Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1910-03-12
DRUSILLA'S GARDEN.
1t Served as a Substitute For a
Formal Introduction.
BY TEMPLE BAILEY.


held full sway until winter. wheI
Drusilla took the box into the hous,
and raised a few pale violets.
Every morning Drusilla picked OF
the withered blossoms. and In tn,
evening she watered her plants, fol
Drusilla was busy all day polishing
and filing the nails of the patrons OF
the manicure establishment In which
she worked.
When typewriter was first placed
at the window of the big office oppo
site the fifth floor of the tenement In
which Drusilla lived and a dark
young man seated himself in front OF
1t the young girl watched the installa.
ton over the heads of her purple
pansies.
But when the young man looked
across and smiled Drusilla stepped
over her threshold and shut the door
with a slam.
"Impertinencew she calculated In
the dimness of her room but her lips
smiled In answer to the look that the
young man had given her.
But the blossoms cried out for wa
ter, and presently Drusilla's fair head,
4
bow, bent over the pansies. The
hands of the young man remained
suspended over the keys. Then he
rose and walked to the window. but
! Drusilla picked Off some dried leaves
| and brought out an infnitesimal wa
tering pot. She made cool picture
in her white shirt waist A little
Whit of damp earth blew across. cool
ing the heated atmosphere.
The evening hour grew to be an i'm
portant one to Drusilla. for she ar
rived home at 6, and the dark young
man did not leave until Z. She sat up
late nights to finish a certain blue
lawn that had train that trailed
over the iron steps of the fire escape
to the further undoing of the infat-
uated young man over the way. She
hummed little tunes that caused the
/ complete cessation of the "clickety-
| click-click" of the machine opposite.
But still she kept her eyes to her.
| self, for Drusilla had a full sense of
her dignity as workingwoman.
There were certain conventions that
could not be dispensed with in her
circle. and one of these was the form
al Introduction.
Hes dear" she confided to Maize
Dunn as the two girls arranged their
little trays and got out their shining
instruments and the pink powder and
creams. But I'm not going to let
him think I'm easy"
With which rather inelegant sum-
ming up Of the case Drusilla showed
that she was a true conqueror of men.
So for many weeks Juliet on her
balcony remained cold, while Romeo
at the typewriter sighed In vain. He
threw small balls of paper in among
the pansies, and Drusilla brushed
them calmly into neat little dustpan,
but when the dark young man had
gone she picked them out carefully
and read the fervid messages:
You are my pansy blossom"
There's only one girl in the world
for me-" .f
Only once, however did she con-
descend to an exchange of civilities.
On a certain damp morning the
young man coughed. That night he
coughed again. Drusilla was wor-
ried. Finally she retired into the OBJ
scure recesses of her room. When she
reappeared she had a bottle in her
hand. She set 1t ON the fire escape. In
huge letters on the label was the adj
monition:
For Coughs Take Spears Specific"
Then before the young man could
nod enthusiastic response she whisked
back into her room, leaving him alone
with her suggested remedy.
The next morning similar bottle
adorned the young mans desk, and
he took dose conspicuously, stand
ing close to the window while he meas
ured it into a spoon.
But the cough continued, and the
next day Drusilla wrote ON a slip of
paper:
shut your window"
The young man clicked Off some
thing rapidly on his machine and
planted his reply carefully on the
ledge:
II would rather die"
well, he is devoted" said Maize
Dunn, IF he won't shut window be-
tween you. But maybe If you talked
to him you might get him to be care
full of himself
II guess l am not responsible IL he !
is fool" was Drusilla's sharp COM
ment as she soaked her finger tips in
warm water preparatory to giving |
them a treatment.
But that day the sun came out; the |
dry, soft air Of the spring was like
balsam, and the cough stopped. so |
stopped also the exchange of courte- !
sizes. and the young man sighed for !
illness or worse IL 1t would only bring
n look of warmth to his lady's eyes.
And worse came.
1t happened one day at half past @.
Drusilla's shade was down, but the
dark young man knew that she was In
her room, for once her pink tipped fin
gers had adjusted the curtain, and
slvory odor told of her supper cook
ing.
''Clickety- click click" went the type
writer. and then suddenly "clang-
rlang," deadened by its distance to
the fifth floor. came the ring of the
Gre engine bells.
The dark young man leaned out. Far
below him he saw great crowds gath
,rlng. The smoke foated up from the
putting engines. Then all at once he
NJ |