The Lake County times., 1907-06-12

additional colorS she wants time to
think the matter over. Every expert
ment was a failure, but that only made |
the colonel and his gardener the more
determined. especially the gardener.
1t was his duty as an employee |
to give his master all his ideas, but he |
made an exception in this one case. |
He clung to it with dogged obstinacy,
but he kept it as secret as the grave. !
He might have clung to it year or SO !
longer had not the colonel become i'm
patient He said something one June
day about giving up the experiments,
and the gardener replied that he would
have some news for him next day He
asked the broker to come home an
hour earlier than usual and to come
directly to the large farm barn.
At the hour named the colonel was
there. He had scarcely entered the
barn when he received a crack on the
head that made him unconscious for
the next quarter of an hour. When he
came to he had been stripped of coat,
vest and tie and was bound hand and
foot. He had not caught sight of his
assailant before being struck, but now
found the gardener lowering over him
with q murderous look on his face.
"Will you tell me what this means,
HenryY' asked the victim.
"Yes. sir. l have finally found how
/ to grow four-colored apples. It has
been a long time, but 1 have struck
it at last. I hope to have fifty bushels
on the market this fall"
"Weu, let's hear about it."
"All the apple trees are now in bios
som. The red ones are all right, and
the yellow ones are all right, and
have found a way to make the blue
and green ones all right. 1 have sim
ply to sprinkle them with the blood Of
a man wearing side whiskers. A drop
Of blood to a blossom will do the trick,
and once the apples start to growing
that way they will continue"
Now, the colonel had a growth of
side whiskers that were the envy of
Wall street and a matter Of JOY to
himself. Whenever you saw the colo
mel you saw his whiskers. He might
forget his Communication ticket now and
then, but never his whiskers. The
didn't like the gardeners reference to
those sacred objects. 1t smacked Of
familiarity, and there was a covert
threat behind the words. He was at
first inclined to buster, but another
look into the gardeners face satisfied
him that the man had become crazy.
He therefore changed his tactics and
t quietly said:
"All right, Henry. We will go up to
the orchard and experiment / am de-
lighted to find that you have achieved
success at last
''But how can you go when l want
. your blood?" asked the man. ''You
$ see, you are the only man around here
with side whiskers. If the coachmar
. or the butler had 'em, that would do
! but they haven't, you know. They are
9 fine ones, colonel-fine ones"
And Chapman bent down and ten
derly caressed the iron gray side
whiskers that foated away from eacf
{ cheek and were gently stirred nov
: and then by the June breezes blowing
: into the open DOOR Never had anothe
h man on this earth except the barbe
: dared to lay his sacrilegious hands OF
those reverenced objects of the none.
! center of the world.
'But we will look up some one else,
said the colonel as he felt sinking o
the heart. II know Of several me-
with side whiskers, and 1 will coax on
: Of them home with me tomorrow"
: But I must have the blood today
: colonel. Besides, for this first expert
! ment we must have the incest sort O
= whiskers. There is nothing in the stat
! of New York to compare with yours
: The papers have said so over and owe
= again How soft they are! How lux
), uriantly they grow! How the breez
/, toys with them! Your blood is a
: right, and the first bushel Of four-colol
ed apples shall be deposited on you
grave"
"But 1 want to see the trees 20
70 have selected. 1 may decide to max
h some changes"
D. ''The trees are all right, colone
o Here is a knife to open an artery, an
# here is a pan to catch the blood. Wha
# shall do with your whiskers aftt
NOQ are 0Cd0f 1t SCC4AS q pAbJ " OAA
ia 'em like SO much horsehair."
A "You blamed fool. this has gor
II far enough" exclaimed the colonel, g
ing to the other extreme. "Unbind n
at once or I'll have you sent to priso
o for llfev'
le ''It won't do replied the gardene
IL with a shake of his head and taking L
nt a knife he had made ready for the pu
IT, pose. "You are as anxious for the fou
Id coIored apples as I am, and you mustn
be bring all our labors to naught- He
ed goes for the blood"
-c. The colonel began yelling for hel
and fortunately the coachman was
hand to respond lie entered the oai
ID on a run and narrowly escaped Dell
in stabbed. and the crazy gardener had
Ill n OF