The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-21
S.s.so.e.c,.o.o.o.e.o

<<T M going to marry her' whisper
 ed to Edgar Morton, holding to-
 l ward young lady who sat in the opera box opposite our own.
 What! Are you engaged?" he eX- claimen. steaaying his hand on the plush railing.
 aI don't even know her" l admitted
 Better put your mind on something nearer" he advised. "You're only the fourth man I know who has performed ths perfectly idouc feat of falling in love with Clara Middleton at sight"
 .fm making some progress l return Q, q didn't expect to learn as much about her as her name the first night.
 .That's all you ever will learnt' he proclaimed q suspect he was one of the four aioresaid). Forget about her, Fred. Her father guards her the way General Stoessel guarded Port Arthur and"
 General Nogi-"
 "ves, I know all about Nogi. but Mid dleton Is a grabbed old millionaire widow CT and swears she shan't marry until he's dead, and Clara herself declares she never will marry"
 "Nether 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 recluses on their estate at Tarry- town
 "shes looking at me through her glass e now, Edgar" said I rapturously
 You're a simpleton, Fred. She's turn Ing them full on the stage"
 The next day, without telling anybody, even my bosom friend, Edgar, where was going, I too.. the early morning train for Tarrytown.
 l found a boarding house, left my suit ca @ in the room under the roof and then l walked out to survey the Middleton estate, which bore the poetical name of "WhisI ering Pines" A high stone wall surrounded it. and all l could see by peer Ing through the massive wrought iron gates was that the big colonial house looked plenty large enough for three.
 The second day slipped away and l gained no more of glimpse of the fair Clara than if she were in Jericho-where I wished both of us were-on our honey moon, and l made up my mind that 1t would be more sensible to return to New York and accept the position of civil en- gineer promised me before I left there. l had already packed my slender possess sions and was waiting to serve notice on my landlady in the little parlor when l picked up the local paper for pastime. By chance 1 turned to the advertisements, when my eye alighted on the valuable bit of information that Mir. Middleton was in need of two gardeners.
 Two gardeners! Gardener number two might well know enough about the trade to instruct me during his leisure hours. Perhaps even in business hours he would have heart enough to point out to me the difference between an aZalea and bego- nia-the only two difficult plants l knew by name: the others 1 knew neither by name nor face. But to tell the truth, 1t wasn't my botanical knowledge was thinking of. It was Clara.
 When my landlady entered l simply told her that I had come down stairs to see If she had any works on gardening and bot any She finally fished out a seed cata- logue 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 1 was startled by the thought that 1 had nothing with me that would answer for a reference-an eXigency that forced me much against my will to take Edgar Nor ton into my confidence and write him to please stand sponsor, by return mail, for my honesty and industry if not for my horticultural abilities. At ' l walked tv the village purchased a pair of overalls and blouse, donned them. discarded my collar and struck out for Middleton's es- tate.
 When I reached "Whispering Pines, a fair-haired young man was peering anx- iously through the gates. He eyed me nervously, l thought. and asked:
 Did you come for gardeners 1ob?'
 "Yes," I replied curtly.
 Its an awful place." he said. 9Th e old mar is a terror and particular good heaveas.-he fired the last garden CT for leaving couple of leaves on the lawn after raking. I wouldn't take the job if I could find somethipg bet ter.'
 No one bat a fool would," I asserted.
 We entered together.
 Mr. Middleton wasn't in the green house at the tune, but his daughter was, her pretty nose buried in d flow ering geranium. She looked up with B start when we entered, and I wanted