America's Most Wanted...

 He was charming, a smooth talker, and he knew it. It served him well.

  His name was Quay, and he showed up at Hank's Floral in the late 30's or early 40's looking for work. He said he had experience doing floral work, but would do anything to earn a little money. Hank hired him. and that was how I met him.

 I was 12 or 13 and Uncle Henry ( Hank the Petunia King) had also hired me to work in the floral and nursery. Aunt Della taught me some floral design, and Uncle Henry put me to work transplanting Petunias, or making flats for them. When I wasn't doing that, I tended Paul, Jeanette, David, Judy and Dennis, or swept, cleaned and busied myself in the floral.

 Meanwhile Quay came and went. I was not sure how long he was on the payroll, but I did find out that he was put to work selling flats of flowers and vegetables on a street corner in Salt Lake. The older boys went with him-- and then regaled us with stories of Quay and his " salesmanship"  It seems that no matter what a customer wanted, Quay had just the thing.  If they were out of purple Petunias, then he  sold them cabbage plants with instructions to plant them around the edge for a stunning effect. 

 Or- he would do a bait and switch, always convincing the customer that they were getting a grand deal.  I guess that is when Hank caught on and let him go.

 Time passed,I got a job working for Uncle Leif in his Salt Lake Public Market.  However that  was not the end of Quay It  seems he was on a robbing spree, and was a marked man. He was finally caught, but managed to shoot his hand on purpose to get away again. It was about that time that he was featured as one of the ten most wanted men!!  He made the headlines, and I suppose Henry was interviewed and questioned. Of course he knew nothing about Quay Kilburn,  our own home- grown- floral- designer criminal.

 I lost track of the story after that, but it seemed that he served time in the State Pen, probably trying to talk his way out------