Hutchinson gazette., 1900-06-07
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THE YELLOW TOMATOES.
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ed country he had the felicity OF sit
ting opposite a little girl with frecklei
and blue eyes, Her name was Bertha
Manderson, which was n difficult name
for Domlnicus 10 remember, But II
was not AZ all hard for him to remem
her the dear little girl with freckles
She wore tiny black tassels nj the top
of her shoes, and white aprons, rufiied
md tied upon the shoulders with
large, airy-looking bows, and the ends
of her smooth braids were tied with
ribbons now the color Of the violet
and now the color OF the rose.
Domincus said to himself that In
Amsterdam he had never known any
girl so freckled and so dear.
~ wish she would look AZ me-"
thought little Dominicus Van Brunt'
Tut he thought II In Dutch, although
when he spoke aloud he managed to
make himself understood In English.
II must he confessed that little Amer
lean children are too egotisticnl to he
polite. Thinking as they do that they
are moulded on the right pattern,
they are inclined TO regard all child
rem differing from them ms curIoslties,
They considered the round-fnced
Dutch boy, with his ways and defer
entinl manner to teacher, strange
but little fish indeed, And no one in
all the school was more amused than
the dainty Bertha, who looked nt him
covertly out OF her grny'blue eyes
However, she did not laugh at him. So
Dominicus, who did not know that she
was amused, and who perceived only
her aspect Of gravity, thought her
kinder than the rest and was grateful
II only she would have spoken to him,
or looked nt him as II she were his
friend, he would have had nothing
more TO ask-he could even have been
patient with that terrible English
language which everyone around him
was inbbering.
He determined to do something to
rall the attention OF his freckled
henrt's-own to himself, and one day
he hurried into the school room the
first minute the doors were opened
md laid three pear-shnped yellow to-
matoes on her desk, The scholars
came, saw the pretty vegetables, and
hnd little trouble in deciding from
what source the tribute came. For
who else In fashionable suburb
would have yellow tomatoes, except
the son Of the Dutch gardener? The
school ndulged in unrestrnined gig
plinp, but BERTHA, instead OF partici-
pntng. shot defiance from her gray
blue eyes, and, turning with an ndor-
hhle smile toward Dominicus, careful
" fitted one Of the yellow tomatoes
into her mouth, aud devoured II in
the same spirit in which n loyal sub
feet drinks to his king, II was evident
ihnt Dominicus had been right, Bertha
wns different from the Others, His
happiness stained the hoy's aminble
face scnrlpt, and while the other boys
ieered at him mnmher Of them felt Il
siytirct rong Of Jealousy. They were
p,'to alive TO the extraordinary favor
which hld haPn shown him.
F"nm that day on Bertha, the
fnuqhter Of prosnerous lawyer and
little maid distlrr'N conscious OF
her srcial opportunities, and Domni.
rus the son of the man who raised
garden truck, were friends. There
rame day when Bertha, having
reached the proud a~c of 10, gave a
birthday party ON hor fathers lawn,
nnd insisted on hHyjng Dominicus
nmong her guests-n famous day Tor
Domincus. in which he saw his prin-
sess in all the glory Of her best white
Grock. with her hair crimped down
her back, and had the rapture OF eat
Ing cream tarts in her company.
But there was yet prouder day In
which Dominicus was permitted to
return this social attention, and was
allowed to invite Bertha and three
other friends TO the snowy kitchen OF
his home back Of the garden, where
The mother Of Dominicus sang beauti-
ful songs to them in n language they
could not understand, and fed them
with crucllers and grape juice. Bertha
thought she had never seen any room
30 charming MS this titchen, with its
racks of blue plates, its shining pans,
and its illuminated notices upon the
wall.
BERTHA was not more than 10 when
she was sent to n private school, and
MS the years went by she saw people
of quite different sort from Domini-
Gus and his father and mother, and
nught. probably. to have forgotten all
nhout them. But It Is an undeniable
fact-though It may have shown some
evidences Of vulgnrity in her nature
that all the years that she was occu-
ucd with other matters. such ms
boarding school and summer rEorts,
and Coming out" and gnicties Of n
winter in the city, she remembered
thnt glorious kitchen, and the people
who lived in III. and wondered where
they had gone. For 1t had happened
that one autumn. after returning
from the seushore. Bertha had dis
covered that the house back OF the
garden was empty. II had been sad
moment for her. She had felt the
tears come to her eyes as she looked
at the untidy piece OF ground where
the exquisitely kept garden OF Jacob
Van Brunt had been; and the win
dows. from which the round face OF
her friend had often smiled at her,
repulsed her now with their baroness
III happened that Ia course Of time
Bertha had a notion to go abroad
and, having the consciousness Of her
certificate of graduation in her trunk
she was In no haste TO return to her
u. I,.ra,nJ ,,,ka,n oh