The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1912-09-05
My Lady Of
The Flowers
BY F. A. MIruiEL

During the siege Of Paris in 1870 /
threw down my palette and brushes
and taking musket. went into the
Notifications. There ! was wounded
and sent to hospital.
Most of the women had left the cap.
lItal before the Germans arrived Some
remained because they couldn't get
away and a few to assist in taking
care of the wounded soldiers One
morning was lying on my cot IN
ward where the beds lined the walls.
leaving an aisle in the center. The
door was opened by a nurse and lady
entered carrying basket OF flowers
Stopping OF the first cot, she took from
tbe basket some Of the flowers and
handed them to the occupant with a
few kind words. Then she passed 10
the next and the next, doing the same
to each.
1t was probably not five minutes
from the time she entered the room be
fore was madly in love with her
She was beautiful. but II was not her
beauty alone that enthraled me.
There was about her certain serene
purity. a refinement and, above all,
gentle dignity that | had never seen
combined in any woman. | must have
forgotten to keep my admiration to my
self, for she lowered her eyes under
my 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 l
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 Of
the commune. l left the hospital dur
! ing the period Of the commune su-
premaey. was young, in love aud Of
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 in her
home covering In garret or cellar fear
ing to be murdered. roamed the
streets looking at the burning of some
pablo building, all the while dreaming
Of the lady of the flowers.
l was standing one day on the curb
just outside the garden of the TuIle
ries when. hearing shouts in the direc
tion of the Place de la Concorde,
looked and saw crowd of commu-
nists coming When they came near
me | perceived that their leader was
woman, and when she passed me /
was filed with horror.
She was my lady of the flowersl
What a change from that pitying
figure scattering nowers and kind
words among wounded soldiers to the
leader of mob Her dress was now
short, and on her head she wore red
zap. Her face was lighted with zeal
such as Joan of Arcs MIGHT have
worn. For moment | was too par.
alyzed to move, and then as the throng
lof wretched creatures passed on /
turned and hurried after them.
Guided by their leader, some of their
number pushing Il cart smelling of De.
troleum, they marched rapidly toward
the palace of the Tuileries and. leav-
ing the street. Joined vast crowd of
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.
| could not keep her whom | had
called the flower lady. but now the
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 In
the moment of victory. The crowd
surged forward and she was lost to
view.
Then came the turn when the COM
mune. after rolling like the crest Of
a wave about to break. went down
with crash. There was fighting, men
and women, too-firing from behind
barricades, from windows, from the
tops Of houses, at the soldiers in the
streets. 1t was the last gasp of mad
effort for a Utopia. The barricades
were taken, men on the roofs were
picked off, and the firing degenerated
into random shots.
Night came on, and | walked down
a street where the last barricade had
been defended. | had been hunting my
lady of the flowers Yainly | had
sought her face among those bands
that had held Paris for three days by
the throat | had not found her. ana !
thought | should go mad II did not
1nd her. ! wished to draw her away.
to beg her to abandon her road to ruin
and let me love her forever | came
to the deserted barricade, climbed 1t
and stumbled down on the other side.
There. lying on the pavement, lighted
by lamp in a window, was the
white face of my lady Of the flowers.
With cry | stopped aud caught her
in my arms. Rugged her to me to
bring back the ebbing life. ! covered
her face with kisses.
Her eyes opened She looked into
mine and recognized me. She was too
far gone to speak, but through those
glorious windows her soul came forth
TO meet mine in loving farewell. Our
first meeting had been fash OF love