on the mar
yin Of the page: T
"Will he never comeT v
Years passed. don't know how n
many. perhaps Eve or six-and he did 4
lot come. Then the girl went away. :
eaving me with her other favorites
fore years passed. One day a man
anne into the room where ! was and
acked all the books. the one l was in
mong the number, and they were y
arted away. When the box contain 81
lg me was opened a man took out my q
ook dwelling and placed it on a shelf
a shop with other books. y
l must have been by this time eight
: ten years old. At any rate, my
aves were yellow and brittle, though
y stem was still firm. One day a
an came into the bookshop and be
ked If they had certain book of al
'ems. / was taken down and handed O.
him. He opened the cover, and oil
hen he saw the name written on the
leaf | felt his hand tremble. Then
turned over the leaves till he came q
the page to which | had been pin
d. His fingers clutched the book in Ii
sort Of spasm.
How much?" he asked the shop
eper.
'Oh. you can have that for 10 cents"
rhe purchaser tossed a bill on the
inter and. forgetting his change.
rried away. The shopman called
-er him. but lie did not hear.
didn't recognize the purchaser till "
saw me in the shop and what was
itten under me. Then ! knew him,
ipite full beard he wore He took
, book and me TO his room in bach Fl
r quarters. and there remained a
ek. Then one day be wrapped US
efully in paper and took US to an
er city on train. We there entered we
ouse. and in a few moments a lady
cred. The man looked at her and
]:
have come nj last"
he lady looked at him and uttered
title cry. He handed the book TO -
open at the page to which was II
ned. and my dear mistress and I row
roN oarh 49, - a.. - new