The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1916-03-23
Spring Love
BY ETHEL HOLMES ..,

for centuries. No one ever read
poem Of young love in autumn; GER
tainly not in winter. It comes with
the budding leaves, and it also comes
with propinquity. Place young girl
near a young man on a warm, sun
shiny day in April or May, or the
young man near the girl, and love Is
just as sure to bud in their hearts as
leaves on the trees. .n x
1t Is singular how many different
ways this spring disease manifests It,
self in these youngsters. In many
cases one would suppose that they had
been seized with an aversion for each
other Sometimes contempt, but new
er Indifference, though there is nothing
they attempt to show more than this.
A case in point.
Benny Apherson had reached the age
when boy is especially particular as
to his cravats. He was admiring him
self in a pier glass upon DOMINIC his
new spring suit and his first silk hat.
Olivia Treadwell had just passed the
age when her mother studied the ad-
vertisements for bargains in misses
apparel. On the very day that Benny
put on his title" and Ollie donned her
first woman's frock they saw each 9th
er for the first time. Behind the
Treadwell home was a garden, and
against the farther end of the garden
was the rear Of house into which had
recently moved the Apherson family.
On this beautifully bright spring
morning Miss Ollie, from the rear
drawing room Of her home, espied Ben
ny in the rear drawing room Of his
home admiring before the pier glass
his new plug hat. He bowed to his
image, taking off his hat to an imagi-
nary lady, walked past the glass, first
showing one side then the other,
smirked at himself-or, rather, at the
imaginary girl-showed dignified SUI
periority, indeed, practiced all manner
Of ways of attracting, even Of crushing
her. While so engaged he evidently
heard some one approaching, for he
hurriedly placed the hat on the win
dow sill and passed out of Ollie's sight.
All this Miss Ollie observed, unob-
served herself. AS soon as the young
Apollo disappeared she was seized with
a terrible temptation. The gardener
was engaged in removing the flowers
from the conservatory and placing
them in the garden without. Having
planted a large number, he watered
them with the garden hose and had
gone somewhere else, leaving the hose
on the ground. There was the shining
hat balanced on the window sill, there
was the hose and there was the girl.
The result was what was to have been
expected. The girl went down and
out into the garden and began to put
more water on the already we'll wa
tered plants, casting from time to time
furtive glances at the rear window in
which Apollo had placed his hat Hav-
ing satisfied herself that no one was
looking. with assumed carelessness she
diverted the stream from one flower
bed to another, and in doing so the
stream struck the hat It disappeared
from view. Unconscious apparently of
what she had done, Miss Ollie contin-
ued to water the flowers for a few
minutes, then dropped the hose and
went into the house.
The young lady deceived herself if
she thought she was unobserved. Ben
ny from an upper window had caught
sight Of her in the garden watering
the flowers. Now. a cir! watering
flowers ON bright spring morning.
even with a garden hose, is delecta-
BILE sight. Benny stood back from the
window, far enough to be out of sight. |
took up a pair of opera glasses and
flashed his eyes on Miss TreadWoll. |
seeing every intent in her features as
we'll as if he had been close beside her.
the flower beds he saw a look of ma
licious mischief on her face and Won
dered Later when he went down
stairs for his hat and saw it on the
floor, its beautiful sheen ruined by a
drenching. that look was explained.
IF any one had told Benny that his
feelings toward his neighbor were not
a concentrated desire for revenge, that
they were instead the opening of the
love bud in his heart. he would have
laughed sardonically. While he was
gazing on the ruin before him he was
trying to think Of some method. Of
crushing the perpetrator. No appro
pirate method occurred to him at the
time. and when next he saw Miss
Treadwell she was in the garden nip
ping the flowers to make a bouquet,
looking so attractive that he wished he
were with her instead of separated
from her by a wall and the absence
Of an acquaintance. He hoped she
would look up at him, but since she
did not he coughed to attract her at
tention.
Now, If Miss Ollie had not been al
ready conscious Of Mr.. Apherson's
presence his ruse would have sue
ceeded. Since she was conscious Of
the fact that he was admiring her, she |
went on nlucking the flowers without