Middletown transcript., 1910-11-05
BY WE HERSLET

farmerY brain, full OF turnlp
crops and housing the poor, both
Of which subjects the sensible
girl seemed well upin. l fell in
love with him at once, but when l
asked when they reaped the
turnips and was l very wrong to
imagine that the very poor had
no houses, they both stared at
me, and ignored me as an ignor.
ant and silly little person.
But the. next morning | found
we were allexpected to weed in
the garden. The undergardener
had rheumatism, and We all had
to help. / had put on q sweet
white silk ninon about a yard on
the ground all round, and | near
" said Damn, but ! had to weed 1
chose a small bed near the house.
It was full of tiny silly, veedy
looking things, aud I pulled them
all up very carefully. Then l
saw the squire coming toward
me; he came up to me and stopp-
ed.
Good Lord! he cried. You've
pulled up mothers pet bed of
zinnias.
/ knelt on the grass, looking
down at my work in despair.
Oh, dear! / said in a pathetic
voice, and l was so pleased with
myself.
Don't you know a weed when
you see it? he demanded.
I've never seen a weed before,
/ admitted. LI-was educated
in Paris andI've lived in Berkeley
street ever since. Please don't
be cross, and ventured to look
up at him.
His blue eyes we're tWinkling
with amusement.
The sensible girl appeared at
that moment, of course, carrying
a basket full of real weeds.
Don'ttell her, | whispered, she
-she-thinks me so silly.
ALI right, he said, and he swept
up the ziunias and threw them
behind q bush; but she had seen
them, and saw the contempt in
her face.
My dear Miss Manners, she
said. What will Lady Bever say?
Her pet zinniss-.-you must feel
quite a murderess!
Thanks-.-I'm afraid I'm a hard.
ened criminal, Isaid augrily, and,
gathering up my dress, walked
away.
Ifelt the whole thing was a per.
feet farce, Miss Lownes was the
right wife for the squire after all.
but I did wish ne hadn t quite
such a nice nose and such blue
eyes. Iwent up to my room, and
got my maid to lay all my smart
dresses out on my bed-.- they
were all impossible, and there,
among them, perfect in its cut,
lay the mauve shantung.
Ill put it on for this afternoon,
! said. It's my last chance.
And after luncheon the squire
suggested that we should all
three go for nice long walk.
I'll show you my meadows and
fields, Miss Manners, he said
Ksthy.-, (that is the sensible girls
odious name)...has seen them all
before, but
1t is always so interesting, she
interposed. I'm so keen on
agriculture.
So am I, I murmured, not to be
outdone. Iloge ploughed fields.
And / don't wonder that they
laughed.
The walk was dreadful. I had
on rather tight patent shoes, aad
the mauve shantung. 1t clung
roung my ankles and just man.
aged to trot along beside the big
squire. He takes enormous steps.
We tramped through long grass
and down muddy lanes. OF
course the country was pretty,
and if had been alone with the
squire I daresay I should have
enjoyed it, but he and Miss
Lownes discussed the best time
TO clamp mangold .wurzel...what-
ever on earth that means...and
how to test the heat Of a haystack,
which is quite easy, / should
think.
We had left the lane and had
crossed one long field full of but.
teEcups. Miss Lownes strobe
along in her full skirt, she kept
in step with the SQUIRE end some
times they had to wait for nae. |
saw contempt in the sensible
girls expression, and even heard
q remark of hers abont-absurb
clothes And then the wonderful
thing happened. We got over a