Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1942-10-30
Copyright: Is4a: By News Syndicate Co. Inc
Wherein a Common
Foe Brings Two
People as Close as
a Common Love
IN TWO PARTS-PART ONE


fices the first day he met Carlotta. He
brought along several bottles OF ale
and some cigars so I knew he had
come to loaf and talk. 1t was like our
old fraternity bull sessions. But I
didn't care for the peculiar glowing
expression which lighted up his broad
sunburned face in foolish way
The work at Mrs. Hapgoods is
going fine" he said. THE gang started
yesterday on trimming and Mrs. H.
has also given the order for spraying
and feeding her trees. Beautiful blue
spruce, you know, and birch and white
pine. Not to mention the hemlock
hedges and the trained fruit trees"
1 Tom has a swell job working for a
company of tree experts and he gets
the orders from the rich summer
people around our village. Then he
directs the work of his gang Mrs Hap
good was fond of Tom and had him
take care of all her fine trees. She is
a dowager, affluent and friendly, with
an estate here in the Vermont hills
consisting of just a few hundred
acres and a small shack built to house
only about twenty guests. She is
lonely and surrounds herself with
visitors, mostly young people.
Trained fruit trees" he repeated.
opening two bottles of ale while got
out the mugs. Trained to form n
lattice against the garden wall the
way they do in France. Mcintosh
apples and Bartlett pears. Going to
try Morello cherries next year . .
Funny what that girl said"
What grip"
well, there was a girl-a little bit
of thing with soft brown eyes. You
know that soft brown like a butter
flys wings?"
I managed to nod solemnly Husky
practical old Tom was getting poetic?
He buried his face in the mug OF ale
and still came up looking spiritual in
spite Of a small island of foam cling
ing to the end of his nose.
II told her they were trained fruit
trees and she asked if they could beg
or shake hands"
"Or roll over and play dead?"
He nodded. "She's visiting Mrs. Hap
good There's a whole crowd up from
New York already This girl had
on a white dress"
I snorted. "Is that so remarkable on
a warm spring day?"
He shook his head tolerantly as If
to say I couldn't possibly understand
his bemusement. After moment he
added, Like birch-white birch . . {.
her name is Carlotta."
II knew girl once called Car
lotta," I said with distaste. Carlotta
Shinlever'
II don't believe it." said Tom in
dignantly. Say Hank, I see you've
listed that little place out Prosper way
for sale" I deal in real estate on the
side. 81 was just thinking it's about
time bought a little place of my
own -"
Then I saw what had happened to
this stout bachelor heart at last. Up
until then he had been quite satisfied
with his monastic room at the Ira
veler's Hotel.
The place he mentioned is two miles
out Of the village and you come to
it through lonely back road bordered
by woodland. There are trout brooks,
cold and swift, over stony waterfalls
and the banks are thick with ferns and
trillium and stuff. When you arrive
at the top Of the hill there Is a small
stone house with grove of white
birch on one side. thanked by planted
forest of spruce and pine.
Think Of owning all those trees"
he said.
"Well, don't do anything rash," I
said. Somehow can't imagine you
keeping house all alone in the woods"
He Redeemed and changed the sub
ject.
knew he was seeing Carlotta every
day while he worked at Mrs. Hapgood's
and I could well imagine how this
Carlotta might stand around and ad-
mire husky, agile tree expert direct
ing his gang of sprayers and trimmers
and sometimes even leaping around in
the branches, himself, to inspire awe
and admiration.
But I hadn't met her until one day
she came to my office She really was
awfully pretty and thought of how
Tom had said her eyes were the color
of brown butterflies. She was little and
had a soft voice and wore a white
dress in such a way that could
understand why Tom had noticed it.
She was all feminine, gentle curves.
I thought, Gosh! didn't blame
him.
yesterday" she said, 81 fell in
love"
| WIdl!
1.-THE usual thing is to go to lawyer
when you've fallen out of love. I'm not
a Justice of the Peace"
She laughed, her cheeks getting
pink. Like apple blossoms, I thought
Tom would have said. Still no real
man could have exactly condemned
Toms foolishness. She had one of
those kissable mouths. Oh. you know
what mean. Not the hard, lipsticky
kind.
in love-" she hurried on, with a
house. Mrs. Hapgood drove me out to
see it. She said you'd listed it for sale
at three thousand dollars. So want
to buy it. May ~"
Naturally I didn't want to do Tom
mean turn. There's another party
interested" said, land I suppose I'll
have to give him first chance. It's Tom
Gilbraith who Is working at Mrs.
Hapgood's."
She scowled, looking bitterly disap-