Rose in Bloom

On a chilly October afternoon, three young cousins — Charlie, Archie, and Mac — stood together on the busy wharf, watching for a ship.They were waiting for their cousin Rose, who was finally coming home after several years of traveling abroad with her uncle."I wonder if she is still the same quiet little girl who left us," said Archie, watching the harbor.

At last the great ship appeared, and among the passengers stepped down Uncle Alec, Rose's dear friend Phebe, and Rose herself.The cousins hardly recognized her: the thin, shy girl they remembered had grown into a graceful young woman.There was a moment of awkward silence, as if none of them quite knew how to greet this new, grown-up Rose.

But soon everyone was laughing and talking at once, and the whole noisy, happy family made their way home together.That evening, the old family house was full of music, candles, and cousins catching up on years of news.Rose surprised everyone by announcing that she did not simply want to marry and keep a quiet house.

"I want to do useful work in the world," she said, "and help people who have less than I do."Charlie laughed at this, calling her ideas far too serious for a young lady fresh home from Europe.But Mac and Archie listened with real interest, and asked her to explain exactly what kind of work she meant.

Rose spoke about hospitals, schools, and poor families she hoped to help, her eyes bright with the idea.Even Charlie's teasing could not spoil her enthusiasm, and soon the whole room was drawn into the conversation.

Later, when the dancing began, Mac found a quiet moment to tell Rose that he liked her far better now than before."You seem hearty and happy," he said, "not just pretty — and that matters more, I think."Rose smiled, glad that at least one cousin understood that she meant to be something more than an ornament in the family parlor.