New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-01
When the Roses Bloom
Continued from Page Four.

then whispered 70 MN
Now. call out loud. Mother"
The little fellow cried out Mother" and
todded toward her on his fat legs She hid
her tear-stained face in his blond ringlets, SO
that she never noticed who had sent her this
messenger Of consolation.
Now they sat together silently. both hard
at work. Work is the best medicine. That
was an accepted principle with the old folks.
and Renate accommodated herself 70 the stern
rule of the house.
Mother" she asked. with an earnest, al
most imploring. look. may pluck all your
beautiful roses tomorrow"
'Yes, child 10 so II you wish"
Then they relapsed into silence. each treas
uring her own sad thoughts
The next day was Herbert's birthday. When
Father Boickert drew the curtains, about (
o'clock in the morning. 20 find out what the
weather was. he saw the Young wife in the
garden. she had put on a white dress and
white silk jacket over 10. for the morning was
COOL On her arm she carried a big basket.
filled 70 the br.m with roses Of all colors. fresh
with dew and fragrant. as if they had just
come from the Creators hand
Now she strobe through the garden gate and
followed the narrow path which led over the
meadows and marshes to the pier on the sea-
shore. The old man was alarmed. Was she
going TO do something desperate? But bis wife
laughed at him.
you ought to be ashamed Of Yourself 70
think such thing Of a woman ike her. Let
her 60. She will DO nothing wrong"
So clearly did this simple old woman un-
derstand what was passing in the mind cnd
heart Of the young and lonely wife, making
her way 10 the shore with her birthday re-
membrance
Among blooming thorn hedges and rose
trees Renate walked over pastures in which
splendid cows fed on dewy clover, past black
green wheat and lighter-hued rye fields Here
and there lay farm houses and barns. i'm
bedded in the green Of their fruit trees. peace
full and smiling in the morning sun Rerate
breathed deep and full the fresh salt wind
which told her Of the nearness Of the sea.
Now came the high, grass-grown pier, and
when she stood on 10 the sea broadened before
her gazette treacherous. terrible, devouring
sea, which had swallowed up what was dearest
absolutely nothing. The aerop,ane had not
come back. Silence and darkness reigned
Search was in vain. No one made answer.
Only the sea murmured its refrain and no.
body knew how to interpret that It echoes
only the feeling which we put into it our
selves. To ReAate its voice now seemed like
the lamentation Of a thousand organ choirs
Weeping she brought him her roses, throw
ing them as far out as she could. The
ebb tide was setting and carried the cleaning
flowers with il far out into the gray, glisten-
ing, infinite ocean. Yes, that was fitting. Out
ere-somewhere-deep in the oceans bosom
he had found a chilly grave. Perhaps one
Of the roses would sink far enough 10 touch
his pale brow with soft caress. From afar
off came a dull boom ike thunder. There it
was again-war, war.
It was almost a year since the day Renats
had scattered the roses from the Hostein pier.
Her grief had softened 20 a placid resigna-
ton. Absorbed entirely in her boys bring
ing up, she was living quietly in Berlin
There, late one evening after the house had
been closed for the night, came a violent ring
ing at the porter's door. Soon the whole
sleeping household was awakened by the
camor downstairs
Renate, reused from her first sleep, heard
loud noises in the corridor outside, then
mans voice exctedly demanding admission to
her bedroom, and before she could even think
whose voice it was some one burst open the
door, her old step-father stumbled in, rushed
to her bed, grasped her in his arms, and, be-
tween laughs and sobs, stammered again and
again:
"You have him back. little girl! You have
him back. Be glad, little girl. You have him
back
When Renate understood-it was almost too
much happiness, Through the efforts Of
German pastor and Of a Danish Lutheran col
league letter from Herbert had been snug
gled through He had been badly wounded
when taken prisoner. Though for months liv-
ing at the brink Of the grave. his vigorous
constitution had az last triumphed His first
letters had gone astray or had been confs-
Gated Now at last he hoped that ne had
found a sure channel Of communication. tie
was quite well sgain-so ne wrote-and crayed
news immediate news.
The old man, who on other occasions was 50
stiff and embarrassed in the presence Of his
dignifed and elegant daughter-in-law, who
never wanted to go to the great city and 70
whom anything like tenderness was entirely
strange, sat on the edge Of the bed and stroked
the head Of the little woman, who, without any
shyness hid her face against his old. loyal