THE SCARLET GLADIOLI.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 21, 25 January 1936, Page 17 (Supplement)

THE SCARLET GLADIOLI.

(By Joan Davey, Kakahl.) On its tall proud stem the scarlet gladioli lifted up its head. Slowly under the warming rays of the sun the blooms were bursting' through their green covers, perfectly formed of scarlct velvet-like petals, darkening at the throat to a black. Little wonder that the sun smiled on it. "Oh!" cried the Scarlet Gladioli, "what a beautiful world!" And, indeed, the world within her range of vision, was beautiful. The green spikes of multi-coloured gladioli blended with the drooping daintiness of Iceland poppies, the mignonette and sweet peas vied with each other in fragrance, and the hollyhocks nodded to themselves in the breeze. "My dear," said the White Gladioli, "I have been out three days. I have seen the wind and the cruel rain. It beat my petals to tatters, splattered them with dirt and crushed the life from me. lam going to die soon. The lovely lady will pluck me from my stalk, as she has done to others. "But," exclaimed the Scarlet Gladioli, rustling her velvety folds lovingly, aa if to get the utmost beauty from them, "surely the wind and rain would not crush anything so beautiful as I." She turned away as if to speak to a battered flower were a disgrace. A large bee, striped with black and gold, hovering around and buzzijig noisily, heard the conversation. "Who are you ?" asked the Scarlet Gladioli. "I am the Bumble Bee," replied the other. "You are beautiful/' he continued, "but wait till the storm catches you. It will bruise you and then Lovely Lady will pluck you from your stem." "What is the storm ?" inquired Scarlet Gladioli. "Wait and see," buzzed Bumble Bee as lie (lew off. Scarlet Gladioli looked at the sun, who smiled at her ignorance. "Wait and see" twinkled the sunbeams. The little breeze teased her, she grew angry, then it grew angry, too. It no longer played with her leaves, it now whipped her petals in scorn. It cried out to the clouds, who sent rain down pit-a-pat. Scarlet Gladioli burst into tears, which ran off her sodden petals. And then the rail} as quickly as it had begun, stopped. The wind dropped back to a breeze, and the sun fought through the clouds and smiled gaily. But Scarlet Gladioli was different; gone was the proud-beauty of the early morn, leaving in its place a drooning face lowered to the ground in shame. "Here comes the Lovely Lady," sighed While Gladioli, "now I shall die." "Oil. mummy," cried Valerie, as she skipped along holding the Lovely Lady's hand, "look at that pretty red flower, all wet and sorrowful," and she pointed to the Scarlet Gladioli. "Yes. dear," said the Lovely Lady, "pick it, for the storm has spoilt it." Plot little lingers closed over it, gave a tug and threw it down. There on the ground it lay, a bruised and broken splash of scarlet on the green lawn.