St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-06-04
Apple Blossoms,
BY E. L. OGDEN.

BY E. L. OGDEN.
One Monday morning in Nav when
Mr. Castor, of the law firm of Castor &.
Brush, entered his office he found on
MS desk bunch of fragrant white
flowers with that delicate flush at the
heart that makes apple blossoms so ir-
resistable.
Apple blossoms, sir,n his clerk ex-
plalned. Il spent Sunday in the coun-
try, and brought them down thinking
you might like to see some.n
Mr.. Castor's preoccupied face lighted
up with pleasure. ''Thank youo 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 country like, doesn't
it, Clark ?" arranging the blossoms tC
advantage against the books and
then falling back little to look at the
effect.
Clark, smiled, and Mr.. Castor went
to work at his law cases. But some.
thing was the matter with him. His
thoughts would go wandering off to the
green meadows by the side of the river
where Clark told him he had broken
the fragrant branch.
81 WONDER" he soliloquized, "wheth-
er it is anything like that meadow
where-pshaw! what am l thinking of!
In a case of ejectment-wonder if ]
could sing annie Laurie : used to know
that tune" And he hummed softly to
himself:
Gave me her promise true" -
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.. Edison ~
asked Mr.. Castor, rising to offer his eli
ent seat.
.'Matterg Matter enough, sir! But
if he thinks am 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. 1 want you
to take steps Immediately to stop his
proceedings. He threatens to bring in
bill against the estate that will swal-
low up every cent-but what's that2
Apple blossoms! Where did you get
those?n
"Mr. Clark brought them down this
morning. Sweet, though rather ous of
place in lawyers office, don't you
think ?"
81 don't know" said Mr.. Edison,
thoughtfully, taking up the tumbler
and smelling the fragrant things.
"Where did these grow 2"
Cup in a little country village in
Connecticut. Clark is from the coun-
try, you know, and 1 should think from
his descriptions it's quite pretty place.
Green meadows and river, you know,
all that sort of thing. But what do you
want me to do?'
''Wait Il minute, can't you?" said Mr..
Edison, impatiently. "You lawyers are
always in such a tearing hurry"
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 a minute he
started up and brushed his hand across
his eyes.
at 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, 1 never
had but one, sir, picked me up and
carried me homo He was real good
to me all the long time l was sick, too.
| think he'd have died for me then, and
just to think that now we should be
quarreling over a few hundred dollars!
Castor, you needn't do anything about
this matter just yet, at least. II
guess Pll go see him. And sayn-
rather shyly-'you couldn't spare me
little twig with few of those blossoms
on it, could you?"
Mr.. Castor willingly broke off
branch and handed it to him, but he
watched Mr. EdsOn's departure with a
curious smile on his cOuntenance.
Those apple blossoms are doing sad
work in this Office" he said laughinglv
to Clark. "Tve lost one promising
case through them already, and as for
Keeping my own mind on anything le-
gal it's an utter impossibility. It's
quite evident to my mind that law and
flowers were never meant to go togeth-
er: | think Pll take them home to my
wife before they do any more mischief.n
But as he turned to go out of the Of
hce door he saw the Office boy eyeing
his bunch wistfully.
Here, John, would you like a
sprayY" he asked kindly, and without
waiting for the eager answer he saw on
the boys lips he tossed him one. Then
he ran down the office-steps humming
again the tune that had haunted him
that morning. He looked so pleasant
as he stood at the street corner waiting
for his car that ragged little girl who
saw him ventured to ask:
Please, mister, what is them no.
sies7" p'
"Apple blossoms"
"Does they grow on the trees that
has apples on?n
"Yes.n
"Oh my! wouldn't l like to see ,em
once! Say, mister, would you give nae
a little one?n
eyes. Here, child,n braking off an.
other little branch and giving it to her
He watched her from the car window
take off her old hat and stow awav her
treasure in that, and then, claspinp If
close to her breast, set off on a run
down toward the lower part of the CITY
When he reached his home and gaye
the branch to his wife her faded. peevo
lsh face relaxed into smile that woS