The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-12-04

kie. who was standing on the QUICKER.
Il beg a thousand pardons, Mr.. Hap
field" said the trembling florist. dismayed
a. what he had done, '.and l vow to you
that / wouldn't have heard word you've
been sayin' if it had been possible for me
to sink any deeper into the bowels OF the
earth. There is ladder at the far end OF
| the greenhouse. and if you'll put that
| down here, Mr.. Hapfield, I'll come up and
| tell you all about it.
Leonard was so amazed, so shocked, and
go angry that he could find no words in
| which to reply to this apparition IN the
cistern. but he brought the ladder, and
very soon the florist was standing before
| him and Clara, who had now risen to her
| feet.
This is very embarrassing" said Mr..
| Rinkle, his hands clasped before him.
Now then" cried Leonard hercely,
''none of that nonsense. / got you out to
| hear what you had TO say about this
contemplate. sneaking piece OF bust
! ness"
Mr.. RinkIe looked first at the angry
| young man and then at the pale Clara,
| and told everything just as it had hap
| pened. "You see said he in conclusion.
II kept so very quiet, thinkin' to frighten
GottIieb, that you two began speakin', in
way that might be called confidential,
| before had time to let you know there
| was some one else in the greenhouse; and
| knew it would embarrass you SO dread
| fully, and / felt at any moment you
| might be on the pint of goin' away. As
| for me, assure you | never was SO en-
| barrassed since the beginning of my days. f"
'Look here" exclaimed Leonard, II
want to know if you heard everything we
| said 2"
"Oh, no, indeed 7" replied the good Ma
than. There were times when couldn It
| hear a word. You see, l was at the very
| bottom of the cistern. But, of course,
| couldn't help understandin' the drift of
the conversation, which seemed in a way
to betoken that you two was engaged to be
| married"
| Miss Knightiey, whose color had come
back to her iace. looked at Leonard !;
he looked at her, and they both
laughed. Mr.. Rinkie saw his oppor-
tunity and extended a hand to each
Let me congratulate you" he said, land
beg from the bottom of my heart that
| you won't mind an old fellow like me
| gettin' by the merest accident hint of
| your engagement before anybody else.
And you may trust me for never sayin' a
| word to livin' soul about It; as far as
that goes, It might have been one Of them
| pots that was down the cistern."
| There was moment OF silence, and
| Clara was the first to speak
1T is dredfully embarrassing, as YOU
say, Mr.. Rinkle, but 1t can't be hel ped
now, and l am willing to forgive you.
But you must promise not only not to
| mention our engagement until We are
| ready ourselves to announce it, but that
! you will never, never to the end of your
| days, mention to a living soul that YOU
| were anywhere near at the time it was
made"
"Oh bless mew cried Mr. Rlnkle .I'li
never do that. 1t would make me the
laughing stock of the country"
| IF l ever hear" said Leonard, "that
this has leaked out 1 shall make it my
hood shall never gOinto one of your green
houses without sending somebody ahead
to see who is in the clstern.'
| "Oh, you need have no fear of that, :"
said Nathan. "And now you must excuse
me for leaving you so abruptly. I must
hurry off to the flower show. I haven't
my watch with me, but it must be a good
deal after O'clock"
CATER g." exclaimed Leonard, taking
out his watch. sit is half-past T."
| Mr.. Rinkle stood aghast. 81 must have
slept the whole morning, " he said woefully
| And that settles me at the flower show.
The prizes were to be given ont at noon
no use in my going there at this time. 1t
is all up with me and my exhibition; at
| least the best part of it.
An idea suddenly struck the florist.
"Stay here, please" he said, "I'li be kack
in a minute" And he ran out of the
house.
| In short time he returned, bearing in
his hand the largest spray of blossoms
from the Reverend Ezekiel Crump. cts
no use lettin' 'em stay on till they're
| withered," he said, "and as the plant
! can't enter for prize now I'll let you, Mr.
| Haptield, do what you wanted to do, and
| give your lady flower that no other
lad bod hnf
| I'd worked and waited to get those bios
SONS you'd know the value of them"
| This extinguished the last spark of re-
| sentiment in Leonard's mind, and Mr.
| Rinkle. considerably absented himself
| during the presentation of the flowers.
| 1t was evening; dinner was over and
| Mr.. Rink pushed back his chair with an
| air of great content. At his hasty lunch
| con which he ate standing and in a per-
! turbation of mind quite natural after what
| had happened, he had merely stated to
| Mrs. Lent that he had not gone to the
| flower show because Gottlieb had not come
| to take charge. But now, during the din
| ner, he had given Mrs. Lent full account
| of his misadventure. abiding to his rescue
| from the cistern only by saying that Mr..
| Hapfeld had happened to come into the
violet house and had helped him out.
"That was wonderfully good mipce pie,
Mrs. Lent" he remarked in his after-din-
ner serenity. "There was never better"
''if had only known" said Mrs. Lent.
"that while 1 was making it you were
| down in that dreadful hole, how fast
! would have run to you"
| Mr.. Rinkle crossed his legs and smiled.
| He was in state of great good humor.
II know you would. Mrs. Lent, l know
| you would. But, after all, perhaps it's
| just as well you didn't come"
She looked surprised. Don't you think
could have helped you out as we'll as
anybody"
"Of course you could. wasn't think
| ing of that" said Nathan, walking up and
down the floor, and still smiling Sud-
| denly he struck his hands together, and
| then took his hat from its peg. MRS.
Lent" said he, don't clear away the
| dinner things. I'll be back in a minute"
When he returned he brought with him
| the second largest spray of flowers from
the Reverend Ezekiel Crump, bearing four
| great blossoms.
Nicely" said he, ''allow me to present
| to the loveliest woman on earth the loyli-
est flower. at least of the pelargonium fam
| lily, that was ever grown by man"
Mrs. Lent stood up amazed. Never be-
| fore had he called her Nicely: and what
did he mean by bringing her that almost
sacred flower? II don't understand" she
gasped.
Nicely" he said, "may l love you?
Will you love me in return? Come now,
don't look down, or think about doing
kitchen work. There is nothing so i'm
portant as what / am saying to you"
She understood now. Flushing and
tray hi o6s I,,t st,