Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1925-11-06
The Sea and the
Roses
BY GEORGE A. BARNES
(copyright)

~ REAT masses of roses covered
~ the wall and grew in rank pro-
fusion along the roadside, and, when
left the pony-cart and climbed the
bank, could see that the yard was
filled with them and the little cottage
facing the sea almost hidden with
their wealth of color.
Thinking that the owner would not
object to my gathering small bunch
from such an abundance, was pro.
ceedlng to do so, when, from behind
bush, little old lady appeared, her
refined face dellcately pink from her
exertions, looking as sweet rs one of
the roses among which she was work.
ing.
PLEASE don't pick Them" she said,
coming forward few steps Don't
think I'm selfish, but they're Dedle's
and | can't let anyone else have them"
and with implicit faith In my obedl-
ence to her request, she returned to
her work.
For few minutes | stood and
watched her deftly loosenlng the earth
around the roots of a young rose bush
and then, with the guilt Of child dis
covered In some wrong-dolng, laid
the few roses | had plucked upon the
wall, and going back to the cart drove
to my friends house, where was Wis
itlng.
passing the garden with its rose-cov-
cred wall, the sweet old lady appeared
from among the bushes, her arms full
of cut roses, which she pressed against
her breast.
To my friends greeting she replied
with pleased light of recognition In
her eyes.
"Who Is she2" asked when we had
passed out Of hearing; and l told the
episode Of a few days ago.
"Hers Is n sad story. Years ago she
came here, bride, to spend her honey
moon in the little cottage, which be-
longed to her husband. They were
wealthy, and the weeks slipped by I'M
til fall, when they returned to their
city home; but she loved the place so
that every summer they returned here
to spend few weeks in the country,
within sight of the sea. And here, one
July morning, when the roses she had
trained over her windows were hans.
ing heavy with dew, little girl came
to bless the household. The husband
going to the open window, plucked q
great spray of roses, and placing them
on the stand by the bedside, said Ths
shall be her luck flower And he
kissed the babe and the young mother
They named the child Edith, but she
always called herself Dedle.
when the lady appeared among ~
the second summer after, she was ne,
companed only by her baby; and IN
stead of the beautiful gowns that had
been her husbands delight, she wore Il
widows dress, and her dear face was
haggard with grief.
1.-THE child had grown into little
llsping tot who followed her mother
about the house and garden, whlcl
was the Widows great solace, ant
where she spent most OF her time, only
going each day TO the high cliff, from
which she and her husband used to
watch the sun set across the ocean
aud the beach where they had walked
in the moonlight two married lovers.
"1he flowers that had graced the
baby's entry into the world seemed t.
have possessed some occult charm, FOR
never was anyone more fond of roses
than this child She always carried a
bouquet In her chubby hnnd or wore
50. iy pinned onto her little pinafore
and II, by chance, she dropped one. she
always stopped to pick 1t up.
'Snc was a strange chlld too, with
little tnchilish notions and fancles
thal opprcss i one with feeling of
G. rlu,ss, The ocean fascinated her
upon &c rocky headland, she would
ava "a L., Eutlcr and say: Mamma,
why does the sea want met Why does
IL keep calling 10 meT
zone evening her mother tied d little
hood over the curls, and together they
went down TO the headland, MS was
their custom, the child carrying big
spray Of jacquemlnOts. A strong wind
was blowing out to sea and the moth
er shielded the child In front Of her.
They had stood thus for some minutes,
when the roses slipped from the child's
hands. and the Wind caught and blew
them toward the edge Of the cliff. She
darted forward 10 save them, and wns
STOPPING AT the very edge to pick them
up, when there came sudden blast,
she 'tottcred ON the brink for mo-
ment, and thea, pra2piA" The spray Of
roses in her little hands. pitched for
ward into the sen
"llcr mother never returned to her
city home. Winter and summer she
has roses blooming IN me cotugc or
garden ma every evening she Zoos 10
The elm ,ih An Offering Of bowers
for Dedle's grave, az size calls the
ocean"
As we returned home that evening,
my friend pointed out toward the scl.
on high point overlooking the water
n lone lgnre was outlined against The
setting sun As we lOOkcd, she raised
her arms and threw great cluster Of
roses out into the water aud thcn sank
upon her knees and with clasped hands
watched them font out into the path
way Of the sun.
So large u grave; so small child
Dogs Intuition
A dog knows the jus from the UNI
just, the k'nd from tie unknd tho
charitable from the uncharItable, tho