The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1920-07-02

one. One day last week he discovered
it was the birthday of our chaufferur's
little boy-little colored boy, you know
and Everton, entirely unknown to
us, had a party for him in the garage.
"He didn't want to trouble me, he
said afterward, and really think
that was the reason he didn't tell me.
We'll, anyway, he took big fruit cake
from the cellar and invited all the
children in the neighborhood, and they
consumed the entire monstrous cake"
She shook her head in weary re-
membrance. "This neighborhood fur
inshed considerable practice for the
medical profession that night"
Graham cast surreptitious glance
at Ruth. She seemed quite serene
about it.
"But really don't think that was
as bad as the tulips" Mrs. Hillock
went on. did Ruth tell you about
the tulips?" she inquired of Graham
| No, Ruth had not told him
"Well, that was last spring." Mrs
Hillock explained. ooh, dear, dear!"
she sighed. "That was awful! You
see Mrs. Templeton right here beside
us on the left has perfectly wonder
kful tulips.
"She gets them from Holland-some
rare wonderful variety and awfully
expensive. Then there's Mrs. Allen
who lives a little further on down
1.-THE street who goes in herself for a
chaste plain expanse of lawn and
thinks flower beds and all that sort
of thing extremely rocco and in very
bad taste.
"Well, one day Everton heard hcr
congratulate Mrs. Templeton on her
wonderful tulips, and say that she
really envied Unexpectedly insincere,
| for she wouldn't have them for gift,
but how was Everton to know that
and Mrs. Templeton said that indeed
they were getting almost too much FOR
her, and sometimes she thought there
were too many for beauty.
"Of course, she didn't mean it. She
wouldn't have parted with one for
worlds. But how, I repeat was Ever
ton to know? So that outrageous
child carefully reasoned it out AMI
then made all arrangements for them.
Since Mrs. Templeton had too many
and Mrs Allen wished for some, he
simply transplanted a hundred or so
from one place to the other
"And both women were furious,
simply furious. / sent our gardener
fright over to repair the damage, and
fairly Frustrated myself in apologies,
but that didn't seem to help"
"But it was sweet of him." insisted
Ruth. He supposed, of course, that 1t
hadn't occurred to them what to do
Ito prevent the child from painting
the house pink another timer"
"But he knows that we are all dis
pleased about it-that he's made us
trouble" Ruth insisted. He'll never
paint the house again. He wanted
fonly to make us happy.
"But what's to prevent him from do
ling something else just as outrage
Ious?"
81 sincerely hope" declared Ruth
with, conviction, that there is nothing
to prevent his always reasoning things
Tout and acting on every generous inl
pulse"
They couldn't let it alone.
1t had begun day or so before
with few idle comments on the
case of Everton, and had suddenly
grown into full bodied controversy.
A day or so before they had been
happy in their mutual love, and now
this thing seemed to have eclipsed it
entirely-to have done away with IT,
somehow, leaving them only this
eternal wrangling between them.
"Why can't you see?" Graham kept
demanding of himself.
"If he's that sort of person." Ruth
kept repeating to her heart.
All that afternoon the controversy
kept them in it's clutch, until at last
Ruth, scarcely knowing wha she was
doing until it was done. slipped the
diamond solitaire from her left hand
81 can't marry anyone l wrangle
with like this" she declared.
He took the ring DULY. He had not
dreamed it would CO to this
Nor had she dreay I'd he would take
lit, and would let i end so easily.
And so it was over. that which had
lseemed as permanent as the hills;
was over so easily that they scarcely
knew what had happened.
He found his hat and walked in duh