The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-07-22
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY
The Flower Surplus
81 JANE OSBORN.

be interpreted UcTelg db
rc!k Of admiral ion-pos' ibly groV.lg
admiration. but 10 send three doE,n
American beauty ro:e5 when eveTy
5ne kaows TIA, ,aey cost al least four
dollars a do5sp--wsll e b perieoty
exact. az Mr.. Dawson explained c'2r
heY eide porch railing 70 Mr.. Hrcsted
rocking on her s.Le porch. 70 BE- G.
set that amounted % twelve doiias5,
and nowadays, With Liberty LGsa
drives and ncJmc tcyer and RED
Cross Contribution and the rest Cycl
Bachelors didat have twelve Ccl-.a
20 throw away The conclusion vas.
the afore. thai D.. Weston haas
.hTcWn away Inc money involved s.
tne pv-ch7rc II the TJ-C-. nc haj
a,ush: them vi'h G-ep purp1-C ard
vel. a. FOR a. Mn DCw-ol wa
ccncsrGol. the invitations 10. Sally
Perkins wedding might i1-t C, VOL
be ont. Sars,y the doctor m-alt
something gcri,u5 this time AID :ure
j. sally wasn't such a fool n: 70 tara
the doctor down.
Meantime d.. Weston was q. home.
entirely AZ his ease IN hi- ovc cool
living room. Te1d.lS medical jourr.
a.. no more disturbed or elaLei With
the idea OF marriage than he had been
en- any day during the pas, dozen
years practioo--in fact, marriage diu
not occur 10 him al all.
However. Sally. with a ore.ty blush
On her cheek, and her most becoming
white frock, sat IN hc- shaded sun
paTlor with the wonderful roses be-
lore her while. with ZEN IN hand and
note paper on 4 table before her she
cast about for just the right words
10 express what she wanted 10 say
With the greatest tact and grace.
Dr.. Weston. possibly, in the back OF
has mind had q feeling OF contentment,
for be could reflect. II he chose, that
ne had done good turn that day. !;
was this way. The doctor was driving
Lis own car hOmcwards from a coun.
try patients. when he perceived that
his radiator was In need OF water. and
naturally enough he stopped q; a flor.
iSt shop planted along the edge Of tne
college campus. It seemed the most
natural thing in the world that a flor
ist should have water and something
TO carry 1t in.
The florist shop looked especially
lovely but the florist was decidedly
detected.
Fine showing OF roses comment
ii the doctor. as the florist went to
fill q large pail OF water.
Fine, indeed" commented the flor
st. "And I'm out about a weeks
profit. IT'S a pretty trick to play. I'm
thinking II some OF these students
would think about somebody bu;
themselves sometime they would be
dong as much good as in any other
way UnbeknrWnst TO me or any OF
the other florists they up and passed
. resolution nOt 70 allow any flowers
% be given on commencement day, on
account OF the War, and todays COM
meucement, and here are the flovcgc
I thought they would want Pretty
economy, ! cali It. ! ordered my flow.
Grs Just the same as othe. years
They might have told me, I'm think.
ing
With q few pals OF water the radi.
tator was filled and then Just as he
GOT back into mis- car. tho doctor stop.
ped as IL something had suddenly oe.
Cured to him.
Say, call II downright luck. To.
days the day wanted to ccni some
flowers around Its a sort Of annive,.
sary Of mine, and as luck would have
Il IT'S a day when you've got a spec.
tally nice collection. You might send
GoEen to old Judge Blake, and four
or I'VE dozen 10 the childrcn's home,
and-oh, four dozen OF one sort or
another TO the hospital children's
ward-and q few to the district
nurses and there's a nice young NO.
man lives down my street-don't be.
heve she often has roses-just send
Z few around to her-Mlss Perkins Il
Is You don't need to send any name
with those And ssnd up some nice
ones TO my houg ald couple OF doz.
en- 10 the rectory Thanks lot for
the water. and be sure you send the
bill for the flowers in a doy or 90"
By this time the florists face was
beaming. He knew that the doctor
could really we'll afford this extrava.
ganee. and he knew that the loss OF
the sale Of the flowers would have
gene hard with him Now he compat.
60 the order he discovered that there
would be no loss to himself. The doc.
Tor had bought enough to pay for his
original outlay. lie decided that nc
wouldn't make anything on them. so
be Gent two dozen where enc dozen
had been ordered. and when il came
% Sally Perkins order he sent three
dozen Il was a matter OF neighbor.
hcod history. that almost everyone
had forgotten, that this very same flor.
1T. good many years before. when
sally Perkins had been the daughter
Oll for the flowers IN a day or 60"
the gardener OF that self.same NJ
Perkins Sally was a little gil in
crisp white lawn and pink rbbcn'
then and the simIle.hear;ed Gardca-r
had imagined mat she was like n9iH
tnS in all the world so much as o."
o. the fresh pink sumner roses IN.
% loved 10 nurse
The florist was not IL the lea3,
romantic man: IN fact IL was the
most practical idea In the world that
suggested 20 his mind the possibility
OF his forwarding the friendship OF the
good doctor ana Sally who was no
longer q girl, but who vas by no means
beyond the years OF youth So tho
dorist carefully and deliberately &c.
lCCted three dozen 81 the very he,;
roses he had IN his store-placel