The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-06-19
APPLE BLOSSOMS.

ONE MONDAY morning IN May when
MIR. Castor, of the law firm of Castor &
Brush, entered his office he found on his
desk bunch of fragrant white flowers
with that delicate flush at the heart that
makes apple blossoms so irresistible.
"Apple blossoms, SIR" his clerk ex-
planned. 81 spent Sunday in the coun-
try, and brought them down thinking
you might like to see some" 9
Mr.. Castor's preoccupied 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. l shall want to take
some home to my wife tonight. There :;
that looks quite Countrywide, doesn't it,
CLARKE" arranging the blossoms to adj
vantage against the law-books and fall
ing back 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 frag-
rant branch.
L wonder" he soliloquized, "wheth-
er it is any thing like that meadow
where-pshaw! what am I thinking of /!
In a case of Observation-Disclosures if ]
could sing 'Annie Laurie > used to know
that tune" And he hummed softly to
himself:
"'Gave me her promise true'H-
just as the door was thrown violently
open and John Edison, the most quarrel
some man in New York, as his friends
and enemies both agreed, burst in.
"What's the matter now, Mr.. Ed
sonP" asked Mr.. Castor, rising to offer
his client seat.
"MatterP Matter enough, sir! But
if he thinks I'm going to submit to be
robbed by his knavery he'll find him
self very much mistaken Ny brother,
sir, my own brother-think of that, sir +!
is trying to cheat me out of my share
OF our paternal property. Iwant you
to take steps Immediately to stop his
proceedings. He threatens to bring in
a bill against the estate that will sWal-
low up every cent-but what's that?
Apple blossoms! Where did you get
those?''
"Mr. Clark brought them down this
morning. Sweet, though rather out of
place in a lawyers office, don't you
think?'
"I don't know, said Mr.. Edison,
thoughtfully, taking up the tumbler and
smelling the fragrant things. "Where
did these growP"
Cup in little country village in Con-
necticut. Clark is from the country.
you know, and 1 should think from his
descriptions its quite a pretty place.
Green meadows and river, you know,
all that sort of thing. But what do
you want me to dop"
"Wait minute, can't youp" said
Mr.. Edison, impatiently. "You law
yers are always in such tearing
hurry" Q
Mr.. Castor raised his eyebrows 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.
1t makes me think of old times,'
he said. 81 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, and my brother, never
had but one, sir, picked me up and car
ried me home. He was real good to
me all the long time was sick, too.
think he'd have died for me then, and
just to think that now we should be
quarreling over few hundred dollars
Castor, you needn't do any thing about
this matter-just yet, at least. II
guess I'll go to see him. And say" =
rather shyly "you couldn't spare me
little twig with a few of those BIOS
SONS 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 countenance.
"Those apple blossoms are doing sad
work in this Office he said laughingly
to Clark. "I've lost one case through
them already, and as for keeping my
own mind on any thing legal It's an ut
ter impossibility. It's quite evident to
my mind that law and flowers were
never meant to go together. think I'll
take them home to my wife before they
do any more mischief"
But as he turned to 60 out of the