Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1903-03-19
The little
Florist
THEY were neighbors.

was yoDGger. There similarity ceased.
He Eas rugged, uncultured, plain,
though with a certain charm of virile,
Gorcefnl homeliness difficult to analyze.
she was pretty, college bred, aristo-
cratic. He believed in Drawn and brain.
she believed in blood and breeding.
They were not neighborly, She
soaked herself "horticulturist." He
was merely florist, OF course, Dick
Russell was bachelor, and in love.
The nursery was Dicks by right of
purchase, privation and persistence
For five years he had worked and strug-
gled and hoped. The trees pSnted by
his own hands were his peos, his com
panions. his all-for he was alone in
the world.
"Why don't you stick up house on
your grounds2" asked Uncle William
one night as he and Dick sat smoking
u goodnight pipe in the porch.
f. Cant afford in said Dick, curtly
ann putting every penny l can raise
into that gas machine I'm building in
the nursery"
Foolish, tool" grunted Uncle Will
liam.
"Mebbe so" assented Dick, grimly.
mo Lnebbe aboutit. Who ever heard
tell of raisin' flowers and fruit with
gas It's agin Nature"
you'll see," said Dick, with fierce
puff at his pipe and far-away look in
his blue eyes.
The months passed.
v Dick said little, but read great deal.
One day he Mortified Uncle William by
requesting permission to put in tele-
phone.
what for2" demanded he in a
baeath.
"'Cause | want it." said Dick.
So. in spite of opposition and dire
predictions, the telephone was in
STALLED, connecting the house with the
distant village of Prittlewell. His
point won, and his crop money safely
deposited in the bank, Dick threw him
self heart and soul into the compile
tion of his queer gas plant. He bought
miles of slender iron piping, and many
dons of hard coal. lie dug bitches and
laid a portion of the piping around his
orchard and at regular distances
across 1t, until the ground looked like
a gigantic gridiron. The unused pip
3ng (by far the larger portion) was
stored away in the gas house. When
the work was finished and the bitches
., filed jim, curious neighbors comment
ed on the queer nozzles" which showed
above the ground at intervals along the
straight rows of buried piPes-
''Goin' to irrigate?" they asked.
v 'Mebbe," said Dick, grimly.
How're you goin' to plow an har-
row with them things a-stickin' up in
that way?"
The gas machine itself, situated in
the center of the orchard, was, by aid
of stout building, stout shutters and
portly paddock, made curiosity proof.
No one went into this building except
Dick and two trusted workmen.
''It's perfectly scand'lous!" shifted
Aunt William one bitterly cold even
ing, as she sat by the kitchen fire mend
ing a pair of Dicks socks.
"Which?" asked William, looking up
from his newspaper absent mindedly.
"Dick's goin's-on."
"Where's he goin' now?" he asked,
his mind still on the paper.
Don't you know" she demanded,
looking at him severely, that Dick is
a-spending ev'ry penny he's got in the
world for n big black machine an a
lot o rusty pipes?"
Uncle William looked crushed.
"Listen!" she said, suddenly, holding
up one of Dicks socks warningfy.
Borne on the crisp night air there
came the distant ringing blows of ham
mer upon steel.
just then the telephone bell rang
loudly.
Goodness mel" exclaimed William,
almost dropping the lamp. Stepping
TO the instrument, he put the receiver
to his ear.
"Is Dick Russell there?" asked an un-
familiar voice.
mo. He's away at work on his gas
engine"
"Wll you take message to him at
once?"
Whore you?"
"Never mind me. Here's the mes
sage-it's important. Tell Russell that
the weather clerk wires: Severe frost
tonight Good-by."
Uncle William gasped and turned to
his wife.
whats it all about 2" she spluttered.
Severe frost tonight" repeated he
"What."
That's what the man said" persist
ed he.
He's crazy" snapped Aunt William.
"Mebbe so. Mebbe. Folks say Dicks
crazy. too. Mebbe we're all crazy"
And Uncle William reached for his
boots.
'What are you goin' to do?"
DO? Why cart this message over
to Dick afore it gets froze on the way"
a tramp of about 200 yards through
the snow brought Uncle William to the
''gassy madhouse" (as Dicks neighbors
politely called the strueturel.
who's that?" asked Dicks voice
from within.
"Me-uncle BILL
whats up?"
I.
Weather expert says so. An I'm
a-freezin' out here"
Dick swung the door wide open.
Come in" said he.
For the first time in his life Uncle
William stood within the building
which had piqued the curiosity of the
entire neighborhood. He found HIM
self in high, well-lighted room filled
with iron boilers, coils of black piping,
and piles ofcoal and coke. In another
room he caught a glimpse of huge
round, uncanny-locking metal vat,
which seemed to reach to the roof
Dick offered a rickety chair, and said
with an inscrutable smile:
$50 there's going to be a big frost
to.a,sht, eh?'
.eTbat's the telephone MESSAGE