Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1921-08-20
! RED STAR SPECIAL
BY MARY MORRISON.
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told an Indifferent world that John
Henry of 81A Blocker street sold
lawn mowers.
Up and down the sun-baked street,
torpid in the August heat, there was
not sign of life; it might have been
a deserted village.
Not Creature was stirring, not
even q mouse" murmured John
Henry to himself.
Somehow it all reminded John
Henry of the summer two years ago
when he had been salesman for the
Red Star Special Lawnmower COM
pany and had tried to sell machine
Connecticut. Whenever John Henry
thought Of her standing there in the
doorway of the little old farmhouse,
with the sun in her hair and the blue
sky in her eyes, he was conscious of
a little jump in his heart beats.
He closed his eyes and the whole
scene came back to him. He had
spoken eloquently of the way Red
Star Special worked.
"A lawn mower! 1 wouldn't buy
a lawn mower if had so much money
that l had to hire bank to take
care of it. Look at that one under the
tree there-works few minutes
day and sleeps all the rest of the
time. Does nothing but cut grass from
one years end to another. / hate
grass and trees and-oh! very much
and-lawnmowers. If you were selling
city pavements and crowded street
cars or something that really lived,
Mr.. Agent, I'd buy. But as it is, I'll
save my money for carfare to place
where there Is no grass that needs to
be cut"
She had turned on her heel and
slammed the door in John Henrys
face.
He gave a sigh as he remembered
the picture she had made in her pink
Bingham dress, her sun-tanned cheeks
flushed with anger at lawn mowers
and life in general. He was wonder
ing where she was now and if she
had ever saved up enough money for
earfare, when soft exclamation
from the doorway made him turn
quickly around.
"Oh, what beauties! What perfect
beauties !'' came in tones of hushed
fervOr.
There, but for the Bingham dress
and the angry discomfort, stood the
girl from Connecticut Her French
heeled slipper and blue georgette frock
proclaimed her very much of the city,
citified-but John Henry knew her in
an instant.
GLOW much are they?" she went
on, while he continued inadequately
to mop his brow. Il do not know how
l can use one exactly in an apart
ment-but somehow l think I'd just
love to have one around. 1 suppose
could use it as sort of hatrack eff
feet. Painted black, with a rosebud
pattern on the handle, it might be quite
effective"
She paused moment in deep
thought and then suddenly inquired:
81 don't suppose by any chance
these are Red Star Specialist"
Then for the first time she looked
straight at John Henry. Blocker
street outside was beginning to wake
up, for from block or SO off came the
softened jangle of a hurdygurdy and
boys voice singing SO that they
could hear the words quite plainly:
"a veranda with some sort of clinging
And a kitchen where the rambler roses
climb"
"Oh!" said the girl. "It's you. Mr..
Agent, isn't it?"
yes" answered John Henry, rather
breathlessly. 81 had just been wonder
ing whether you ever saved up
enough-carfare and then looked up
and here you are"
Better than palace with gilded dome
is love-nest we can call home"
came the boys voice outside, nearer
this time.
when you saw me that day
wouldn't even talk civilly to you about
lawn moWerS-though we really dld
need a new one-just because they
stood for the grass and trees and coun-
try. l thought 1 was fed up"
To-day" she continued, when I
saw your green sign, would give any
thing 1 possess to be running one up
and down, up and down"
'Here," said John Henry, thrusting
the handle of his choicest grade A
into her hand. 'Try 1t. l often do"
Quite solemnly they walked back
and forth over the dusty boards Of
John Henry's Blocker street store, the
wishing-carpet Of their imaginatiOns
taking them far away to some grass
GOV cred slope in the Connecticut hills.
Then, suddenly, catching each others
eye, they broke into a gale Of laugh
ter such as Blocker street had never
heard before.
"Just love-nest, coy and warm.
Like a dove rest down on the farm"
came from just outside the door as
the boy passed by.
"'Cozy and warmr Gracious, what
unholy sentiments on a day like this"
IL