Connecticut western news., 1916-03-16
Spring Love
 By ETHEL HOLMES

poem or young tONe III duluhut NSA~ tainly not in winter. It comes with the budding leaves, and it also comes with propinquity. Place a 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 ss leaves on the trees.
 It is singular how many different ways this spring disease manifests t. 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 CT indifference, though there is nothing they attempt to show more than this.
 A case in point
 Benny Apherson had reached the age when n boy is especially particular ss to his cravats. He was admiring him self in a pier glass upon donning 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 oth- CT 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 imagl- nary lady, walked past the glass, first showing one side then the other, smirked at himself-or, rather, at tho imaginary girl-showed a 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 0llie'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 from the conservatory and placing them in the garden without. Having planted a large number, he watercd
 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 well wa tered plants, casting from time to time furtive glances at the rear window in which Apollo had placed his hat Hnv- 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 tho stream struck the hat. 1t 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, gir! watering
 flowers on a bright spring morning, even with garden hose, is a delectn- ble sight. Benny stood back from the window, far enough to be out of sight. took up pair of opera glasses and flashed his eyes on Miss TreadwelI. seeing every intent in her features al we'll as if he had been close beside her. When she diverted the stream from the flower beds he saw 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 that look was explained. If any one had told Benny that hI feelings toward his neighbor were not a concentrated desire for revenge, that they were instead the opening of the love t,.d fin his heart. he would have laughed sardonically. While he Was gazing on the ruin before him he was alhE lO VI sVA11 hNAhNo VI the perpetrator. No appro- priate method occurred to him at the time, and when next he saw Miss Treadwell she was iS the garden nip ping the flowers to make bouquet, ooking so attractive that he wished he were with her instead of separated rom her by a wall and the absence ,f an acquaintance. He hoped she would look up at him, but since she lid not he coughed to attract her at- ention.
 Now, if Miss Ollie had not been al- 'eady conscious of MT. Apherson's presence his ruse would have sue 'eeded. Since she was conscious Of he fact that he was admiring her, she vent on plucking the flowers without the slightest curiosity in he premises.
 This Is not love story, it is simply n exposition of certain apparent in- onsistencies pertaining to spring love n spring age. MT. Apherson made Hiss Treadwelrs acquaintance. and