The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1918-07-27
Venom Pope
BY JANE oSb
v
BY JANE OSb
copyright. 1918, by the Mcclure lNee~8
per Syndicate.)

left In her purse after she had bougf
her luncheon, paid her carfares an
bought her evening paper out Of tn
80 cents she allowed herself fO
spending money" every day, she wen
to q little basement flower shop an
exchanged that silver piece for 4 ros
or couple of carnations. few dat
fodils or pansies, or any other bloom
that that small sum would secure.
| Don't you ever buy candy?" tn
girls in the office would say to he
when she steadfastly refused to shar,
with them little bag OF licoric'
drops or chocolates that they brough
back with them after luncheon
Every girl has sweet tooth; It.:
funny you haven't"
swell, maybe do like sweets" Hes
ter would say. But to me flowers are
so much sWeeter than candy. And G
rose on your desk will stay sweet fol
| days, and the candy Is all gone in an
afternoon"
On her way from business she used
| to walk up the avenue past the big
florists windows, and there look eager
ly in to see the flowers, whose names
she did not know, that were arranged
to tempt the folk who could afford to
pay as much for a box of flowers as
Hester received for working q whole
week.
Then Hester read in the paper that
q great flower show was to be held
early in the spring. The tickets were
90 cents, and that meant that five
dimes would have to be saved. and
that five times when she might have
bought little nOsegay she would have
to go without. To spend so cents
for a single evenings entertainment
seemed like extravaganza to Hester,
SO she determined to go to the flower
show. on the day that it opened, as
soon as she was through work at her
office and remain there with the flow
erS till the doors closed. She would
have from half-past five till eleven
O'Clock, if she chose just to wander
about and smell the sweetness and
revel in the color of the flowers that
the paper said were to be even more
gorgeous than In previous years. To
be sure, this would mean going with
out dinner; but she bought a sand
witch. which she ate rapidly at lunch
counter on her way to the show, and
this satisfied her craving for food.
At first Hester wandered about the
great hall in a daze, now standing
transfxed before q table on which
nothing but roses were placed, and
then hurrying from one rock garden
to another, searching out In each new
and hidden beauties, till she knew the
characteristics, but not the names, of
all the plants that ever found place
in rock gardens. If any one stopped
to notice the enthusiastic young girl |
as she stood with hands clasped and |
eyes cleaning before one Of the ex-
hibits, Hester did not know 1t, for she |
was too intent on enjoying the flowers
every minute Of the hours she had to |
spend to notice the other spectators
at all.
After she had wandered about for
over an hour, she finally stood lost in
and almost perfect content
before the tulip exhibition that had
been awarded the first prize. It was
he exhibition of the millionaire, L. K
Pope, whose wOrld-famous tulip hot
houses and gardens made certain his
ahing the first prize for this class of
lowers every year. Hester had not
cad her evening paper every day
without knowing the reputation that
Ir. Pope and his family had gained
n fields other than tulip raising. Mr.
'Ope himself, as every one knew, was
t the time seeking q divorce from
rs third wife, and his only son, young
7ernon Pope, had given interesting
eading recently In the evening papers
ecause of his elopement with a musi-
al comedy star of considerable repu-
alton. ,
Hester didn't in the least approve
f the POpes, but she did love their
llips, and when she heard one woman {
no stood for while beside her say I
} her companion, II can't even adj
lire the exhibition when I think what V
ind Of people the POpes are" Hester l
for a brief minute whether /
he were weakening in her very rigid
andard, because she could admire '
le POpe's tulips as much as she did t
seemed to her, as she stood there k
asting her eyes on the sea of golden n
lips, as pure as morning sunlight.
lat just to grow flowers like that
ould make people want to be good
Id decent. q
The exhibit, as every one said, was o
e most attractive Of any shown, for W
lips, in beds Of red and yellow, pink, q
hite, and of that rich dark red char h
teristic of the 'black" tulip, were n
ranged about a little Dutch cottage q
at had real little door and two u
ndows with white muslin curtains r.
Hester had any well-defined idea Of In
avenly mansions it was Of some 81
Oh little white-curtained Dutch cot T,
&c as this, surrounded by beds Of
orious poppies and paths of pure IL
lite pebbles like those she now gazed IL
on. h,
A young man came out Of the cot W
&c, and Hester watched him eager bs
OF course, 1t was young Vernon ey