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Show 1 WEDDING FLOWERS :: :: By MILDRED WHITE. I tX 1)10, WcMern Newspaper Union r.llznbeth, walking down the long country road, wns n despondent little llugre. It was hard to glory In the beauty of land and sen, when Just be-IiimI be-IiimI lay the untidy crowded cottage thnt wns her new home. Kllznbeth In her well ordered life had known neither untidiness or con-ruslon. con-ruslon. Tho well ordered life had smssed abruptly with tho death of the father, who hud been to her both mother moth-er nnd father, nnd It had become necessary nec-essary for the girl to cam her own living". Kllznboth was glad to get any school to teach, when there were so tunny progressive young teachers seeking; but she hnd no Idea that tho spot dc. Ignatetl would be one of such desolation, desola-tion, or that the only available boarding board-ing place should be a crowded cottage with an Indifferent, or perhaps discouraged dis-couraged housekeeper. Elizabeth, with lips ptessed linn to keep back the tears, had decided to make tho best of It. and In n measure she had succeeded. Delia, the eldest girl of the family. Idolized the young tenchcr and, In her ikiiii uniiiiiit -. itiiiiru itiAi-K Invltlm? the , temporary home. But Delia, before Elizabeth's coming, had been untaught and sadly submissive to u dull existence. exist-ence. It was through Elizabeth's efforts ef-forts that the routine dulluess wns dispersed dis-persed nnd Delia versed In better ways; and It was during tho making of her first white muslin dress, while Elizabeth sitting near fashioned the rallies, that Delia confessed timidly nnd with bright and shining eyes of her love for her old playfellow Joel, nnd of his wish to make her his wife. "You'll have to ask Mammle for us," Delia ended. "Mammle won't ever listen lis-ten to nny one else." And Elizabeth had agreed. "What'm I going to do with all these children alone?" Mnmmlc Daws nsked angrily. As usual, tho young teacher placated her. "While I nm here," Elizabeth promised, "I will train Liza to take Delia's place." So Delia was going to be mnrrled. Even the gruff, toll-worn father evinced Interest In tho announcement and Elizabeth found comfort in making mak-ing tho cottngo less dingy for the coming event. Upon this certain nfternoon, ns she wont down the rond In search of flowers, flow-ers, Elizabeth left her pupil of happiness happi-ness trilling snatches of song ns she hung the elenn muslin curtains. Elizabeth Eliza-beth wns glad for Delia, glad that she had lightened one life of care, but she wns sorry. In n wistful sort of way, for herself. She might find another school perhaps and she would; but she felt nt once very lonely, nnd buttoned but-toned her scarlet sweater close In n chilliness, not altogether of the weather. weath-er. Then down In n little glen she spied flower's tall and whlto nodding In the breeze. "The very thing!" said Elizabeth to herself, picturing Delia In her muslin wedding gown standing for tho ceremony cere-mony with white flowers nodding all around her. So Elizabeth hurried Into the glen, and then she saw that the flowers grew nbo it the shabby door-wov door-wov of a sunken, shabby house, almost hidden from view by overhanging trees. Bare windows reflected the glow of tho setting sun, and grass about the doorway grew high untrodden untrod-den ; the house evidently had been long deserted. Elizabeth gathered her arms full of flowers, and, tho sun glinting back from the windows brought golden lights to her soft brown hair; and as she worked a dog came round the comer of the old house and growled threateningly. "Good dog I" Elizabeth bravely said, but the whlto flowers fell at her feet. "Don't let Jim frighten you," came a pleasant voice. "Ho Is unused to visitors, but not dnnjjerous." It wns so long since she had heard a voice of that pleasing Intonation that Elizabeth turned eagerly, ns one welcoming a remembered friend, and the young man who approached was pleasing, too, In courtesy. "I did not know," she murmured, as ho stooned to restore her flowers, "that the house was occupied. Will you pardon me?" sho laughed uncertainly. "I wns hunting flowers for a wedding." wed-ding." "Delia's wedding?" asked the young man, smilingly. "You see, I know all about It. Joel happens to work for me, nnd he's made me his confidant. From Joel's confidences I Judge thnt you are the paragon school teacher who has made his romance possible." "It Is rather hnrd," EllzalreUi said ruefully, "to be a paragon school teacher here." "Hnrd. I should think," he sympathetically sympa-thetically agreed, "for you to bo here at all. I find It so, I'm n civil engineer," en-gineer," he explained, "and ruthcr than stop up at the excuse for a hotel, I chose to camp out In this empty house. Jim nnd I have more comfortable comfort-able quarters thnn would appear from tho outside. When I plnnted these flowvfrs," tho young man said whimsically. whim-sically. "I wondered why I wns doing It. Now, I know." Ills eyes met Ellznbeth's, as he placed them In her nrms. "If you don't mind," ho added Impulsively, "I'd like to wnlk with you up tho rond. I hnvo been mighty lonesome here. 1 am glad that you and I nre going to meet nt Joel's wedding." And ns they went on through tho golden light, Elizabeth glnnclug at the young man nbovu the white flowers, felt In n confident, miraculous way, that loneliness whs to lente her, forever. |
