The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1912-09-05
My Lady Of
The Flowers
By F. A. mitchell

Notifications. There | was Wo"hue'd
and sent to a hospital.
Most of the women had left the cap
ital before the Germans arrived Sohie
remained because they couiuh Se'
away and few to assist III taklnS
care of the wounded soldiers Oue
morning | was lying on my cot III
ward where the beds lined the walls
leaving an aisle in the center. ne
door was opened by nurse. ana iauF
entered carrying a basket OF mowers
Stopping at the first cot, she look lroin
tho basket some of the flowers anu
handed them to the occupant Win
few kind words. Then she passed To
tho next and the next. doing the same
to each.
# was probably not five minutes
from the time she entered the room De-
fore | was madly in love with ner.
She was beautiful, but it was not her
beauty alone that enthralled me-
There was about her d certain serene
purity, refinement and. above all
gentle dignity that | had never seen
combined in any woman. L must nave
forgotten to keep my admiration to my
self, for she lowered her eyes unuer
nv gaze and instead of speaking to me
as she did the others simply handed
me the flowers and passed on,
From that moment my thoughts
were all of her At the same hour the
next day l looked for her to come
again. but she. did not Whether she
went the round of the hospitals, visit
ing each once. or visited only ours
did not know. l only knew that was
| disappointed that she did not come
| again.
| The Prussians came and went
| Their going left Paris in the hands or
the commune l left the hospital dur
ing the period of the commune SUI
premacy. | was young, in love and or
an artistic temperament. | longed to
find the lady of the flowers and pro-
tect her from the misguided mob. who
were spreading fire throughout the
city. who were killing and being
killed.
But | did not dream of seeing her.
| Doubtless she was shut up i'll her
home covering in garnet or cellar fear
ing to be murdered. roaL.ed the
streets looking at the burning of some
public building. all the while dreaming
of the lady of the flowers.
I was standing one day on the curb
Just outside the garden of the Tuile-
| CHI in hn iT.n(.
ton of the Place de la COncOrde. /
looked and saw a crowd of cOmmu-
nists coming. When they came near
me l perceived that their leader was
a woman. and when she passed me
was filled with horror
She was my lady of the flowers.
What a change from that plying
figure scattering flowers and kind
words among wounded soldiers to the
leader of a mob. Her dress was now
short, and on her head she wore REQ
cap Her face was lighted with yea
such as Joan of Arcs might have
worn. For a moment was too par
alyzed to move, and then as the throns
of wretched creatures passed on
turned and hurried after them.
Guided by their leader. some of theil
number pushing cart smelling of pc
troleum. they marched rapidly toward
the palace of the TuilerieS and. leav
ing the street joined a vast crowd O.
shouting madmen in the court Car
rying their petroleum to where Others
had placed kindling in the building
they poured it on the wood and ignit
ed it,
I could not keep her whom l hal
called the flower lady. but now tn
petroleum lady. in view for the jos
: Ting crowd. But presently when
red flame burst forth | saw her stand
ing on barrel. her face lighted as
can imagine Joan's may have been il
the moment of victory. The crow
surged forward and she was lost t
view
Then came the turn when the con
mune. after rolling like the crest Q
: wave about to break. went dow
with crash. There was fighting. me
, and women, too-fring from benin
1 | Ooil1CdueS. lTOu WluuOWS, ITOm Ill
} tops of houses, at the soldiers in tn
: streets. 1t was the last gasp of ma
effort for a Utopia. The barricade
were taken. men on the roofs wer
picked off. and the firing degenerate
into random Shots
Night came on, and l walked dow
= a street where the last barricade ha
D been defended. had been hunting n
i lady of the flowers Vainly | ha
sought her face among those ban(
that had held Paris for three days b
the throat had not found her. and
thought | should go mad if did NJ
find her. l wished to draw her ava
to beg her to abandon her road to rui
and let me love her forever | can
to the deserted barricade, climbed
and stumbled down on the other sid
There. lying on the pavement. lighte
by lamp in a window, was Il
white face of my lady of the flower
With cry stopped and caught h
III my arms. Rugged her to me
, bring back the ebbing life. | covers
her faro with ly;ccoc