The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-07-21

Ward a young lady VINO sat IN the opera
box opposite our own.
What! Are you engaged?" he eX-
claimed, steadying his hand on the
plush railing.
Il don't even know her" l admitted
Better put your mind on something
nearer he advised. You're only the
fourth man l know who has performed
the perfectly idiotic feat of falling in
love with Clara Middleton at sight
I'm making some progress" l re-
turned. Il didn't expect to learn as
much about her as her name the first
night"
That's all you ever will learn" he
proclaimed q suspect he was one of
the four aforesaid). Forget about her.
Fred Her father guards her the way
General StOesseI guarded Port Arthur,
and"
General Nogi-"
Yes, / know all about Nogi, but
Middleton is a grabbed old millionaire
widOweT and swears she shan't marry
until he's dead, and Clara herself de-
Clares she never Will marry"
Neither of them ever met me-"
And you never will meet either Of
them, Fred. They don't meet anybody,
any young man, at any rate. They live
like refuses on their estate at larry
town"
She's looking at me through her
glasses now, Edgar" said 1 raptur-
ously.
You're a simpleton. Fred. She's
turning them full on the stage"
The next day, without telling any
body. even my bosom friend, Edgar
where 1 was going, I took the early
morning train for ,TarrytOwn.
found a boarding house, left my
suit case in the room under the roof
and then 1 walked out to survey the
Middleton estate, which bore the
poeticaI name of whispering Pines"
A high stone wall surrounded it. and
all l could see by peeping through the
massive wrought iron gates was that
the big colonial house looked plenty
large enough for three.
The second day slipped away and 1
gained no more of a glimpse of the
fair Clara than if she were in Jericho
where I wished both Of US were-On
our honeymoon, and I made up my
mind that II would be more sensible to
return TO New York and accept the pO
sitiOn of civil engineer promised me
before / left there. 1 had already
packed my slender possessions and was
waiting to serve notice on my land
lady In the little parlor when l picked
up the local paper for pastime. By
chance ] turned to the advertisements,
when my eve alighted on the valuable
biJ of information that Mr.. Middleton
was in need of two gardeners.
Two gardenersi Gardener number
two might well know enough about the
trade TO instruct me during his leisure
h ,urs. Perhaps even IN business hours
he would have heart enough to point
out TO me the difference between an
aZalea and a bSgonia-the only two
difficult plants I knew by name-the
others knew neither by name nor by
face. for I was born and reared in a
big city. But to tell the truth, it wasn't
my botanical knowledge 1 was think
ing of. 1t was Clara
When my landlady entered I simply
told her that / had come down stairs
TO see if she had any works on garden
ing and botany. She finally f1shed out
4 seed catalogue, book on How to
Grow Flowers" and another on Our
common Trees and How to Know
Them" And all that night I sat up
working like a Trojan. Then I was
startled by the thought that I had
nothing with me that would answer for
a Teference-an eXigency that forced
me, much against my will, TO take Ed
gar Morton into my confidence and
write him 10 please stand sponsor. by
return mail, for my honesty and indus
try. if not for my horticultural abili-
ties. At ! walked to the village, pur-
chased pair of overalls and a blouse.
donned them, discarded my collar and
struck out for MiddletOn's estate.
When I reached Whispering Pines
a fair-haired young man was peerinE
anxiously through the gates. He eyed
me nervously, I thought, and asked:
Did you come for a gardeners
job?"
Yes" I replied CURLY.
It's an awful place." he said. "The
old man is a terror and particular
good heavensi-he fired the last gar
dener for leaving a couple of leaves on
the lawn after the raking. I wouldn't
take the job If 1 could find something
better"
No one but a fool would" I assert
ed.
We entered together.
Mr.. Middleton wasn't I'm the green
house at the time, but his daughter
was, her pretty nose buried in a flower
ing geranium. She looked up with a
start when we entered. and 1 wanted
TO tell her that she was even sweeter
and prettieT in her simple morning
gown than in the jewels and silks OF
her opera regalia, but 1 reflected that
the compliment would cost me my job
long before l got 1t and held my peace.
Besides, the presence of the other gar
dener had a restraining influence
I'VE were looking for your father
Miss MIDI leTOn, 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 bushed
like a rose, and her lips rounded as if
TO give vent to an explanatory On"
/ was on the point of saying: Miss
Middleton, if that wretch presumes to
annoy you. I'll attend to him. when
the young rascal turned to me and
said in commanding alto tones:
Miss Middleton requests that you
look around the lawn for her father
I was on the point Of retorting sharp
", when I noticed that Miss Clara s
eyes were turned on me half beseech-
ingIy, and nothing was left for me but
TO obey.
I caught sight of Mr.. Middleton pac-
ing toward me, his hands crossed be-
hind his back, his eyes wearing the
same drawn, worried look. l turned
toward the greenhouse and ratified the
handle of the door; there was the
sound OF scUrying feet-four Of them, |
| think, and two of them very clumsy |
and when 1 entered Miss Clara was
shipping pansies at the far end of the /
bOuse of glass. and Mr. RuSvbO1v |