A GREAT DISCOVERY

Taranaki Daily News, 9 August 1930, Page 1 (Supplement)

A GREAT DISCOVERY

THE RED NARCISSUS

(By

“Scrutator.”)'

<■ Jonothan - Smithson was one of those, small, ‘shrunken men who look upon life very ’seriously, and very honestly. His ; was ft-drab figure."- He. blinked at, ft narrow world, through a pair of strong glasses. His shoulders were stooped, his sallow face was lined, and his thin and. straggling moustache were -streaked with grey. For 30' years he had served faithfully behind the counter in ft city grocery -store. ■. - ’ ■' • He had never -mar-rie.il, and at -45 lie was. entering that -spitiful period of bachelorhood’ when likes and dislikes -’tend to become selfish obsessions. He loved .flowers, especially rare, flowers, and his great regret was that he ’had never lived where he could cultivate thefii.. However, lie had. read a good deal about them; iti fact, it was said by a satirical acquaintance that he had been profoundly influenced by Dumas’ “Black Tulip.” .

It was late orie Saturday afternoon in early spring several years ago that Jonothan Smithson was walking through, a suburb on his- return to his city - boardinghouse. He waS sad. If only he could live out there among the flower beds and neatly-kept lawns he could . be hapi[»y. It was in this frame of mind that he stopped a monient'to look enviously - at a dainty little garden behind a low stone wall. The lawn had just been cut, Spring flowers and bulbs studded the earth with colour and .scented the air with fragrance. Jonothan could even discerii some rare, tenderly-nurtured specimens.

Sorrowfully; his gaze wandered, towards the house, in the background. Suddenly his weak eyes ceased to. rove; they were transfixed by a card in .one of the windows —“Private board and residence.”

Then a daring plan suggested itself to Jonothan. Why should he not live out here? So Jonothan opened the gate, walked up the path and knocked at the door. Presently it was opened by a boy Hine or ten. years old. “Yes,” he said, “Muni’s home. Will you wait in here-a few minutes, please?” Jonothan found himself in a small sitting-room . furnished much after the style usual for sitting-rooms. It was some moments before his eyes became accustoiped to the shadows left by. a westering sum Then he perceived that on the small table at his elbow was a book; He peered at the title and Was agreeably startled to find it was called “Hare Flowers of . Hie World.” . Such A temptation was too strong for Jonathan. He took up the volume and war about td Open it when if fell apart to disclose a -pressed flower between folds of tissue paper; Lifting the wrapping and faking the tubular stem in his hand, he was amazed, to find that it bore four scarlet flowers—scarlet paper-whites. Yes, he was sure of that for they had the same sweet, powerful odour, tinctured slightly by a musty smell evidently absorbed from the book. Well, here was. a discovery I These people must be amongst the first flight of hybridisers. ' '

Footsteps in the hall caused a hurried replacement of the flower and book. A neat little womaif entered the room, and introductions followed. “And this is my boy, Peter Tompkins, Mr. Smithson,” said the land-lady. “Such a good little boy, isn’t he, Peter?”

Jonothan felt an instinctive dislike for the youngster —“another of those cheeky, spoilt brats,” he ' thought—but the garden, and, yes, the scarlet_paperwhite • outweighed any objections, and.' he decided to move in in a week. ; ”

Somehow that scarlet flower intrigued Jonothan. He thought about it a great deal, and even, whispered the news to several horticultural acquaintances. “Impossible, or we should have heard of it,” said an under-gardener at the Domain. “However, I’ll ask the boss; he ought to know.”

said a man who sold onions. “I should like to see it before I’d believe such a thing.” ■' “Why don’t you bring it down-town to let me see it?” asked an expert who had once been to a flower show. But such an idea was abhorrent to Jonothan.- It would be sacrilegious, theft. However, he did decide that gf die first opportunity he would delicately lead the conversation to a point where his new landlady might confide her great secret to him. ' i That opportunity presented itself on the evening of his first day in his new abode." Mr. and Mrs. Tompkins and Mr. Smithson wereiseated in'the sittingroom. Peter was roving restlessly about the floor. ■ . • ■

*‘You have a lovely; garden,” said Jonothan, by way of & beginning. “Yes, not a bad one, though small,” said Mr. Tompkins. “Peter, will you start your homework, child?” interrupted Mrs. Tompkins.

“Can’t; I forgot to bring l # t home,” said the boy. “You know, I always wish I knew Latin,” proceeded Jonothan. “It’s so necessary for gardening.” “Yes,” said Mr. Tompkins. “I don’t know it, either. All the best gardeners seem to know,it.”

“I onco heard a teacher at school say a Latin word,” shouted the irrepressible Peter, in Jonothan’s ear. “He was a very clever chap.” “Hush, child; don’t interrupt,” said his mother. Peter thereupon subsided into the background'for at least five seconds, > . . ■

“i once heard, the head-gardener at the Domain talking Latin to a lady who had brought him a flower to look at,” said Mrs. Tompkins, “How that man did ■ talk! The lady looked interested, and I wished I’d been to high school so that I could understand, too.” ? ‘I wondered if you knew the Latin for bulbs,” said Jonothan, cunningly. “You know—'those - paper-whites. I thought you might have a book—” “Hi, I'd forgot!” shouted Peter, as he bounded across the room. “Jack Dawson bet me I couldn’t do it—stain it with red ink, and prcss.it:” Jonothan looked round. Th one hand the boy held the flower book; in the other 4 £he scarlet .