COMMUTER'S WIFE 267 



humble family came to the door and asked for me. 

 Her sister is to be married to-night, and she came all 

 a-giggle to beg a bouquet for " de bride. Roses, an' 

 horse-hair ferns, an' you please, missis ; dem's what 

 de quality most allers carries." 



I took my scissors and was about to gather a gay 

 bunch of the brightest that remained, when a voice at 

 my elbow said, " Could yo' spare dem white uns 

 climbin' on de clo'se rack yander ? Sis is so per- 

 tikeler to have dem 'propriate, an' she done want no 

 common colours to break luck, all nice white roses, 

 an' I've brought a sash to tie 'em jes' like hern, if 

 you'd be so good's to bow it on. Folks reckon down 

 town you've got such a way o' techin' things." 



Thus beguiled, I arranged a graceful bouquet of 

 Madame Plantier, unlike the stiff pyramid of my 

 first intention, fringed it round about with moss 

 buds and maidenhair, wild, to be sure, and tied 

 it firmly with string, then held out my hand for the 

 ribbon, rebuking myself the while for smiling at the 

 dark woman's desire for the symbolic white. Wasted 

 twinge of conscience, as many New England twinges 

 are ! The " sash " was fully two yards long and of 

 intense scarlet! 



