The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-09-29
My Mignonstte Lady
BY MARY CHAMPION.

-ODAY-though not for the first
il time by any means-I was
made happy by receiving from a girl
reader a box Of flowers grown in her
own garden.
Roses, sweet peas, mignonette.
snapdragons' and pansies-they are
making my room bright and sweet;
which prompted the sender will dwell
in my heart all day long.
| love them the more that they
have carried my thoughts back to IN
old fashioned garden long ago, where
all the flowers 1 have named grew IN
wild profusion, filling. the, air with
fragrance. mingling together with
out plan or conscious order.
Yet the touch OF a loving hand was
everywhere apparent: No we Weeds
growing plants. no dead blossoms
clunp to their stalks. pitifully pro.
claiming the brevtty and frailty OF
earth's beauty. No gaps were al
lowed to intervene In the seasons
succession OF flowers.
The owner OF the garden, was a
beautiful elderly lady, with the fresh
face and neat slim figure Of young
girl. though her hair was almost
white under, the Wide,br1mmed sun
1 always called her my .'mignonetts
LADY," and TO my childish mind shs
seemed q real fairy godmother:
never tired Of visiting Her In the
quaint old cottage that was her
home, where every room seemed ex-
pressive OF her dainty personality,
and the very cakes provided at tea
time seemed different from those one
ate at other peoples houses-lnore
deIicately Favored and teatherL,nghI
lavender, silver gray. blue or hello.
trope; sometimes her gown was OF
fowered silk OF muslin fashioned In
an old world style that made her look
as though she rla had stepp,ed p,.i,,ss ssEa'snt
Her home was a perfect haven OF
peace and an atmosphere Of peace
chung around her. She seemed to
have no worries. no griefs, no fears
for the future. ! have never known
Even to my inexperiencsd eyes she
was O rare and wonderful creature,
and as ! came TO know her better
] learned that she had many fr1ends
when in trouble, In her garden to ind
healing and rest:
mo wonder Miss wears so
wond erfully," said a harassed-look-
"she has absolutely nothing to bother
her. Money enough, and a comforta.
bic home. not a relation in the world
to cause her anxiety and make her
miserable. Any one could keep youns
under those conditions Now look at
But I, for one. did not wish TO
look at her or hear her tale Of dis
trcss. Those words-"Not a relation
In the world to make her miserable
the strangeness OF woman, with a
husband and children to love lno
matter what her worries might PEI
envying a lonely. elderly, unmarried
woman without any ties to ho'd ner
became very pitiful to my beau
tiful ''mignonette lady" and, in
childish way. tried to be sympa-
thetic companion TO heT' ursv older
she came TO look on me as almost a
daughter. and would let me have
cijmpses Of the inner self she kept 80
secluded, and tell me tales OF her
youth,
day IN a moment OF confidence They
have been real friends to me-they
helped me through the greatest H,tes soTe IoTe
seemed to fan me-here were my flow
ara In those days they seemed to
me wrenths laid on the grave OF my
happiness, but that was wrong. MY
happiness grew afresh, with the young
ventured on a timid question. and
little by little, half py means Oh
spoken words, half by suggestion,
isorned the one romance OF her life,
Che had been engaged In her youth,
TO an officer IN the army. who sun
lived in her fancy vaiond,d az nero mana
He was two years absent In India:
then upon his return they were to be
married,
He cams home seemingly as fond
and devoted as ever; the wedding day
was fixed. her happiness beyond all
expression.
soon, however. she noticed
change In him. He was abstracted
and brooding at times, and grew pale
and haggard and nervous in manner.
To her questions he made the one
careless reply-it was all her iW5sin-
Accommodating was wrong.
Then one night they went to o ball
together, and she noticed lovely but
fragile girl. who, she learned. had