The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-12-11
The Euenine Story
Nlignonctte and Moonlight.
(By Agnes Vincent.

| (By Agnes Vincent.).
| Gordon Kennedy was spending the
| first night in his new lodgings in the
| country. He had passed the summer
| at a hotel in Pinecliff md had found
i his health and spirits SO much bene-
| fitted by rural life that he had decided
! to spend at least a part of the win
tier away from the city. His Office did
not require his presence either early
or late so that the tripping back and
forth to the city inconvenienced him
| little.
The new rooms he had taken were
! in a private home and he felt trifie
| lonely as the autumn chilliness pene-
| trated his being and the Quietness OF
his surroundings began to impress
itself upon him. 1t was very different
from the life he had just left at a gay
| summer hotel
He pulled aside the custains at his
| window and drew up chair. A
bright moon was making her APP
| pearance behind the trees at the rear
of the house and the moonlight scene
before him was enchantingly lovely.
Even in his loneliness, Gordon Ken
nedy recognized the unusual beauty
| of the garden into which his windows
gave view. 1t was an Old-fashiOned
garden in the grounds of the family
next door.
Suddenly Gordon started and
moved closer to the window. Yes
there was a white figure moving about
in the garden. ( As the moon became
high and shone directly on the flowers
the man saw it was a slim white form
of girl bending low over the gar
dens.
How strange!" he breathed aloud.
"Or-is she real ?" He leaned out as
far as he dared and watched the
graceful wraith7ike, figure glide from
flower to flower Presently the girl
began to hum and Gordon sat there
fascinated by what he heard and saw.
Her voice was low and rich and she
sang bits of an old song his mother
used to sing when he was a boy.
Sweet Lavender. 49,,
won't you buy sweet lavender p
he could not help repeating softly to
himself and the old refrain fingered
in his mind for days. +. -
Every niEht he watched as the
moon came up, for another sight OF
his fair neighbor, but itswas as II she
had been a Wandering ;mponbeam that
came never again into the garden be
low -
Almost a month later, the frost was
threatening to- lay low the heads OF
the flowers in the garden that had be-
come source of much enjoyment to
Gordon Kennedy.
And that's cold moon,' he was
saying to himself as he took his night
ly glance into the garden before his
tiny log fire with his books.
YES mother, I'll be careful" he
heard a girls VOICE say in the next
garden. ~s.I have on. a wrap, dear.
won't take cold, but I must get some
mignonette before the FROST
Gordon sat down, quietly and watch
ed the girl step in and out among the
paths until she came to the low fra
grant bed of mignonette Then she
sat down, like a little child. in the
cinder path and began to pick.
"She must be romantic" thought
Gordon. ''Or''-he stopped suddenly,
as if loath to let the suggestion enter
his mind-"she may be cratic. When
the sun shines all day, the moonlight
is a strange time to pick flowers. l.
no, 1 never heard OF the like
The girl gathered a large cluster of
the old-fa shioned blooms and then.
with her face buried in them, retraced
her steps to the porch. ontos which
the warm lights of the library shone.
He saw her for a moment in this glow
and then she disappeared.
."Odd or not odd. I'd hike to know
her," Gordon said. Il like her voice
and like her garden
It was almost weird the next day
when he entered the private office of
Milton Psiaki, an exporter, whom he
of mignonette staring him in the face.
"Why-what's the matter. old chap"
Psiaki said in his bluff. hearty manner.
Don't you like it?" He had seen the
young mans eyes fall on the bowl of
flowers and he had followed the ex-
preston.
Il like them-yes. but it's an odd
coincidence"
"Mignonette-andm e?' laughed the
foreigner.
THE mignonette-not you" Gordon
fastened to reply.
MY wife's sister sent them to me.
It's my favorite flower. She has SO
much of it in the family garden at
home and every year since 1 married
her sister she has picked the last
bouquet before frost and sent it to
me. Nice girl. Marjorie! What is it
this morning, Kennedy?-knitted gloves
for the war or canned beans?' Bust
ness was uppermost in the elder mans
mind this morning--not flowers
Kennedy laughed '-Its4sneitherr one
its those flowers They've put all
else from my mind5.s 49,. -
Tut! tut. Herv.,' He pulled out
a sprig and handed it to Gordon.
Wear that and forget it,
TN wear it, but 1 won't forget it,
retorted Kennedy, placing the flower
In his coat. And 1t is canned beans
If you insist on business. want
10000 dozen scans for immediate ship
ment''
Fsiaki whistied and began to figure
and with that the two men began to
get deep in business matters and the
flowers for the time being were for
gotten.
When Kennedy returned to his Of
flee he put the blossom in water, and
at night he carried it home He was
almost ashamed OF himself at his age.
nearly thirty, doing anything SO senti-l
mental
I'm like a schoolgirl" he told him
self THE next thing I'll play a gui-
tar under her window"
And yet, underlying the outer sentf-