In a Garden (1912)

• 54%
• 1912
• Drama
• Romance
• Riley Chamberlin
• Marie Eline
• Marguerite Snow

This is the story of a gardener whose whole lifetime had been spent in the one place. He loved the flowers, petted them, and gave them the detail of the only romance he had ever witnessed. "You see, little pansy," he said, "when I came here, many years ago, Miss May was a little girl. There was a nice little boy who lived right over there, and they were greet chums. They played together, day after day, and were childhood sweethearts. Well, they grew up, and one afternoon I saw them talking earnestly over on the old bench there. She nodded her head, when he kissed her, and taking a ring, put it on her finger. For a time they were happy, then they quarreled. It was a silly dispute, and in my opinion, both were to blame. I hoped they would make up but they didn't. He went to the city, she remained here. Other suitors came, but she would not have them. Her heart was with the man she had loved when they were children. You know, little pansy, how Miss May has thrown her garden open to the poor children. Well, to-day I was standing out under the big sign that says all children are welcome, when an auto came up. 1 looked at the man in it, and recognized the chap Miss May loved. I called a greeting to him; he stopped and we shook hands. It had been many years since the boy had played about here, and I had to be careful. If he had known Miss May was here, I doubt if he would have come in. So I talked about the children, and he stepped in to see them. Then, before he realized it, I had led him to the old bench. It must have called back recollections, for it was there that as a boy he had wooed his tiny sweetheart. It was there that as a man he had won her promise to be his bride. Better than all, she was sitting there now, all alone and forlorn. I just led him up to the bench, and left him. I knew that my work was successful when I saw the glad light in their eyes. It was only stubbornness that had kept them apart all these years. The job was to bring them together and I did it.