The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1926-05-28
Flowers on His
Desk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By JANE OSBORN
(Copyright.)


been a really good-looking woman, had
days In the acid-laden atmosphere Of
the chemistry laboratory. AS head
of her department in Wington College
for Women she was much more inter-
eSted in the least test-tube or retOrt
In her laboratory than in the most
Promising Of students.
John Maxwell, Phi. D., was likewise
entitled to the cognomen Of Doctor"
or Professor" but he assured you
that he preferred being called "Mr."
He reigned over the botany labora-
tory which. with the chemistry lab
oratory occupied the top floor Of the
science building of Wington college.
The specimens in his laboratory, the
tiny shoots and sprouting seeds that
flourished under his genial care, in
terested him immensely, but not so
much as the young women who came
to listen to his lectures.
Sometimes there was an especially
winsome girl among them. There was
especially one in each new class Of
sophomores who took his course as
one Of their prescribed second-year
subjects. This year 1t was Miss
Allen-Betty Allen, and because her
name began with an A and the stu
dents sat in alphabetical order she sat
before him in the first row. Three
days a week he saw her there In class
and was vividly conscious Of her
charming young personality for the
entire hour. He had talked to Betty
once-they had been part of group
Of which Doctor Huff was q member
that had quite accidentally been drawn
together In one end of the college re-
ception room at tea given by the
faculty to the student body. Doctor
Huff and John Maxwell had both at
tended only because it was part Of
their duty as professors.
Casting about for something to talk
about, they spoke of roses-there
were some lovely pink roses on one
of the tea tables. 1t seemed to be
subject Of common interest. Betty
said that In the garden In her home
there were some lovely Diana roses,
variety with which her fathers gar
dener had had remarkable success.
Doctor Huff remarked that If she ever
had rose garden of her own-adding
to herself that she prayed heaven that
time would never come-it would be
filled with no other variety Of rose.
She liked them because in spite of cul-
tivation they had so many thorns.
Then came the winter with the
charming Betty to distract him for
three days a week. Doctor Huff be-
came more and more saturated with
the acid atmosphere of her laboratory.
Betty Allen, who had taken a course
in chemistry as sophomore elective,
sat in front seat in Doctor Hufr's
| lecture room, but Doctor Huff seldom
saw her-or anyone else-since her
| gaze as she lectured was always mar
rowly directed to the test-tubes and
beakers on the desk before her.
Then came the last weeks of May,
days that brought queer restless
yearning into the veins of John Max
well, and then one day when he en-
tered his Office he saw on his desk 8
vase containing glorious bunch Of
roses-Diana roses, he saw on second
sight. The fragrance Of them almost
unnerved him, 1t brought SO vividly
before him the thought and image Of
charming Betty Allen. He could see
on close examination that these were
no ordinary specimens either-they
were the result Of expert Horticulture.
OF course they came from Betty AL
lens garden
Three weeks passed. and every two
or three days there was fresh bunch
of the roses. John Maxwell had de-
cided to wait until college had closed
and then see Betty alone and tell her
the state of his heart.
Then one day there was a note be-
meath the roses on his desk He tore
the envelope open without noticing
that it was not addressed In Betty's
writing. 1t ran:
Dear Doctor Maxwell:
This Is the tenth time / have been
lOIcSu u return your TOSSS. L InOukn
you would take the hint the first time.
In the first place, 1 have made 1t
practice never to accept the attentions
Of any of my associates here in col
lege, in the second place leaving them
anonymously seems very underhand
thing TO do, and in the third place /
am subject to rose cold, and while
like to look at Diana roses do not
like to smell them.
Yours truly,
MABEL HUFF.
By a fortunate coincidence Betty
Allen appeared shyly on the thresh-
old of Johns private Office just at that
juncture. He had hardly been able
to figure out just what Doctor Huff
had meant when Betty cried:
Those are the roses left on Doc
tor Huff's desk! / have been leaving
them every day or SO, because she
said they were her favorites and she
never even said thank you. Did she
give them to your"
"Yes," said John Maxwell, unwilling
to show the ridiculous letter even to
Betty. "She says they give her rose
cold. She knows how love these
roses, but she doesn't know how much
I love you"
Betty blushed and with eyes cast
down, took the hands that John
stretched out to her. I've been rath-
er foolish about you all year." she said
"And l would much rather have
brought you the roses-only thought
it would have been silly"