The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-02-15
On Flossiie'
Advice

shallow bowl filed with blooming
bulbs, they did bloom at last and
they are pretty. But don't you ever
let any one tell you what Flossie told
me about them, for 1t isn't true"
"Chinese lilies or narcissus?" asked
her visitor, as she slipped off her pin.
less hat and warmed her blue tipped
fingers against the tea cozy, all set
for gentle brewing.
I'm sure I don't know. I bought
both kinds of bulbs and they got
mixed, and now every bowl has some
flowers with yellow centers and some
that are white and everybody tells me
a different story about which is which.
But that doesn't matter nearly 80
much as the rest of it" Young Mrs.
Tomlinson sank into her wicker chair
and began to arrange the delicate tea
cups, and after that she uncovered q
pile of cheese sandwiches.
ut Is all lovely" exclaimed her
friend. "All-tea. cheese, sandwiches
and flowers. l am cold and hungry,
so hurry the tea, and do tell me what
Flossie said that wasn't true"
"None Of it was true-about the
bulbs" declared young Mrs. Tomlin.
son, sternly. "And she started me
on them. you know. She was here last
summer when we gave our rubber
plant to Aunt Sophie because Harry
said it was too big to live with and
fused so about 1t. was sorry to see
1t 90, for 1t was the only thing ever
made grow, and have spent a for.
tune on ferns and various kinds OF
plants. They die the minute | touch
them. So Flossie suggested bulbs.
They were quite cheap, she told ME.
"',Just get some cheap, plein glass
bowls said FlOssie, and you can
gather enough pebbles this summer to
fill them. Then get the bulbs-at 20
cents q dozen-and you have flowers
for the entire winter. Plant them two
weeks apart and then keep them In
the dark for two weeks. In six weeks
they bloom and you can keep taking
out your bowls as the old flowers die
It sounded delightful, SO decided to
try It.
THAT was in July. We were going
north for the rest Of the summer, 30
I just made a note Of 1t and watched
for pebbles. Whenever we were In
swimming or were walking by the
lake l made everybody pick up peb-
bles for me. Harry said his pockets
were full OF stones all summer long,
and he got awfully mad once because
emptied the cigars out Of a new
cigar box to put stones in, though
covered up the cigars and they weren't
hurt q bit.
Il brought back four boxes Of stones
perfect beauties, blue and white and
yellow and pink. Then l began to
look up bowls. F1ossie said the bowls
would cost almost nothing at all, and
I began to look for plain glass bowls.
The cheap ones were dreadful pressed
glass things and the only pretty ones
were 81 each. so I got two Of those
and then looked at pottery bowls.
Harry says that there's where l lost
my head, but ! looked on the bowls
as an investment. And l got some
beauties. They cost more than the
others, but thought they were worth
the money, and the Japanese clerk
was such dear about choosing them.
Then | got the bulbs. And instead
of costing % cents a dozen they were
three for quarter. Fossie said
went to the wrong place, but | didn't
know that, and | had bought six
bowls, SO / had to have plenty OF
bulbs.
About October 1 I began 10 SET
them out SO they would begin bloom.
Ing about November Is. never have
got over this part Of 1t. Harry has
always given his cigar boxes to a
neighbor boy and he came over ia
play In our basement one day and
found my pebbles In those boxes and
threw them all into the alley!
Harry wasn't at all sympathetic,
He simply refused to 60 and gather
more pebbles by the lake, which he
might have done to save expense, and
30 I had to 60 back to the bulb store
and buy little ugly, commonplace
stones for ten cents quart.
Il finally got one bowl started In
the dark In the coat closet. There
Harry found It before It was q week
old and spilled It all over the silk
lapels Of his new tuxedo. OF course.
his tailor could TX that, but he insists
on counting It in as part of the ex.
pense. He never seemed to care for
my bulb ambitions.
THAT bowl was broken, and Of
course 1t was the incest, and the little
tender sprouts were harmed, 30 had
to begin again. took all the things
out Of the closet and had the janitor
put up some shelves, and It didn't cost
much and was . splendid place for the
bulbs.