Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1911-06-14

but the tall hedge that now separated
the two houses was no higher or wild
er than the estrangement that grew
up between the two families when
Estelle Bromley broke her engage
ments to Ned Northrop.
Estelle had given no reason nor had
Ned offered any explanation of the
affair to his puzzled relatives. He
simply went away from Merivale and
opened an Office in the city where he
had all the success that might re-
ward the efforts of a young country
lawyer whose mind was more occupied
with his own heart affairs than with
the chickering's of the clients that
came to him.
Estelle Bromley, weary of the whis-
perings of wondering village and the
reproachful chances of Ned's mother,
who blamed Estelle, decided that as
her future was now in her own hands
she must provide for it as best she
might, so she went to another city
and became after the customary ap-
premiership, trained nurse.
In Merivale they soon ceased to
wonder about this shattered romance;
there were always such interesting
things to gossip over. Finally after
few years there remained only the
bitterness between the Northrops and
the Bromleys Sometimes the two es-
tranged ones came home, but it had
so happened that their visits had new
er occurred at the same time.
Now it was May and the Merivale
orchards were pink with apple bios
SONS. The faint green of the new
leaves formed a background for the
glowing plumage of the orioles and
the bluebirds; the scent of blossoms,
bearing in it's odor the memories of
a happy boyhood, assailed the nostrils
of Ned Northrop as he wandered I'M
der the boughs.
Ned always came home for Memoir
al Day; so many of the Northrops
had fought in the Civil war, so many
of them, men, women and children
had gone to the cemetery on the hill
side, that the keeping of this especial
day was a very sacred matter in the
Northrop family. 1t was an accepted
fact that Ned should leave whatever
business he might have on hand and
come home to help his mother and
sisters to decorate the graves in the
family plot.
1t lacked a week of the appointed
time, but Ned had run down to Meri-
vale because the restlessness Of the
spring season was in his blood, and it
was five years since he had given way
to the feeling weakness" he called
it grfmly.
His sister, Ellen Northrop, watched
him from the garden where she had
been examining the SNOWFALL bushes
and rejoicing that the Hlacs would be
just right on the thirtieth. If the pink
rose bush would only do its duty so
that her mother might have at least
one bud to place on her fathers grave,
Ellen thought her last fear would be
dismissed. But the pink rose was
Sinking its duty; the few buds were
small and unpromising. Ellen let the
branch fly back with little whipping
to her brothers side.
'I guess mother won't have a pink
rose this year." she said gloomily. ut
looks as if the bush were dying.
81 might get some roses in the city
-" Ned was beginning when Ellen
interrupted with an impatient gesture.
"You know it isn't just roses she
wants-it's roses from that bush that
she and father planted the day they
came to live in this house. It's the
sentiment of the thing-and hate to
tell her, she'll feel so disappointed"
81 thought Aunt Celista had slip
from the bush-wouldn't that be the
same thing?" asked Ned.
"Of course that would do only Aunt
Celistas bush died three years ago"
Didn't mother give slip to any
body else? l know she was always
exchanging flowers with folks"
"She never gave away but two slips
of the pink rose. One went to Aunt
Celista and the other" Ellen hesi-
tated and paused in some confusion.
"And the other one?" Ned asked
carelessly.
"She gave it to Estelle Bromley"
declared Ellen bluntly. "She gave It
to Estelle the day-the day your en-
gagement was broken off, She
stopped in sudden terror at what she
had done. Never before had she men
toned the fact of her brothers brok-
en- engagement, and she was afraid
of what he might say. He stood still
and listened with bent head and when
she had finished he turned toward
her such a white face that involuntar-
lily she reached out and clutched his
arm.
ooh, I'm sorry, Ned! l ought not to
have spoken" she whispered.
I'm glad you did, Ellen. That pink
rose caused all my unhappiness. 1t
was my own fault-Estelle has never
been to blame although l thought she
was until this moment"
"You quarreled over the pink rose
that mother gave her-oh, Ned, how