Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-08-17
THE GARDENERS STORY.

AAAA
"And SO you have had two wives,
Robert, they inform rae, and yen are
a very young man still"
This was said, by way of parenthe-
sis, to Robert Kennie, the gardener,
who had, about year before, mar
ried a seamstress, very much to his
own happiness.
1.-TWO wives, did you say, maam?"
"Yes, Robert;" and the last parcel
was thrust into the basket in the same
breath with the response.
Strange enough, Robert set the
basket upon the floor, and the smile
of honest pride and pleasure at the
interest we all took in the affairs of
little Jennie passed from his face,
and he replied, in thoughtful, mu-
sing manner.
81 am not sure about that same
ma'am. 'Twould be a great easing
to my mind, ma'am, if yon would ex
plain things bit to me"
Certainly, Robert, l will aid you
in any way that 1 can, to the best of
my ability; but will not Jennie be
expecting yon homer
"No; Kate Randell is with her,
and think I might be made hap
pier man by telling bit about poor
Mary"
He had taken u small rake una
wares, it would seem. into the room,
and now, having taken tho chair l
pointed out, he leaned his two hands
upon the handle of the implement,
and, to my establishment, 1 beheld
large tears dropping from his eyes
upon the floor.
IL think, ma'am, l committed a
great wrong in the matter of poor
Mary, and my mind is never quite
easy about it. I didn't think SO
much about it till the day she died.
poor thing. I'm thinking, ma'am,
that some women folks are Just like
these flowers. They must have just
the right kind of soil, and the right
light, and the right heat, and every
thing suited to their natures, or else
they will die"
"Why, Robert, you are certainly in
dulging a sickly fancy in talking in
this wise of Mary; and as to any self
reproach, it ought to be out of the
question, for I am sure you have too
good heart to neglect any one. And
then, too, Robert, shall speak frank
", for I have heard that Mary was a
sickly, complaining, melancholy
creature, like to make both herself
and you miserable. Now, JEANNE"
"God bless her." interrupted the
gardener, rising to an attitude of re-
spectful earnestness; but, indeed,
ma'am, that is why wish to tell of
Mary, because she was blamed when
I was the one to bear the blame. God
forbid that l should ever have neg
lected Mary. No, no I cared for
her night and day, but it wasn't the
right Kind of care, nor from the ri ght
one. and she grew sickly, pinned and
died. She didn't love me, ma'am, as
q woman should love to become a
wife
"You see, when I first came to this
country, ma'am, I was employed by
old Mr.. Brewster upon his grounds,
and Mary was bit of a lass, doing
small work for the ladies of the fam
lily. At first she was always smiling
like, and singing. Then she began
to grow pale and mute, and II,
fool Of a boy, must needs think she
was pining for me. Then 1 began to
think how wondrous lovely and meek
and good she was. One day 1 did
something tender like to her, and she
burst out crying as if her little heart
would break. l put her head on my
shoulder. and she seemed like a dear
child to me. You must know that
Mary talked the whole matter over
before she died, and also seemed more
like the Holy Virgin in spirit than
anything else.
Al never talked love to that child,
ma'am, never; and yet I began to
talk about going to the priests.
Mary was fearful in her nature, and
she did not tell me all about herself.
She was an orphan, with neither kith
nor kin, and, like one of these plants,
made to cling to something else, or
they cannot grow. She had a lover
to whom she had been attracted like
ever since they w0e children. She
did not tell me this until I had be
gan to regard her so much mine that
It would have been terrible to part
with her. He was to come out at a
certain period, and she was to keep
her faith till that time. If he did
not come then, she might suppose he
was dead or changed.
"Poor little Mary! This was the
time first began to notice her. She
moved about, heavy like, and grew
pale, and the smallest thing set her
to crying. She sometimes thought
he had forgotten her; and then came
the fear that he might be dead. Then
when I began to go with her wher-
ever she went--never talking about
it-for somehow 1 did not, yet could
not bear to see anybody else near her,
and even was angry when Mary did
not look to me for professionalism
Mary told me of her absent lover
She was gentle and loving in her ma
ture. and had regarded ne as her
brother whom she might love and
trust, with no thought as to the flu
ture
"Ma'am, I was nigh ont wild when
l heard of this, and l made Mary
promise that if Dermont did not come
within two weeks after the time APP
pointed, she would be my wife. Yo1
may think she was unhappy, ma'am.
No sho wac lilo a swat child that |