The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-05-15


the world 8 onance Mt she
had found anew interest inH fes
Her eyes took on glow,
her steps became more bnoyant
and a faint rose flush appeared in
her pale cheeks when she enter
ed the boarding house dining
room. sS
Exquisite orange tulips had fol-
lowed the hyacinths and then
happy yellow jonquils. Then one
morning a great cluster OF frag-
rant, dewy roses OF deepest, warm
est red greeted her eyes when she
that she knew that she was truly
loved.
Violet had kept the bulbs and
was caring for them until the fol-
lowing spring, when she hoped to
be able to plant them in the far
away garden in the South. She
had been miserab1y homesick
since she came to the big city to
make her living and she 1onged
for the family, the flowers, the
birds and all that meant life to
her. No one knew just how much
this gift Of flowers had meant to
her nor how wonderfully her soul
had responded.
1t was getting well into spring
and the long, lightrevenings made
offerings unseen to her window.
His own awnings were up and the
partition between the balconies
was canvased SO as to insure priv
acy. The girl had planted flow
ers on her ratings and he could
see her tending them.
When he sent the two tubs OF
crimson ramblers to her after
this he decided to write a note to
accompany them. He was fearful
lest the girl worry about the ma
terial side Of 1.-THE expenditure.
He fabricated as successfully as IL
he were writing fiction and ex-
planned that the overpro1ifici green
houses Of his brother in the coun-
try made it nothing at all for him
to keep her in the flowers she SO
obviously loved
Violet pondered over the note,
and more than ever her eyes were
dreamy with the wonder of her
secret romance. Would it be so
wonderful when she met him face
to face?
She knew her moment OF awak-
ening had come when she entered
the dining room one morning and
her eyes fell on a dropping bud of
begonia in the lapel of David
brakes coat. She blushed brill
liantly. He caught her eyes and
as she found her way to her own
table she realized how wonderful
5ly woven was the web Of her TO
nance. No man, Of all whom she
had known, could have filled so
adequately into the dream as this
Of Oh CT
When she returned to her room
she buried her face in the big be-
gonia plant and wrote note.
have no way to thank you for all
the joy you have brought into my
life with your gifts of flowers. The
begonia bud must have been brok-
en- off to carry a message to you.
I am glad it is you who have been
so good to me-
Fortunately that night when
Violet passed his table Drake was
not in his place, and she dropped
the scrubbed note near his knife.
When he read it he, too, turned
a rosy red. He spoke at once with
the tablemaid, who, with broad
grin that showed that her sympa-
thetic Irish soul had been touched,
carried the tray OF food over to
the little table by the window.
Drake himself followed.
The tablemaid told Mrs. Drew
afterward that she had never
seen such look in any ones
eyes as had come into the girls
when Mr.. Drake sat down at the
table opposite her.
After that the petals Of the
flower of the boarding house ro-
nance unfolded one by one until
a blushing bride bloomed In all
her loneliness.
Copyright, 1929