The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-21


 and prettier in her simple morning
 gown than in the jewels and silks of | her opera reglla, but l reflected that , her opera regalia would cost me my | job long before l got 1t and held my
 peace. Besides the presence of the other gardener had restraining in- | huence.
 We were looking for your father,
 Miss Middleton" said my companion In | his soprano voice, stepping toward her, hat in hand, as coolly as if they were
 on an equal footing in a ballroom.
 startled expression crossed my lady's severe face, then she blush ed
 like a rose, and her lips rounded as if to give vent to an eXclamatory "OhF I was on the point of saying: Miss
 Middleton, if that wretch presumes to annoy you, I'll attend to him." when the young rascal turnedAto me and said in commanding alto tones:
 Miss Meddleton requests that you look around the lawn for her father"
 1 was on the point of retorting sharply, when 1 noticed that Miss Clara's eyes were turned on me half beseechingly and nothing was left for
 me but to obey.
 I caught sight of MT. Middleton pacing toward me, his hands crossed behind his back, his eyes wearing the same drawn, worried look. l turned
 
 handle of the door; there was the sound
 of scurrying feet-four of them, l tn ink, and two of them very clumsy and when I entered Miss Clara was shipping pansies at the far end of the house of glass; and MT Busybody found sudden interest in the fronds of a Phegopteris HeXagonoptera. which is the alias of what honest people call
 a beech fern. which his knowledge that
 I gleaned by the sweat of my brow the
 night before.
 , MT Middleton burst into the greenhouse | and slammed the door behind him. He 1 really looked perplexed and bothered l that felt sorry for him, and l hated to I add to his anxiety by taking him into my | confidence and telling him that a wolf in ! sheep's clothing was prowling around in | the person of the other gardener. You two have come to apply for posi- | tions as gardeners, I suppose?' he said Yes, sir" I answered. Why did you keep me waiting at the | house?" he roared.
 "I was lost in admiration of your Phe- 1 gopteris Hexagonoptera, MT. Middleton"
 l evaded, pointing to the bed of ferns Tn | all my years of previous experience l | never saw such Asplenium Augustifolium. 1 l don't think there is private conserva- l tory q almost said sanitarium) in all Eu- | rope that has such a fine collection of As
  ] lepss Piersoni, your Cyrtomium Falcatum l would ornament the botanical gardens at | Kew"
 He looked at me with lips slightly open l ed for a second and then he said quietly;
 I'm afraid that you are too high priced; i;
 l wanted gardener, not a botanist." l ''lm as good a gardener as I am a bot | anist,' I said, which was the truth. Ferns
 have been my hobby, especially the Phe-
 goteris Hexagonoptera, the Asplenium
 Aug
 That will do," he interrupted.
 What learning for a mere gardener"
 murmured Miss Clara, almost to herself.
 Thank you ever so much, lady" l bowed overhearng her. ] You look strong" remarked MT. Mid | dleton, gauging me as if muscle and not 1 scholarship was what he wanted. Then | he growled out something or the other | about wages and looking up my references | afterward and he hired me on the spot. l MT. Middleton beckoned with his fore 1 finger to my fellow artisan. MT. Middleton" he started boldly, l your Asparagus Plumosus, your Aspara- gus Sprnngeri, your" 1 'Will take care of themselves inter- 1 rupted the old gentleman.
 That settles you. Mr. Busybody,"
 thought I to myself, "those two or three
 names are all you know i
 voice, talked with this man before you
 came and it seems to me that he is well 1 qualified for the place." "Very we'll" growled old Middleton, | my daughter knows more about these things than I do I'll take you on her | say 80. I'll put you under this mans l charge and I'll hold him responsible for | you and himself"
 When we were left alone the stranger | and I scrutinized each other for & minute 1 CT two in silence and then he gave way ! to a loud peal of laughter-a frank, free, 1 infectious laughter.
 "I may be stupid" I insisted with q 1 perfectly impassive face, but l really don't see where the joke comes in.'' "Phe-phe-gopteris Hexagon-" He | smothered the end of the name in q | paroxysm of laughter. You have that smart American ten 1 dency to sheer at booklearning, l see" ] said I, determined to bluff 1t out. | "Oh, come now" smiled he, controlling himself. "I studied up ferns, too, last l night-ferns and asparagus, but I didn' t | have your luck. What brings ycu to this kind of labor? I knew you weren't a l gardener the moment I set eyes on you. l Are you in hard luck?" | "Yes, to have assistant like you," | I drowned. "See here, I'll take 1t for granted that you know your business 1 until you prove otherwise; but If you don | | get right down to work, I'll discharge | you"
 l What do you want me to do?' For the life of me I didn't know what wanted him to do.
 Whats your name?" asked. l "Hawkins-John Hawkins" well John, you may start by" Just then the butler put his he' l through the door and bawled MT. Mid 1 dleton wants the head gardener to take | the largest Latania Borbonlca out of the 1 greenhouse and carry 1t into the library" and so saying he disappeared. He might have been considerate enough | to have pointed out what the largest Lat | ania Borbonica was. To me 1t sounded 1 like the name of a wild animal, but as 1 this was a conservatory and not men | agerie, took it for granted that Lata- | mia Borbonica belonged to the vegetable l kingdom.
 l A sudden inspiration hauled me out of | the slough of despond! l had seed cat I alogue in my pocket and If 1t contained | picture of a Latania Borbonica-I | wouldn't have traded 1t at that moment l for a photograph of Miss Middleton, with