The Cairo bulletin., 1910-07-28
The Story of a Rose
BY MARY A. BOWERS
Copyright 1910. by American Press

Giles found bet een their pages dis
played TO the world they would fill a
museum These Enclosures would be
made up of faded flowers, memoranda.
bits of lace and occasionally II letter
| And among those letters there would
be found some that would wre'k the
peace OF families. A librarian once
| told me that every book returned 10
| the library was shaken and almost al
| ways something would drop out How
/ many OF these articles could tel Il love
story?
/ Here Is one Of Il rose
4 | amor was-a white rosebud
When WIS Corn don't remember
any better than people remember when
they were born. was very young
when was plucked, aud that il The
earliest event in my life that ! recall.
| 1t was Il June morning. June ID u'll
tell later why | know ihis). and most
OF the dewdrops on me had been alb
| sorbed by the air a young man came
i into the garden, He was barely nine-
| teen and us handsome as Il picture.
He wore no hal. and the sunshine
! poured ia and ont of his tumhled hair.
| He looked about among US flowers rs
I II searching for one he especially
| wanted. Then his eyes lit on me.
/ was the only bud just opened He
plncked me and took ME into the
! A Il, f,YI,+ h., NM ft,
his buttonhoe and, calling his dog
| set out down the road Presently he
| stopped before IL house. on the piazza
| of which stood a girl She. too. was
very younS--only seventeen. fancy
and was dressed In pure white. not a
| hit of color about her. The young man
turned in Mt the gate and Joined her.
Il have come 10 say goodby," he said.
Il am going away this afternoon to
take the position that has been offered
| to me-"
| saw the girl change countenance. |
| don't think he noticed II. but you
know man has not the delicate per-
| ceptiye faculties Of "A white rose. They
sat down together on wicker chairs
| and chatted for a 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 fle was just starting in life aud
both were very young. At any rate, hc
rose TO so without having done So
! But he did the next best thing He
| .fg. 10, NM. al h.r M
she would keep me till he came again
| be would have secret 10 tell her
She tried to look Indifferent when he
called his dog and started back home,
| But as soon as lie was well down the
| road she ran Into the house. taking me
| with her. and up TO her ROOM where
she wept a long while, Then she no.
1 ticed me on her bureau, where she had
placed me. and put me in water
There remained till she went to bed
Just before doing so she placed me in
book of poems
In the morning rs soon as she woke
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 10
This book Of poems was to he my
permanent home, a very fit dwelling
place for white rose. The girl read
the book very often and always curess-
ed me when she did so. A year pass
ed. and when the next summer had
gone she wrote under me on the mar
gin of the page:
"Will he never comew
Years passed. don't know how
many. perhaps five or slx--and he did
not come. Then the girl went away.
leaving me with her other favoritcs
/ More years passed. One day a man
came into the room where | was and
packed all the books, the one ! was IN
among the number, and they were
carried away. When the box contain
ing me was opened man took out my
book dwelling and placed 1t on IL shelf
of shop with other books.
must have been by this time eight
or ten years old. At any rate. my
leaves were yellow and brittle, though
my stem was still firm One day a
man came into the bookshop and
asked If they had a certain book OF
poems. | was taken down and banded
to him. He opened the cover, and
when he saw the name written on the
fy!eaf felt his hand tremble. Then
he turned over the leaves TIL he canre
to the page TO which had been pin
ned. His fingers clutched the book in
a sort Of spasm.
How muchT' he asked the shop
keeper.
"Oh, you can have that for 10 cents"
The purchaser tossed a bill on the
counter and, forgetting his change.
hurried away. The shopman called
after him. but he did not hear.
| didn't recognize the purchaser till
he saw me In the shop and what was
written under me. Then knew him.
despite n full beard he wore. He took
the book and me to his room in bach
elor quarters. and there l remained n
week. Then one day he wrapped US
carefully in paper and took us to an
other city on train. We there entered
house. and In few moments lady
entered. The man looked at her and
said.
II have come at last"