Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1880-07-31
APPLE BLOSSOMS.

Office he found on his desk bunch
of fragrant white flowers with that
delicate flush at the heart that
makes apple blossoms so irresisti-
BILE.
"Apple blossoms, sir" his clerk
explained. II spent Sunday in
the country, and brought them
down, thinking you might like to
see some.' tee
Mr.. Castor's pre0ccupied face
lighted up with pleasure. THANK
you, Mr.. Clark" he said. "Get
some water, will you, John? We
must keep them as fresh as we can.
shall want to take some home to
my wife tonight There, that
looks quite Countrywide. doesn't
it, Clark ?" arranging the Bios
SONS to advantage against the law
books and falling back a little to
look at the effect.
Clark smiled, and Mr.. Castor
went to work at his law cases.
But something was the matter
with him. His thoughts would
go wandering off to the green
meadow by the side of the river
where Clark told him he had
broken the fragrant branch.
81 WONDER" he soliloquized,
"whether it is anything like that
meadow where-pshaw! what am
1 thinking of! In case of eject
wonder If I could sing sAn-
ME Laurie;' used to know that
tune" And he hummed softly to
himself:
"tGave me her promise true ~
just as the door was thrown vio-
lently open and John Edison, the
most quarrelsome man in New
York, AS his friends and enemies
both agreed, burst in.
"What's the matter now, Mr..
Edison ?" asked Mr.. Castor, rising
to offer his client a seat.
"Matter? Matter enough, sir.
But if he thinks I'm going to SUBJ
NIT to be robbed by his knavery
he'll find himself very much mis-
taken! My brother, sir, my own
brother-think of that, sir!-is
trying to cheat me. out OF my
share of our paternal property. /
want you take steps Immediately
to stop his proceedings. He threat
ems to bring in a bill against the
estate that will swallow up every
cent-but what's that :? Apple
blossoms! Where did you get
those ?"
"Mr. Clark brought them down
this morning. Sweet though rath-
er out of place in lawyers Office,
don't you think ?''
~ don't know said Mr.. Edison,
thoughtfully, taking up the tum-
bier and smelling the fragrant
things. "Where did these grow ?"
up in a little country village
in Connecticut. Clark is from the
country, you know, and 1 should
think from his descriptions it's
quite pretty place. Green mead
oWs and rive r, you know, all that
sort of thing. But what do you
want me to do ?"
"Wait a minute can't you ?"
said Mr.. Edison, impatiently." You
lawyers are always in such tear
ing hurry"
Mr.. Castor raised his eye. brows
but made no verbal answer to this
rather inconsistent remark, while
Mr.. Edison leaned back in his chair
and looked at the apple blossoms.
In minute he started up and
brushed his hand across his eyes.
ut makes me think of old
times" he said. II nearly broke
my neck once climbing an old
apple tree for blossoms like that to
give to Lucy Baird, the prettiest
girl in school. / fell from the top
branch, aud my brother-I never
had but one, sir-picked me up
and carried me home. He was
real good To me all the long time
| was lick, too. i think he'd have
died for me then, and just to think
that now we should be quarreling
over a few hundred do lars! Cas-
tor, you needn't do anything
about this matter-just yet, at
leasts IL guess I'll go to see him
And say rather shyly-- "you
couldn't spare me little twig
with few Of those blossoms on it,
could you ?"
Mr.. Castor willingly broke off a
branch and handed it to him, but
he watched Mr.. Edson's departure
with a comical smile on his counte-
nance.
"Those apple blossoms are do
Ing sad work in this Office" he
said laughingly to Clark. II have
lost one case through them al
ready, and as for keeping my own
mind on anything legal it's an
utter impossibility. It's quite evil
dent to my mind that law and
flowers were never meant to 60