Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1913-08-13
The Story Of a Rose
By MARY a. BOWERS
Copyright. 1910. BY American Press
Association.

I EtES lOuHu DEtnttA AAlGal Be.HES us
played to The world they would Gil a
museum. These Enclosures would be
made ~ Of faded flowers. memoranda.
bits of lace and occasionally a letter
| And among those letters there would
be found some that would wreck the
peace Of faInilie = A librarian once
told me that every book returned to
| the library was shaken and almost al
ways something would drop out. How
many of these articles could tell a love
story?
Here is one Of a rose:
amor was-a white rosebud
When / was born ] don't remember
any better than people remember when
they were born. was very young
when / was plucked, aud that is the
earliest event in my life that recall
Ii was a June morning, June 10 On
tell later why ! know thisl and most
OF the dewdrops on me had been abb
sorbed by the air. a young man came
into the garden. He was barely nine
teen and as handsome as picture
AAt hOlt Nv HANs anu AIE olAADAAAilE
poured In and out of his tumbled hair.
He looked about among US flowers as
If searching for one he especially
wanted. Then his eyes lit on me.
was the only bud just opened. He
plucked me and took me into the
house After breakfast he put me in
his buttonhole and. calling his dog,
of ffa he rood ha
stopped before a house. on the piazza
Of which stood girl. She. too, was
very young only seventeen, / fancy
and was dressed in pure white, not a
bit Of color about her The young man
turned In at the gate aud joined her
II have come to say goodby,' he said.
81 am going away this afternoon to
take the position that has been offered
to me-"
/ saw the girl change countenance. 1
don't think he noticed It, but you
know a man has not the delicate per-
ceptlye faculties Of white rose. They
sat down together on wicker chairs
and chatted for a long while. 1t SEEM
cd to me that he would have liked to
tell her that he loved her but some
reason interposed, probably the fact
that he was just starting in life and
both were very young Atany rate, he
rose to go without having done So
But he did the next best thing. lie
offered me to her and told her that If
she would keep me til lac came again
he would have a secret to tell her.
She tried 10 look Indifferent when he
called his dog and started back home
But as soon as he was well down the
road she ran ,ito the house. taking nc
with her, and up to her room, whore
she wept long while Then she no
ticed me on her bureau, where she had
placed me. and put me in water
There l remained till she went to bed.
Just before doing so she placed me in
book Of poems.
In the morning as soon as she awoke
she opened the book and kissed me-
Then. lest ] should fall from between
the leaves, she pinned my stem to the
leaf. Under me she wrote June is.
This book of poems was to be my
permanent home, a very fit dwelling
place for a white rose. The girl read
the book very often and always caress-
cd me when she did So A ypar plss-
ed. and when the next summer had
gone she wrote under me ON the mar
gin of the page:
"Will he never comeY'
Years passed. don't know how
many, perhaps five or six-and he did
not come Then the girl went away,
leaving me with her other fayoriies.
More years passed One day man
came into the room where was and
packed all the books, the one was in
among the number ara they were
cartel away. When the box contain
ing me was opened man took ont my
book dwelling and placed it on a shelf
of a shop with other books
j must have been by this time eight
or ten years old. At any rate, my
leaves were yellow and brittle, though
my etem was still firm One day a
man came into the bookshelf and
asked II they had a certain book Of
poems. l was taken down and handed
to him. lie opened the cover, and
when he saw the name written ON the
flyleaf | felt bis hand tremble Then
he turned over the leaves till he came
20 the page TO which had been PIN
ned. His fingers olutched the book In
sort of spasm.
How muchT he asked the shop
keeper.
"Oh. you can have that for 10 cents"
The purchaser tossed n bill on the
counter and, forgetting his change,
hurried away. The shopman called
after him, but be did not hear.
l didn't recognize the purchaser TIL
he saw me in the shop and what was
written under me. Then knew him,
despite fun beard he wore He took
the book and me to his room in bach
elor quarters. and there l remained
week. Then one day he wrapped US
carefully IN paper and took Us to an
other city ON a train. We there entered
a house. and In a few tIoments n lady
entered. The man hooked at her and
eaid
al have come ut last"
The lady looked az him and uttered
a little cry lie handed the book to
her omen at the page 10 which I was