The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1922-12-30
"a ROYAL GARDENER


brick walls which rose on the edge
of one of the eity's populous districts.
Yet there in an oasis amid urban
brick and mortar the seasons fulfilled
themselves in beauty and abundance.
Year after year visitors who had once
entered its charmed precincts return
ed for glimpses Of iris, rose Canter-
bury bells, columbine, sweet peas or
pansies. Or was the loveliest time
those days of late summer and early
autumn, when the dahlias seemed to
hold all the richness of the summer
sun, all the afterglows of late autumn
in their many-toned petals?
II you had never suspected the ex-1
istence Of such garden in its partic-
ular location, no more would you
have suspected to find the loyal gar
dener. Signor Giovanni. Perchance,
as was likely to happen, il you dis
covered on entering a volume Of Tas-
SO or some other poet in the original
Italian lying on the chair wherein
great tabby dozed in the quiet sun
shine, you might have begun to have
your suspicious that the genus loci
had some distinction. The suspicion
was momentarily dissipated when the
simple, stalWart signor came forward
to greet you and sell you his flowers
If, indeed, he. would sell them for
doubt of this always lent zest to a
visit of purchase. Giovanni's caprices
about disposing of his plants had al
ways to be reckoned with. Often
he. had been known to give away on
the street some beautiful roses when
the town florists had not offered what
he deemed an adequate price for the
lovely flowers he had raised with SO
much care, this venerable lover OF
roses whose boyhood had been spent
In the royal gardens in that Sunny
Southland SO far from the little gar
den Of an old Southern town which
had become a place Of pilgrimage to
the several people who knew OF its
existence. Whoever entered its walls
went forth therefrom little wiser
under the spell of it's peace and beau
ty, supplemented by a word or SO Of
Gioyanni's philosophy. The old man
had lived long enough to have his
own heart grow as mellow as the
lrich fruit that hung, trained In old
world fashion, along his garden wall.
~ y X II 4 =
L AS she walked along in the direc-
ton Of the garden, Miss Margaret
Crutcher knew that whatever her os-
tensible purpose was, she was real
" going in quest of some of Signor
Giovanni's philosophy and the sereni-
ty Of his garden. The very direction
Iof her steps to the place whittier she
had gone SO often with Dalton was
proof positive that Dalton was disturb
lingly in her thoughts. Hitherto, for
all her clear, self-knowledge, she had
Irefused to face the truth-the partic.
ular truth that Dalton's absence from
her life during the past few months
had been an experience growing more
bitter as the days wore on, that there
fore and Enthusiastically she cared for
him more than she had realized be.
fore their little rift in the lutte.
Like the strong-hearted, proud-spir.
tied girl she was, she had not an.
ticipated the sharp realizations which
had been increasing. AS the recent
days and evenings had gone by, she
had zealonsly addressed herself to
her work in the hope Of forgetting
about Dalton. She had painted more
furiously than she had done fol
months before. That served very
well at first. But of late her interest
had begun to flag; cunning seemed tc
have forsaken her hand. That in it
self was proof enough Of her mere pre-
lenses in setting forth for Giovanni's
| for the avowed purpose of getting
some flowers to copy-fiowers thai
| would likely fade before she put a dat
Of pigment on her palette.
| 1t was just farce. She would, O.
course, get the flowers. The signol
| would choose them with that exquis
| lite care he had always given since
| that first day when Dalton had tax
en- her to the wonderful little garden
On that occasion Dalton had intro
lduced her to the gardener as one who
painted pictures Of flowers that almost
surpassed their models. With wha,
Fine gallantry the old Italian, courtly
gentleman that he was, had lleapee
her arms with the choicest of roses
refusing to let Dalton pay for them
saying with that quaint, amusing
| quixotism Of his: I'VE artists must
stand by each other
I Somehow now in her present fret
Ifulness, Margaret had feeling thai
now old Giovanni would stand by her
Ithat visit to him would do her good
Il And vet she took her way witt
some hesitation, for she knew ther.
| was some likelihood meeting Gene
We've King and Dalton there. Daltor
never; missed an opportunity Of goint
down to see the marvellous dahlia.
| when they were in bloom. She hat
heard that, since her own coolnes.
with Dalton, he and Genevieve King
had been seen together here and there
hence, it was quite possible that i
they were not golfing Dalton and Gen
levieve would be down to see the dab
has this autumn afternoon.
Thinking this as she walked along
Margaret reflected, as she had otter
done, that, after all, Dalton and Gen
evieve would be an ideal couple. Be
tween them there would never be 81
slight difference which had made
the little GOODNESS between herself
and Dalton, that somewhat chilly at