The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-10-06

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beautiful stories; it preferred to take
vivid interest in every movement of
the man in the garden.
| The garden thrived and blossomed
into veritable fairyland of color. The
man seemed to take particular care
of the roses; to Delicia's longing eyes
it looked as if the pink ones grew
| defiantly larger and more desirable
than the others.
AS June wore toward its close the
girl found herself consciously jealous
| of the pink roses; especially was she
| jealous of the tender care which was
given to one bush. The man spent
hours tending the glorious bud that
was slowly opening its heart 10 the
garden. He pruned and petted and
watched it with the eyes Of a lover.
Delicias desire for a cluster of
those roses became a passion. When
the man in the garden buried his head
in their pink depths to inhale their
sweetness she felt that she must rush
down and clutch some of them to her
own heart
Upon the night of the big dance in
the town hall Delicia stood before her
! mirror and gazed at the pink cloud re-
hected there.
II need that one ,se." she said to
herself MY costume is incomplete
without 1t. l simply must have it for
my hair"
She slipped quietly out and glided
through the moonlight into the garden
next door. Once in the garden. Deli
cia forgot everything save the glor-
I ious moment She wandered about
the rose paths inhaling draught after
draught of their sweetness and look
ing always for the one pink beauty
The moonlight turned them all about
until they looked like little pale souls
playing about in the garden.
"You beauty" she cried aloud when
her fingers found the one they sought
"Oh-h. but you have thorns!" she
murmured as she tried to break the
stem
Perhaps ! can cut it for you"
voice. musical and rich. came Oh;
from the moonlight
"Oh-h!" Delicia slipped quietly
down among the roses.
Great Scott! didn't mean to
startle you, child" He picked the
pink cloud up in his arms and gazed
down at her face. You beauty" he
muttered under his brea+'
Martin Duane picked a great rose
bud hastily and drew 1t gently across
the girls brow. 1t was cool and De-
licia's eyes opened slowly.
Thank goodness" cried ths man as
his eyes looked deep into the great
gray ones. So fascinated was he that
he forgot for the moment that he was
holding her close in his arma.
II am better now" she said
He released her and said quickly,
Il am a brute to have startled you,
so especially when l have wnited so
long for you to come down from your
sky"
Dclicia cast a startled glance at
him. You have known
II saw you slip through your gate
and into this house almost the first
day. Martin Duane spoke with d
wonderful tenderness. You had on
something pink-lile this" He touch
ed the scarf that hung from her shout
der THAT is why l put in so many
pink flowers" he said simply
And would have taken your very
finest rose" she said
Yours" he corrected her. Il had
made up my mind that II hadn't
managed to meet you before that rose
came into full bloom that I would
send it up to you with plea for
your"
1T is in fun bloom" said DeliciA
softly.
The man stopped over the bush and
cut the rose. He very carefully re-
moved all the thorns and put it into
her hand
A moment later he said: Il have
bought this place"
Delicia was silent for moment.
but in that moment something, subtle
and intangible though it was. told her
that she need never give up the pink
den.