The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-07-21
MISS MIDDLETON'S
GARDENERS.
Continued from Page 8.

cOuld see MN nowhere IN sight, not
even behind the trees or the shrubbery,
but 1 suspected that his was the in
INVISIBLE hand that discharged those mis-
Mes.
q Another handful Of pebbles called the
attention of the window pane to their
presence. l saw Hawkins that time;
then | heard the slipping of a bolt and
the creak of door. A few seconds at
terward Miss Clara Middleton, her
dark tresses unbound. a white shawl
thrown over her shoulders, emerged
on the lawn in all her loneliness, and
my first assistant gardener ran for
ward to meet her. l could have thrown
my arms around Hawkins and
squeezed his heart out.
Miss Clara and her worthy escort
walked up a friendly path that took
them beyond my ken. Tomorrow l
would show my skill as a landscape
artist and turn that path in another
direction, but tomorrow was a long
way off, and before l could bend that
path in one direction, HAWKINS might
bend Miss Middletons fate in another.
Give me twenty minutes alone with her
on a moonlight night, in the shadows
of the elms or the beeches or whatever
hey were, and if I wouldn't decide her
fate and mine, l would never ask an
other favor from fortune. But now II
was my duty to Miss Middleton, to the
love | bore her, to act and act quickly.
l lodged around the off side Of the
house. craWled up the porch and rang
the door bell Mr.. Middleton answered
my summons himself.
who is ito" he growled.
Ne! The head gardener" I an
swered.
what's the matter now? ne rOared.
rs the greenhouse gone up the due
this time2' he screamed
"Hist.' I whispered, Il don't like the
way the assistant gardener
And you wake me out of a sound
sleep to acquaint me with your objec-
tions to his manners to"
TO tell you, Mr.. Middleton" I IN
terrupted in turn, that he is with your
daughter Clara behind"
Without waiting to hear the end Of
my carefully balanced sentence he
rushed into the house and ] rushed in
after him before he could slam the
door in my face. He stopped in front
of the china umbrella stand III the hall
and drew out light bamboo cane.
Better take your oak stick
said
He took my advice without lingering
behind long enough to thank me for it.
and out he scampered on the lawn. I
FASTENED back to my hiding place near
the window in my room i'm the stable,
and no sooner had l ensconced myself
there than / heard a piercing yeli-and
the sound of a heavy body scaling the
garden wall and dropping with a thud
on the other side of it. / suspected the
body belonged to Hawkins, fo- il was
unreasonable TO suppose that Middle
ton or his daughter could climb so
quickly
/ heard Miss Clara voice, lifted a
note above her usual tones, expOstulaU-
ing, arguing, explaining, beseeching
imploring. and Middleton's voice roar
ing like the Bingl Bang Bling. of that
matutinal explosion.
l arose betimes the next morning. re-
hecting that l would be ;alled upon
now to do the work of two. and the
sunlight did not peer into the green
house much in advance of me. had
reasoned IT out that the plants must be
thirsty and that water could do them
40 harm. l never was more liberal in
all my life; | spent water IKE money.
! stood up to my ankles in a purling
flood; the plants and flowers looked as
If they were hiding under Niagara
falls Suddenly the door opened and
Miss Clara entered, pale, neSvy-eyed,
4 but regal despite il all. She looked
around timidly. gave a little Shrek
Nand mounted the second step Of a
wooden flower stand.
Did a pipe burst?" she asked.
Nothing has burst since yesterday.
SO far as l know" I answered But l
FASTENED to shut off the supply
Il can make a raft for you if YOU
care TO inspect the flowers" | voIun-
teered by way of opening the conversa-
ton. The water will drain off in
few minutes"
Sts nodded sOberly, drew her skirts
around her ankles and chung to her
perch. Her bTOWs were knit as if she
had some burden on her mind, and yet
hesitated about calling me to her as
sistance.
l rushed TO her aid. Did you hear
any noises late last night, Miss Middle
tOn2' I asked. i was startled by loud
cries at i o'clock believe it was y
o'clock-and this morning my assistant
did not put in his appearance. He was
such a nice young man, obviously way
above his station, and l hope nothing
happened 10 him."
She looked relieved, although she
was trying hard to blush. 4 hope so.
too" she exclaimed with more fervor
than I liked.
Don't mention it, I would do any
thing for" 1 hesitated and changed
my mind-'fOr q nice young man like
that. If 1 find him I'll insist on mis-
coming back"
oh. no." she objected vigorously.
Papa IS-papa isis She stopped
short.
You just remarked" she resumed,
looking straight ahead like one deter
mined To do or TO die, that Mr.. Hawk
ms was above his station. 1t does credit
10 your insight into human nature. He
said the same thing about you"
That does still greater credit to his
insight into human nature" ! smiled.
Mr.. Hawkins is my step brother"
she continued. Her eyes dropped; she
bTeathed deeply.
81 beg pardon"
My step-brOther,' she repeated.
If any one but Clara Middleton had
told me that story [ positively should
not have believed It
Papa" she went on. her fine white
hands clinched. lis prejudiced against
NV brOther-UnTeasOn so. he has
not set eyes on poor Charles-Charles
Wastburne is his real name, l don't
mind telling yOu-since his early boy
hood. We have had terrible difficulty
in meeting, and II was my suggestion
that he came here to work as a. gar
dener fer few days"
Was I cad enough TO disbelieVe her?
Great minds run in the same chan
al RfTdI1afCv