The new enterprise. (Madison, Fla.) 1901-1908, 1904-10-06

tiny spring oozed out at the foot OF the
rock; and here this apple tree bad
grown Up, Unmatched and undiscov'
cred save by the squirrels and birds.
The tree was a thrifty one. The
trunk had attained n diameter Of six
inches; and when Willis found 1t there
were, he says, four or FIVE bushels OF
those delicious Sweetlngs, now just
beginning to rlpen. willis first ate all
he desired, then took OFF his coat, made
bag of IL, and shook down the ripest
of the apples to carry home TO his fam
lily and the neighborlDg boys and girls
Wont they smack their lips" he
said to himself. Won't they be up
here for more" I'd" ~
But on the way he took second
thought, and craft entered his heart
II won't tell them where 1t is" he said
70 himself. LET them hunt They
never will find It," For the place was
0 mile and half or two miles from the
nearest farm. .,rs. stn .ru..t. 81
Willis as yet had not thought Of sell.
Ing the apples or making profit from
bis discovery; the idea came into his
mind later, after he found how fond
every one was of them. But that night
when we asked Willis where this tree
grew, he laughed and said darkly, "Oh,
known
Such secretiveness was deemed pig.
glsh, and was resented by every one
Several declared that they could and
would find that tree and get every ap.
pie on 1t. Willis laughed and said,
Let me know when you do"
That was the beginning of the long
search for "Wnlls Murchs good tree"
First and last we spent hours, days
and, altogether, weeks securing the
pastures, fields and clearings. We
watched willis constantly in the hope
Of tracking him.
One of our boy neighbors-not one
Of the best-named Alfred Bachelor
lay in wait for days together on a hill
overlooking the Murch farm, expecting
TO see Willis set out for the tree. At
one time Alfred and another boy,
named Charles Cross, had thoughts Of
waylaying Willis and extorting the
secret from him by threats of torture,
Willis steered clear of them, how.
ever, and remained close-mouthed. He
had grown very crafty, and went to the
tree by night only, or sometimes early
on Sunday mornings, before other peo-
pie were astir.
During the August moon Of the Sec
ond season after discovering the tree
he brought home a bushel Of the ap.
plies on three different occasions by
night and he now began canvassing
among the farmers who had orchards
to sell scions, to be delivered In May
Of the following spring. After eating
the apples, not a few signed for them
at fifty cents q graft.
1t required a fair share Of courage
on the part Of boy of fifteen to go to
the tree by night, for the distance
from Wills home was fully two miles;
and at that times bears and lynxes FIRE.
quented the great pasture"
Willis afterward told the other boys
that bear came out in the path d.
rectly ahead of him one night, as he
was hurrying home with a bushe Of
Wild Rose Sweetings on his shoulder.
The creature shifted, and willis shout.
ed to frighten 1t, He was on the point
of throwing down his apples, to climb
n tree in haste, when the bear sham
bled away.
Willis seems now to have had great
designs Of selling scions to orchardists
and nurserymen over the whole coun-
try, Only a tiny twlg three inches
long is requisite for q scion for graft.
ing into other trees. The Wild Rose
Sweeting should produce thousands OF
such sciOns, Willis, who was a Yam,
kee lad by ancestry, resolved to pre-
serve the secret Of the tree at all haz'
ards. He appears to have had dreams
Of making a fortune from it.
Thus far no one had been able to find
the tree, as much from natures OWL
precaution in hiding it as from willis
craft, By the middle of September
that autumn he had gathered most OF
the apples, when the same chance
which had first led his steps to the
tree revealed it to the eyes OF his enc
mics.
For about that time Alfred Bachel
der and Charles Cross's brother New
man, went fishing up the brook, and IL
due course arrived at the trout holt
where Willis had sat when he saw thu
squirrel, They crept up to the hole
baited and cast in together.
There were no bites Immediately
but as they sat there they heard a rel
squirrel chirr! up among the thicl
hemlocSs, and presently caught TIL
sound % low thud on the ground
| Fal1 Ivv