The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-11-21
CREEDS And CROCUSES.


The rector found it necessary to leap
the hedge Che had been something OF
an athlete at the university, and Ger
tainly this spring weather was sending
the blood coursing through his veins
quite like old times) and look at the
crOcus bed near to.
They are such lovely ones!" she
said, earnestly. Il don't believe you
noticed them at all last spring" Che
pronounced maledictions upon himself
for having been so blind as TO miss so
much beauty the previous season.,
but they will be even better this year
If we don't have that hOrrid frost
you have been prophesying.'
She looked up at him roguishly and
it suddenly crossed the young reetors
mind that several yeiloWish-green
points of crocus blade, breaking the
damp soil, made a far prettier picture
than the finest rose bush in full bloom,
which he had ever seen. 1t was
strange fact and one he had never dis
covered before
But when he had returned to his own
1 lonely domain and entered his study
he stopped and thought seriously for Il
minute. Then he cast mis- fiat-crowned,
ministerial hat upon the floor with
great emphasis and exclaimed:
Its my creed, tell you, that a man
in orders should not marryp'
Now, there was no one visible to
argue the question, and yet there
seemed to be argument in his own
mind, for Rev. Wetherby Smiles smote
his palm with his clenched fist angrily
and kicked the flat-crowned hat to the
other end of the room.
For two days the rector of st. James
rigidly stifled his interest in crocuses:
his interest in creeds, however was not
entirely satisfying. On Sunday after
vespers, he overlook on his way home
little figure in a fawn-colored gown
You must see my crocuses, Mr..
Smiles" she said The buds will be
open before Sunday.
The rector glanced gloomily at the
darkening sky, and thought that prob
ably there would be frost that night:
but he could not long think of frost
and other unpleasant possibilities I'M
der the Slzilful manipulation of his
charming little neighbor He hesitated
at her gate, and again crocuses tri-
umphed over creed. The crocuses
were flOurishing finely: the creeds took
a back seat--indeed, very unobtru-
SlVe seat in the rector'S memory
His interest in the crocus continued
that evening to SO late an hour that
not coming to supper and cleared away
the repast.
Never mind said the rector, kindly,
/ am not hungry" And when the old
man had doddered off to bed he sat
down before the open v-.ndow of his
chamber and stared out into the still
night
He sat there for an hour A light
burned behind the curtain of one of his
neighbours windows. That was her
light, he knew. Finally it disappeared.
but he sat on, his arms folded upon
the sill, his eyes glazing fixedly into
the darkness. Greed was making a
strong fight for life
1t grew rapidly colder, and suddenly
Rev. Wetherby Smiles awoke to the
dlscomforts of the outer man. He shiv-
cred and drew away from the window.
There was no breeze and no clouds.
but an increasing chill made him close
the easement.
Then he slipped en- a smoking jacket
and went to the door, There was
light haze upon the river and a shin-
mer of frost in the air.
"A bad night for the farmers and
fruit growers" he thought Then his
mind reverted to those crocuses. "They
VIII be black by morning." he said.
Too bad. and the little woman thinks
so much of them
He hesitated a moment and then
went in again, reappearing shortly
with an old macintosh.
Just the thing to spread over the
bed to defend them from the frost" he
muttered, and with long strides crossed
the rectory garden and leaped the
hedge.
Feeling a good deal like night
proWler who had no business in the
place, he crept through his little neigh.
bor's garden and approached the Gro
Gus bed near the porch. He started al
the slightest sound, and glanced about
fearfully. Surprising anybody should
see him-one of his OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
his major domo. He forgot the night
was dark; it seemed to his excited i'm
agination that anybody passing along
the road could see him-the rector of
st. James'-proWling about beneath a
ladys window
Suddenly just as he spread the COW