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

] Phegopteris Hexagonoptera, Mr. Mid
dleton," l evadeG, pointing to the bed
of ferns. I'm all my years of previous
experience never saw such Asplenium
AugustifOllum. 1 don't think there is
| a private conservatory Ct almost said
sanItarium) in all Europe that has such
a fine collection of Asplenium Thelyp-
| teroides. Your Nephrolepsia PierSOni,
your Cyrtomium Falcatum, would or
nalnent the botanical gardens at
Kew"
He looked at me with lips slightly
opened for second, and then he said
quietly:
I'm afraid that YOU are too high
priced; 1 want a gardener, not a bot
anist."
I'm as good a gardener as I am a
| botanist." said, which was the truth.
Ferns have been my hobby, especially
| the Phegopteris Hexagonoptera, the
/ Asplenium Aug"
That will do" he interrupted.
What learning for a mere garden
err! murmured Miss Clara, almost TO
/ herself.
Thank you ever so much, young
lady," bowed, overhearing her.
You look strong" remarked Mr..
Middleton, gauging me as If muscle
and not scholarship was what Re
wanted. Then he growled out some
thing or the other about wages and
looking up my references afterward,
and he hired me on the spot.
Mr.. Middleton beckoned with his
fOrefnger TO my fellow artisan.
Mr.. Middleton" he started boldly,
your Asparagus Plumosa, your As
paragus Springeri, your"
"Wiu take care Of themselves" in
terrupted the old gentleman.
THAT settles you, Mr.. Busybody,"
thought I to myself, chose two or
three names are all you know"
Papa" came Miss Middleton's gen.
tie voice, 81 talked with this man he
fore you came and it seems to me that
he is we'll qualified for the place"
VERY WELL" growled old Middleton,
my daughter knows more about these
things than do. I'll take you on her
say so. I'll put you under this mans
charge and I'll hold him responsible
for you and himself"
When we were left alone, the strang-
er and I scrutinized each other fcr
a minute or two in silence and then
he gave way to loud peal of laughter
"a frank, free, infectious laughter.
Il may be stupid" 1 insisted with a
perfectly impassive face, "but | really
don't see where the joke comes ill.,"
"Phe-phe-gopteris HeXagon-" He
smOthered the end of the name in a
paroxysm of laughter.
You have that smart American ton
dency to sheer at boOkIearning, I see,''
said I, determined to bluff it out.
'Oh, come now" smiled he, control
ling himself, Il studied up ferns, too,
last night-ferns and asparagus, but 1
didn't have your luck. What brings
you to this kind of labor? 1 knew you
weren't a gardener the moment I set
eyes on you. Are you in hard luck +"
Yes, to have an assistant like you"
I fTOwned. See here, I'll take il for
granted that you know your business
until you prove otherwise; but if you
don't get right down to work, I'll dis
charge YOU
What do you want me to do?"
For the life of me l didn't know what
l wanted him to do.
Whats your name?" I asked.
'Hawkins-JOhn Hawkins
well, John, you may start by"
Just then the butler put his head
through the door and bawled: "Mr.
Middleton wants the head gardener to
take the largest Latania Bor5onica
out of the, greenhouse and carry it into
the library" and so saying he disap-
peared.
He might have been considerable
enough to have pointed out what the
largest Latania Borbonica was. To re
is sounded like the name of wild an
imal, but as this was a conservatory
and not a menagerie, ] took il for
granted that a Latania ROrbonica be-
longed to the vegetable kingdom.
A sudden inspiration hauled me oct
of the slough of despOnd! l had a seed
catalogue in my pocket and if it con-
tanned a picture of q Latania BOrbOn-
ica-I wouldn't have traded it at that
moment for a photograph of Miss Mid
dleton, with an endearing autograph
attached.
Hawkins" I ordered, glancing at
the thermometer, you go down to the
boiler room and fire UP a bit. The
temperature is falling
He went out whistling, and when he
closed the door I made for the rear of
the greenhouse, hid behind the foliage,
jerked the catalogue out of my pocket
and fingered it's leaves nervously. The
Latania BorbOnica was there-page
100, under palms, if the index was
trustworthy.
''Is that palm ever coming? Mr. Mid
dleton is waitingr' screeched the but
Ter, sticking his head through the door
and disappearing again.
why in the mischief didn't he say
it was a palm in the first placer L
muttered, lifting the huge tub out of
it's place and yanking it on the floor
Ny muscles had grown lax from dis
use, and by the time L hauled that La
tania BOrbonica into the magnificent
library I thought the hinges of my
back would be pulled out of joint
Mr.. Middleton glanced up from the |
letter he was writing, growled out |
something about the length of. time it |
took me. arose from his chair, thrust |
his hands into his coat pockets and |
viewed that palm critically from all |
points of view.
Il wanted to refer to it in my let |
ter" he said. You can take it pack
now"
1 had half a mind to tell him to do /
it himself, which wouldn't have done |
at all, when a terrific "Bing! Bang! /
BingP'-three distinct notes of one |
amalgamated explosion Numbered |
from the neighborhood of the green /
house and shook the windows of the
library. I dropped the palm on the
floor
What was that?" exclaimed Mr..
Middleton, springing to his feet
only the new gardener" said l.
He rushed past me out on the lawn.
Papa, Papa" called Miss Clara.
gliding gracefully after him.
I have no distinct impression now of