Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1921-01-13
A BOUTONNIERE
BY Z. NJ. BANGS.

Madeline threw down her pencil and
pushed away her block of paper.
"Truly, girls" she exclaimed. my
brain is complete fragile. Seems to.
me can't think of another rhyme to
save my life"
Frances and Margaret laughed.
II imagine ours are In about the
same condition" said Frances. I'VE
must have enough. Let's not write
any more"
These three friepds-who had been
called the Blue Triangle, as all had mo-
ticeably blue eyes-were to have
charge of the flower booth at bazaar
to take place the following week, for
the benefit of a local charity. Some
body had conceived the pleasing idea
of making a quantity of little bouton-
niereS, each one to contain fortune
telling rhyme, either original or quo
tation. So 1t was for the preparing of
these that the three girls were racking
their. brains on this September eve
ming.
| 10 lClAl AOWCNCAi MAuCAluO
had not been thinking of rhymes for
good FIVE minutes. Instead she had
been asking herself over and over
again, why it was that Donald Hunt
err had not called, or even telephened,
| for three weeks, when up to that
time few days had passed that she
had neither seen nor heard from him.
Whenever she had met him on the
street either he or she had been with
someone else, and he had passed on
with a most formal lifting of his hat.
"Wait moment" Margaret broke
in on her thoughts little later. 'I've
| just evolved another rhyme, partly
original. Listen:
Happiness waits that you little x
pect,
Gold from vessels you thought were
| wrecked"
"Thats fine" Frances commented.
st might mean most anything"
ooh, Madeline" Margaret began,
after a pause, what do you think l
heard the other day?"
Madeline shook her head. mo
idea"
swell, l heard that you and Leon
Brown were engaged"
"How absurdw
swell, you know you have been seen
with him rather often lately"
Had she? Yes and usually when
4 she had come across Donald she had
been with Leon.
Guess that's what makes Don Hunt
er look so sober Of late" suggested
Frances.
Does hef" Madeline assumed an
Indifference she was far from feeling.
II haven't seen him lately"
II like that last rhyme of yours,
Margaret" Frances approved. 1--WE
can put it with some boutonniere not
as pretty as the others, If there is
one, by the way of compensation"
On the evening of the opening of the
bazaar Madeline put on a pale blue
gown of which Donald has once ex-
pressed his unqualified approval. Her
golden brown hair curled about her
face, a faint color was in her cheeks,
and a sparkle in her eyes, and with
Margaret's black hair and "eyes Of
| Irish blue" and Frances blond beauty,
the Blue Triangle found fitting back
ground in the green Of the flower
booth. The boutonnieres with the for
tune-telling rhymes were arranged in
two lots, one for ladies and one for
gentlemen.
! Among the first to buy boutonniere
: was Leon Brown. He stood moment
| after making his purchase, ard reading
his fortune, then finding Madeline too
busy to give him much attenrOn, he
wandered away, only to return little
later and repeat the process. and
when for the third time he was seen
approaching their booth, Margaret said
in an aside to Frances: "Nr. Brown
seems to visit US early and often"
eff Madeline doesn't want him" was
the laughing response, "she might hand
him over to one Of us. He's not half
bad"
Meantime Madeline had seen Donald
across the room, but 1t was toward the
end of the evening when he paused by
the flower booth.
"What is this hear about some
magic button-hole bouquets?' he asked.
"They are wonderful" Madeline as
sured him. "You want one, Of
course"
She turned the bouquets little till
a certain pansy was conspicuous.
"Won't you select it for me?" the
young man asked.
Madeline seemed to hesitate, as she
looked over the flowers.
"Tm afraid most of our prettiest
ones have been Sold" she said, regret
fully. "You should have been here
earlier in the evening"
"But as / understand 1t, 1t is not
their beauty. but the fortune they tell
that makes them attractive in this
case" he returned.
"Well-pansies for thoughts, you re-
member" The girl handed him two
nurrnla nansies as she smoke