Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-04-11


 between the whiffs of his pipe: Lady, the Lord must have sent you to me, be- cause, of all the people living i'll the Der mudas, l alone perhaps can help you. I haven't much, only my little farm here and these rude huts, bat if you will accept one of the latter as tenn perary dwelling 1t is yonrs for as long as you may wish to stay. AS for food, if you can put mp with my fare of milk and sweet potatoes, with now and then a bit of meat and all the fish you want, to be caught in the bay, you are wei come. No don't thank me, :" he said as I tried to express my gratitude. ''I have been thinking of making some one this same offer for the privilege of pleasant company, for I am getting old and have lived too long alone. Indeed you will do nle g favor by accepting my offer"
 The very next day we had removed our belongings to one of the huts, which promised to serve us as well as if it were a palatial mansion in that favored land where one may pass the entire day out of doors. As the physician had or dered my mother to spend all the time possible in the open air, it mattered lit tie what kind of rooftreo sheltered us at night. And so far as I was concerned, 1t was a joy to wander ill the shade of those fragrant trees and along the beach, where shells of every hue were abundant and where the crystal waters covered the gardens of sea plants Seeing that I liked to work about the flower garden and knowing that he might speak to me frankly, my aged friend suggested that I make an attempt to wrcst livelihood from the soil
 .'I ann tco old, :" he said, ''to embark in any new adventures; but if you want to try it, why there's the garden, with as rich a soil as anywhere, and here arc all the tools and seeds you need. You seem like q strong and sensible yonng lady. Nobody need know what you arc doing, as my place is so secluded,. and all the time your mother will be getting her health while you arc gain ing strength and perhaps making money. There gro three or four things that pay here in Burmuda. These arc potatoes, onions, arrowroot and Easter lilies. The first threc are teo difficult for you to manage, but the last, it seems to me, would ke easy to cultivate and pleasant to raise. Now, enc celncr of that plot is already planted with Easter bulbs, and if you will take the care of them off my hands l shall feel greatly obliged and will divide the profits with you into the bargain
 Womanlike, jumped at this generous offer, and, 10 make a long story short, tended those lilies 90 assiduously that even lie first seasons profits were very satisfactory. The second seasons were much more so, and the third and fourth found us with surplus of cash to our credit and half the little vale planted with bulls.
 Our good old friend died tho fourth year of our stay, but left us . life inter- est i'll his estate for q small considera- ton, and we continued in the cccupa- ton which we had found 50 pleasant, and which promised to be SO profitable. My mother rcgained her health and from choice worked with mo in the gar den. while'I myself had become so at tached to the place and 20 contented at my labors that 1 doubt if anything in the world could draw me away.
 There are objectionable features, of course, mainly depending upon q wom. an performancecf what is usually done by men. The lniddlemen doubtless rob. bed me at times, Inc lilies did not al ways arrive ill New York in good con. dition, and sometimes the bulbs would be injured by q protracted scs voyage. Again, land cannot Ee purchased here by alien Americans, ;s the Bcrmudas constitute q military colony, and only those loyal and subject to the British queen can own reai estate, hut long leases arc easy to obtain, and thus al danger of forfeiture isoLviatcd And there is also q peculiar satisfac- tien i'll the reflection l.s.t ;tll this love- Illness was, i'll Il scnsr, the creation of my own hands, . sensation cilly under stood by those wEo have gardens of their own. SARA ENDICoTT STANDIEY.