Norwich bulletin., 1912-05-18

Make it fifteen. Fifteen I'm offered! | Bah! what bargain hunters! Going de you hear? Going for only fifteen dollars Sold to the second hand fur niture man fer the miserable sum of fifteen dollars. He's get what he came fer-something for nothing.."
 Tn this fashion the auction contin- ued till each article was disposed of. Gradually the crowd dwindled away home More than satisfied with his game was the antique furniture man, whe chuckled to himself at visions of the dollars he hoped te pocket on the sales of each antique.
 Ralph Emory real estate agent and lover of antiques, was among the antique. furniture mans best custom | CTS. A dignified bachelor was MT. Em- ory noted fer his eecentricities but dearly loved by the few who were proud to be numbered among his | friends. Gossip hinted that in days l gone by he had bestowed his affections upon a talented young woman whose 1 qualities far eXcelled any antique relic. | Taking a peep into Ralph Emory's | cosy apartment, we discern an ObjEct 1 in one corner of the bedroom which on 1 closer scrutiny proves to be the well l remembered Foster mahogany bureau, | looking very lonely and out Of place. Sitting at his desk in the opposite l cerner of the same room is the digni- l fled Ralph Emory His fingers are nervously toying with an envelope, | dusty and wrinlled, which a few mo- ' ments ago he found hidden in one of l the drawers to the old bureau. l Watching the gentleman closely, we ] see him open the envelope and out from It's hiding place falls a withered l red rose Before picking up the rose l Ralph Emory takes from pigeonhole in his desk an old diary. After turn | ing a few leaves he comes upon the | object of his search-another red
 rose, just as withered as the one on
 the carpet. and which he picks up now. Placing the two withered roses lside by side on his desk, his mind i wanders, and if hfs countenance pales
 slightly little wonder at 1t. for what | do the withered roses say?
 Resting his head in the palm of his | hand. Ralph Emory muses: Twin roses! Yes that's what Sybil Foster
 called these two red roses when she cut them from the bush which grew near
 the front gate leading to the Foster
 place.
 Its five years since then, and I
 wonder why Sybils little treasure has
 fallen into my hands? l wonder if-'
 And so we'll leave him wondering.
 It was very excited gentleman who appeared early the next morning at
 the store of the antique furniture man,
 demanding to know how, when and
 where he had obtained the Foster bu-
 reau which he sold the day before to
 Ralph Emory. The antique furniture
 man explained all he knew regarding
 the sale of the Foster antiques and the
 courteous MT. Emory departed without
 even a Thank youF' leaving the an
 tique furniture man pOndering as to
 whether that good man had taken
 leave of his senses.
 And all this time our friend, Sybil Foster, has been resting at the home | or Clarice Hunter.
 It was the eve before the day set
 for Sybil to leave her kind friends fol
 her home in the city. Just for old
 times sake" Clarice and Sybil had
 been singing some familiar melodies
 They were in the midst of their favor
 ite song ('''Tis the Last Rose Of
 Summer"), when the doorbell rang SC loudly that both young women began
 to tremble
 Sybl rushes past CIarice upstairs . leaving Clarice to answer the bell II ] less than five minutes Clarioe calls uI
 the stairway:
 "A gentleman in the parlor to set Miss Foster"
 Sybu leans over the banister and as } there Is no Clarice to be seen there if
 nothing left to do but see the gentle. man
 Calm and defiant, and with nor, | pride in her carriage than of old l Sybn Foster appeared in the door O the parlor. As she met the searching 5 eyes of Ralph Emory her voice trem- } bled noticeably.
 ! D. 7-I, } you come? Surely you cannot wish t } add another drop of bitterness to ID! cup which is already overflowing?" \ For answer, Ralph Emory handed 2 Sybu the envelope containing he t wtthered red rose.
 This he adds, ''is what brought m t here tonight, Sybil." Very calmly h. 5 went on to explain his purchase of tn l Foster bureau and the finding of tn wTinkled envelope hidden in one of tn
 drawers.
 l Had I known Of the auction, Sybi \ l should have been there without fai } not to bid for antiques, but for 3 l treasure for eXcelling any antique-th f Proud Miss Foster herself. e Your invalid mother Is gone an . her daughter is left alone Can 1t be l l Sybil, that you will allow the ol 3 pride to come between yourself an y happiness 2"
 0 Their conversation was interrupte s by the sudden appearance of Claric
 Hunter, who is always on hand whe s an important question is at stake ! Taking in the situation at one glanc . and adopting the auctioneer's Ian l, guage, Clarice shouts at the top of he t voice:
 q "Soldl The heart and hand of tn . Proud Sybil Foster to Ralph Emory d for the fabulous sum of two withere }. red roses