The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1931-10-23

bed to sleep off hunger, while under
their very windows. rare and beautiful
plants and flowers were manufacturing
perfumes.
One year, however, the rock garden
accomplished the miracle Of actually
bringing into the empty Golfers of the
Beverly girls a little income. The
landscape gardeners, In reality
struggling young farmer and his
brother, who had taken up this work
as a side line, and whose services
came cheap, proud of their results, had
succeeded in interesting the editor Of
a garden magazine. The Beverly girls
received the sum of one hundred dol
lars for permitting photographers to
take pictures which were ultimately to
be published In magazine.
It was part of the conservatism in
which these girls had been born and
bred, that their sensitive natures
should shrink from even this vicari-
.ous publicity, but the young farmer
huskies, local boys with ambition.
were eagerly insistent and the pros
pect of the one hundred dollars so well
come, that finally they gave in.
The beautiful rock garden Of the
Beverly mansion was published far
and wide, guests came to drop in more
frequently after that for the privilege
Of taking tea TO the sound of the little
waterfalls and for the lovely perfume
of roses and magnolias. Indeed, as
the girls whispered ruefully to one an
other in the secret reaches of their
room, practically all Of the one hun
dred dollars had gone In meeting So
cial expenditures that had come with
the public celebration of their garden.
The Beverly girls, as the years
marched on. were growing tired; bone
tired, heart-tired, soul-tired. The
struggle was too much. 1t was one
thing to walk out every afternoon as
they did, down the broad, beautifully
secured. front-stone-steps and along
the quiet lane Of their sedate avenue,
and out into the city, where they were
known and respected as the Beverly
girls" 1t was quite another matter
to creep back into that cold, bleak
house Of empty larders, servantless
servant quarters, fireless fireplaces,
climb into scrubbing clothes, scour in
to midnight and then creep hungrily,
as often as not, into beds whose sheets
and pillow cases had been washed and
ironed by the girls themselves.
One day something really quite
thrilling occurred. The mayor of the
town approached the sisters, request
ing that on the city's birthday, when
a great local celebration was to be
staged. they throw their beautiful gar
den open to the public. The city would
insure them against damage, and since
the old Beverly mansion was really
one of the landmarks of the commu-
nifty, it seemed fitting that on this an
niversary occasion, its famous gardens
should be open to the citizens. 1t was
a tribute both to the social position of
the Beverly girls and to the lovely old
mansion itself. The sisters were
moved and impressed and gladly con-
sented to the undertaking. Conse-
quently, part Of the elaborate festivi-
ties of the birthday celebration of the
city was the free inspection Of the
Beverly rock gardens. Men, women
and children filed through the gardens
by the thousands, all during the day.
Refreshments, served by the city, were
to be had in the beautifully painted
pergoias. Sun danced on the TANKS Of
the darting goldfish in the Beverly
ponds. The populace applauded the
scene of. idyllic loneliness.
It was remarked, however, that the
Beverly sisters were not among those
present on that day. The house stood
open, inviting those who would, to en-
ter, but somehow, it was not the sort
Of interior to beckon. There was
something cold, austere and homeless
about the inside Of the Beverly man.
sion. 1t seemed more of relic, his
toric place. than q home.
No, the Beverly girls were not pres
ent. This is where they were: They
were off in neighboring town called
Andulsia, in the act of being married
to the farmer brothers who were their
landscape gardeners.
The Beverly girls never returned to
the Beverly mansion. They presented
it to the city.
No longer do they have to creep
back into cold, bleak house of empty
larders and freless fireplaces; their
new home is no relic, no historic place.
but a house of cheer and hopes and
plans for the future. No more do the
sisters walk out in the afternoon along
quiet lanes and sedate avenues to be
nodded to and pointed out as the
strange and respected Beverly girls"
The days Of converting precious old
art objects into money are gone; the
struggle of secretly laboring under
cover Of darkness. washing windows.
scrubbing steps, wedding and spading,
is done. The Beverly girls are farm
ers' wives.
They live on truck farm five miles
| outside the city limits. Their rock
0o rdan now ia q trupL garden They