El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-01-13

1E brought me a bunch of viOlets-
- the English boy who is visiting
\ l. us-gr e at, purple, fragrant,
heavy with the dew and as sweet as the
memory of one we loved in early youth.
VioIets, sweet, sweet violets, and the
whole street was full of potatoes and
cabbages and beets and turnips and
things that he might have bought Pm
glad he didn't do it.
1 know many peOple-Vegetab peo-
ple-that never think of anything that
isn't Notwithstanding to eat or drink
OF wear Poor things poor things;
what lot they miss, don't they?
4 never read novels" said cross,
old woman to me the other day /
haven't time to waste" and she pursed
UP her diSagreeable mouth and looked
virtuously at me out of the corners of
her self-riShteOus eyes as II she were
proud of what she had Just said
Never read nOYels'-What a life
what a life. Shut up in the little, mar
row. dark room of her own experience,
when all those beautiful doors are open
wide to her If she'd only turn the handle
of them by opening the bookcase at the
right time.
Are you tired? Come, let's wander
far afield with Burroughs and sit under
a shady maple on the edge Of the green
woods and wonder with him if it is go
ing to rain.
ley, right there at the first turning to
the right, down by the book of red fairy
tales. He'll cheer you up.
Is life wearisOme round of ''musts'
and ought tO's?'-cOme, let's go into
Wonder Land with Alice; the White
Rabbit is such entertaining company.
1 like to spend an afternoon with the
Princess and her maids once in while,
don't you? What Princess? Oh, any
of them-so long as she has fair hair
and rosy cheeks, and a lace frOck shot
with silver, and crown of sparkling
gems, and a poor swineherd for a
sweetheart
Poor woman. so you never read nov
els? I suppose you'd think me crazy if
you saw me porting over Aladdin and
his wonderful lamp and wishing L had
lamp just like that one in the story.
wouldn't you?
VioIets, not for you; what good are
they. pray tell? Just imprisoned sun
shine, living dew and air and fragrance,
just the smile of the Great Giver Of all
Good.
A letter from an old friend Of mine
viii gladden. my heart for hours
suppose my practical friend who never
reads novels" wouldn't ever stop TO
open the envelope, unless she thought
there was something in it about money
and how to get it
All. there are the tiger lilies. tall and
angry, close to the flowery flox- What
a pretty pink row that isl You can
tell it even by starlight. 4 wish that 1
was a primrose, pretty, yellow prlm-
rose, ALLOWING in the sun"
What a sweet chime that was! How
it makes the stupid city streets over
into a dear oid-fashioneds gardenl
Tong-ting- ting-ting- Why, it's nothing
but little boy striking two bits Of
glass together. See how he laughs to
hear the ringi
Throw it away, little boy; throw it
away and all your pretty dreams with
it. It's nothing but a bit of broken
glass and wouldn't fetch over one penny
in the market
What! You won't2 You love the
chimes and the rhymes and the far
away clish-elish Of it? You like it bet
ter than the jingle Of pennies IN
bank? What a stupid little boy! Why.
you'll never be a mana real mani
you keep on like this.
You'll love music. and books, and
flowers. and sunlight, and the soft
sparkle of the stars, and you'll love to
live. just to live as a healthy child
loves it, and when you die those that
you leave behind will cry bitterly. But
they will find nothing in the chests but
sunlight and sweet memories What
disappointment
No. no, little boy, this viii never
never do You must be practical You
must love money and land and bonds
and bargains and rents
You WOn't2 You want to go on low
ing to live? What a stubborn child you
are to be sure. Ring. ting. There you
go again with your chime of bells
Violets all purple and sweet with
dew, I'm glad the English boy brought
them to me instead of buying some pO-
tatoes for tomorrow's dinner. But,
then, I am Impractical, like the little
boy with the Ginning glass-yery i'm
practical-and 1 don't get much out
of life but the mere JOY of living. It
is terrible to be made so, isn't it?