The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-07-12
BUTTERMILK AND
WILD FLOWERS,
BY r. A. Mitchell.


copyright. iaoe BY American Press Assoc
ciationl
He was her fathers farn hand,
hired for the harvest season. She bad
come out while he was driving a reap
Ing machine 10 bring him q pitcher Of
buttermllk. He had descended from
his perch 10 drink It and for brief
that with her.
IF you wouldn't mind telling me-.
he said. u would like TO know just
what it was that prompted you 70
bring this buttermiik TO me-
THE kindness Of my heart sup
pose.@
1--WE been a farm hand before, but
/ never knew farmers daughter to
take pity GA me when reaping I'm
afraid ron haven't given me the true
reason"
"Wby did you bring me those Wild
fIowersY
This was a counter question that
shifted him from the offensive to the
defensive
"Tne Kindness Of my heart, ! sup
pose" he said presently
'sOh. well, If that's all, we're even.
But ii doesn't seem to me that the two
cases are the same, see you hot and
tired and think how refreshing drink
Of butmrmiik would be to you. 50 |
bring II 20 you. You see some wild
flowers You don't know that I'm es-
peciaily fond Of flowers indeed, only
ike them as other people debut you
gather them for me you said, and give
them to me. Suppose / had been some
one else"
Il haven't been used to gathering
Wild flowers before for farmers' daugh-
ters where / have worked
i've often brought farm hands but
termllk when they were reapingr
he looked into her face. 1t wss aa
mild as q May morning.
rThen why did you ask he
paused. but she replied to the unfln-
ished question herself before be could
finish.
Z didn't untfi you had asked"
He had returned to the starting
point. He began anew.
II suppose If any one else had gath
cred flowers for you you would have
liked it Just as well"
II didn't say that"
"But you said you had often brought
farm hands buttermilk.n
II did"
$50 there's nothing more about Il"
Nothing except that you haven't
told me why you gave me the flowers
There was a longer pause this time.
He was leaning against the machine;
she was standing on the fallen grain.
Wen, | don't mind telling you" he
said though / don't see any use in
doing 50. I was walking in the woods
when ] came on the flowers. was
thinking Of you. They looked up at
me innocently and seemed to say.
Take It's to herr
Now you've told me that much, TIL
tell you what the flowers said to me.
They said. Wasn't 1t sweet OF him to
bring US to your and / said, why was
It sweetr And they said, because
because we don't known Didn't he
tell You why he sent your I asked.
No they said, he didn't Then
said, why did he send you to me with
out a reasonf and they said, He may
have had a reason. but he didn't tell
us what It was 'Ohg said /. and that
was the end of II.
sEIo, there. jerry Stop thatf'
Hes only kicking the flies, You
wouldn't have him suffer their sting
without trying to set rid OF themg'
I'll tell you what I'll do" he said,
without noticing her remark. III yousH
Just forget for awhile that you're nv
daughter and some day
coming into this big farm and the
stock and the crops and the money in
bank for many past crops, I'll tell you
why | gave you the fowers."
They didn't say that bad anything
70 DO with tt"
that's because they didn't know.
They sprung up out Of the ground
naturally and remain natural We