care about the fatal nature of this shrub 

 in matters of the heart. 



In many a small hamlet in the heart 

 of England, to give to your sweetheart 

 a sprig of purple lilac is to say you 

 wish the engagement broken, while 

 stout-hearted bachelors who sport a 

 boutonniere of it show that they are 

 not afraid of feminine blandishments, 

 and are proof against Cupid's arrow. 



The white lilac, the sweetest and 

 most refined of all the species of this 

 shrub, is called less unlucky than the 

 mauve, but neither should this be 

 made a gift between lovers ; it will 

 prove as fatal to love as an opal ring- 

 What a pity it is that so sweet a 

 blossom should get such an evil repu- 

 tation, for the white lilac must live 

 and flourish for seven years before 

 it will put forth a blossom. 



Indeed, there is a legend as to how 

 the lilac came white, which is whis- 

 ,^ --ISO _. - :""- ■:■-: 



