The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-04-26
Scotch Heather
D. HAH WISTcoTT

shoulder. hurried along the wood path
to test his pet experiment. For years
he had been filling hidden places In
these Maine woods with foreign plants
which, left to work out their own sal
walton for time. he later revisited
with almost fatherly delight Today
he would see how some Scotch heath
er had weathered a year OF New
England
Suddenly with a distant rustling OF
leaves. a girl came through the trees.
following the winding path toward
him. John Bowditch. 40 years old.
ignorer of women, saw only that the
CLEAN of her crimson dress In the
light of the September afternoon was
not unpleasing. Stepping aside as II
to examine a tall sumac, he was leav-
ing the narrow path to her, when his
eyes fell on a bunch of flowers In her
hand. He scowled. His near-sighted
eyes strained at her. She had not
seen him. He must get better look
unobserved. He slipped behind the
shelter of the sumac. Now she was
only ten steps away-and he could
see 1t was his heather. She played
with the floweds, Embarrassing the
tiny, pink sprays. There was a
dreamy, sentimental look on her face
that reused an evil temper In the
man of science.
He glared at her as she passed.
halfminded to protest, but, the right
second thought lost, stood looking
angrily after her retreating figure,
soon hidden by the curve of the path.
Turning, he plunged ahead through
| the tangle of asters and goldenrod.
with frequent stumbles over twisted
roots He was too cross to watch his
| feet 1t was science vs.. sentiment.
and science seemed to have the worst
of It. Before him in clearing lay
| the heather patch. He stopped over
| it. smoothing the plants with loving
fingers. Broken stems, empty spaces
| told their story The roots would live
on, for that he was thankful, but for
the present this experiment must re
main incomplete. Rising with a
| shrug he tried to turn his mind tC
the other plant life around but fol
once even botany had lost its charm
| Science and John Bowditch were out
of tune, and he stamped homeward in
disgust
Meanwhile Scotch Mysie Cameron
rapturously arranged her plumber in {
bowl The very touch of its tiny
prckling leaves made her realize how
the days of her visit to her American
were flying, and awoke in her IA sud
den nome hunger. But how cam,
heather into Maine woods to make {
Scotch girl homesick? The puzzle o
1t haunted her. Her neighbors had n,
knowledge of the plant One at las
suggested that she ask that old bot
anist. Bowditch, who lived alone oil
the hill; and impulsively she wrot
him note of eager inquiry.
John Bowditch next day grunte,
over II and tossed il onto his crowd
ed desk. But each time he glanced VI
from his microscope he caught sigh
of its white back. Bother the thing
Impatiently he turned it over
| 'Dllt W lttN luii bul Y ut
sar, what an ending 1, too, am
stranger from Scotland, Sentimental
Sickeningly sentimental. Well, She
got my heather How the Dicken
shall | keep her from my other stui
out there. and from babbling all owe
town to set people hunting"
AT last he wrote her briefly, askin
her to show him the heather 4
growth Before the time came, h
thought, he might contrive somethin
to tell her Meanwhile, anticipatin
such boredom he felt himself truly
martyr to science
Two days later he kept his appoin
ment with her He felt oddly out c
place In his familiar woods as he 70
lowed her swishing skirts along tn
path Serenely unconscious OF hi
embarrassed silence. the girl supple
a friendly chatter, until triumphant
she stopped over the disputed patel
is that anything but heather, M
: Bowditch?"
ne took the spray she handed hiI
and examined t.
Conscious of her scrutiny, he pulle
scientifically at the leaves FINAL.
r with an air OF congratulation and gu
, prise. he faced her.
IT is Calluna vulgaris. | vow Ho
!, unexpectedly plants do turn up, NJ
grating birds, hundred differer
mediums carry them. Id rather ne
l lar
Suppose We consider It one OF nj
lures experiments and watch the r
suit
lie flushed a little under her plea
, ed unquestioning assent lie had
r guilty consciousness which he hope
+ did not show Yet AS he stood lookin
h awkwardly down at the heather in il
glow OF autumn sunlight, and al II
bright girl-face above IL, he someho
felt glad To be there. Less shyly l
: began to speak again of the plants
g FIRST OF all We must keep this no
IN ourselves. he said decidedly I'll
flowers are small and OFF the beate
rack Probably only your Scotch eye
u could have noticed them in a doze
@ wears Shall we pledge ourselves
e keen the secret?
: With mock solemnity Mysie stretc
cd out her hand TO him and he shoe
il as soberly
of course She added, Il sha
walk here now and then"
.oh naturally" John agreed
hall keep an eye on il myself"
walking home Mysie talked
s Scotland and the moors. John vi
II -, ;t,rt lt, u-hru he had L.