his pleasure of gleaning some new thought from old ex
pression, he forgot himself and his own dream fancies, until
in the turning of a page—he lound—a faded flower.
„
Only an idle fancy! . Only a' passiiig day dream! No long
er was it necessary for him to seek expression for his feel
ings. They were more pleasant unexpressed. It was only
a faded flower. But the life' blood' of the crushed and 'dying
rose had left a' stain: upon the page, yea; a sacred' mark
upon the very words so full' of pregnant meaning.—
"It wasnothittg but a rose I gave tier,
Nothing but a rosé.
*
"'Withered,- faded, pressed between these pages,
Crumpled, fold on
Once it lay upon her breast, and ages
Cannot make it old."
• Like a.reality there cattle. back •to him, that Summer
among,the mountains. He bad just graduated from College.
And having worked very hard during the four years, he:felt.
lte had ,earned, a much needed rest.. And . so he had gone to
visit•his,l,lncle in a , little out-of-the-way village among the
hills. . . .
, .Her,e he had spent, the ,firstfew clays in idling :about the
rooiny,old.house, pr. ,exploring, the , quaint little village.
And Thep he : had , extended his :walks to , the ~ q uiet ,lakes
among,the woods. How he had enjoyed,those days, .when;
with no thought:or care,, he had spent.whole , hours in lying
on some mossy bank and : gazing into „the , placid waters.
Those w.erei.ndeed pleasant :days. .. And: yet they,were but
the : bud to the,full bloom of the happy clays :to follow. •
boor in. his. idle wanderings one day in , an unfamiliar
place, : he had, suddenly met—a, girl. And , she had answered