CHOICE OF FLOWERS 



when St. Francis of AssisI was tempted by- 

 thoughts of comfort and sufficiency, he rushed 

 from his cell, stripped off his robe, and rolled In 

 the snow. There were briers In the drifts, and 

 wherever they brought blood the snow disap- 

 peared and the crimsoned stalks burst Into 

 bloom; but, lo ! only half the petals were red: 

 the others were as white as the snow and stain- 

 less as the spirit of the saint. My rose, I think, 

 came from Asslsl. 



I require that a rose have fragrance, whether 

 it has endurance or not. Hence, I have small 

 enthusiasm for the ramblers, crimson, yellow and 

 white, that have attained a sudden vogue with 

 us, and that produce bunches of small, papery, 

 scentless flowers. For me they produced noth- 

 ing, for they died promptly and made way for 

 something stouter. Yet they are pleasant to 

 look at: these wiry little climbers. They are 

 decorative; they bear hundreds of blooms. In 

 clusters as large as a fist; and when they spring 

 from a congenial soil they climb vigorously and 

 their leaves are green and wholesome, therein 

 contrasting with the foliage of some relatives, 

 which turns rusty, at least, In town, and is much 

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