Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-02-09

ber's from hundreds of miles up country.
They came singly, in donkey loads or
in whole pack-trains. Sometimes they
passed directly into his hands from the
producer; sometimes they ran through a
chain of transfers, from hand to hand.
All news centred at and radiated from
Lieber's. The same men that brought in
goatskns would be glad to add orchids
to their stock in trade.
Kemp grunted his thanks He had
waited two years for this offer. The re-
alization of the obligation Lieber was put
ting him under embarrassed him. He
began to talk. "These greasers," he said,
take a lot O. teachin' sometimes, an
sometimes they don't. F'r instance, you
can tell em that Cattleyas are wo'th
money and that the rest O. their para
Bu'lin'tonias an Oncldiums an Milton
las into the discard fo' three months
steady. they begin to sober down to Jest
Cattleyas nd realize that it's no use
holdin a four-hush against workin'
pair"
At the scientific names dropping so in
congruously from Kemp's lips. Gerry
stopped eating and looked UP. Lieber's
face wore the smile of one who had heard
It before. but is quite willing to hear it
all over again
But" continued Kemp, ''yo' en- pull
till you're blin' an you can't head 'em
around to see that onless n Cattleya has
eight leaves, it's too young to be packed
an no good to the market besides bein a
victim to race suicide
"As TO their bringin in Bulin tomas
an Oncidiums an Miltonias, I never get
Impatient o. that. How en- a greaser ever
learn that a Miltonia Spectabilis Morel-
lana that looks like pigeons blood in a
purple shadow amt n commercial prop
ositon. while the Cattleyas is? When
he's in the woods an a smell straight
I'm heaven draps its rope on him an
he looks up an sees a droopin' spike o.
snow, how YOU goiu' to teach him that
a Bu'lintonia Fragrans amt just as good
business as n Lahiata?
Thine was when orchids was an am
bition: now they's jest Il business. II
God-a mighty hadn't a scattered 'cm
through the ends o. the earth an given
'ep wings to fly an claws to hold on half
way up to heav'n the d be an orchid trust
right now an orchids would be classed
on the market with bananas. Last time
l was hum | seen a bunch o. Cattleyas
in O'Reilly's window in El Faso. Seemed
like bit o. po'try had jumped the fence
md landed in O'Riley's heart. In my
minds eye ! seen him impo'ting them
plants an nursin' 'em an turnin' out
early in the mo'nin's. watchin' TO- 'em to
bloom l went in an had talk. Well,
gent'men, the wasn't no po'try In
O'Riley's orchids II had been strained
out with separator. Them plants was
Erowed by a nursery back East and
shipped out to O'Riley by fast freight
when they was in bud at so much per
plant. When the blooms was used up. he
shipped the plants back an got fresh
lot. He put a price of two fifty a bloom on
the flowers an when he found they was
sellin' he put 1t up to five dollars. He
said them flowers was wo'th more'n a
column o. advertising space in the El
Paso Blizzard an cost a dern sight less.
I'm Eurup, it's some different. They's
collectors hankerin' after new varieties
an houses that keeps men lookin' for
EN-, but in America. you MAX me. IL an
orchid don't make up we'll on the missus'
bodice or on the table, it amt business;