The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1880-09-17

At this juncture the report of q gun
sounded near, and Garnet looked up
just in time to see chipmunk. running
along the fence dividing her aunt's lot
from Mr.. Denver's, topple over. and an
instant hence man in gray, muscular
~ framed and handsome as Apollo.
with wide sombrero shading his face.
appeared in sight. How propitious the
fates were! What she had devoutly
wished for was yonder-a man. Mr..
Denver hired man, without doubt. She
suspended operations. and with her hoe
raised alOft, cried out:
"Here, young man, come here! Iwant
you to help in digging few bushels OF
potatoes. Twill see that you do not
incur Mr.. Denver's displeasure by do
ing as l desire. And. indeed, for that
matter, you might as well be working
for me as to be idling away your time
in killing harmless creatures. Come,
what do you say!''
"An right, miss; I'll be with you as
soon as 1 can exchange my gun for q
hoe. for suppose you intend to keep
on digging?"
Certainly. Now don't be long about
it. That's good man!'
She was earnestly digging away when
he vaulted over the fence, and stood
by her side, hoe in hand. his hat
lower down on his face than ever.
But Widow Darley's niece paid no at
tention to his personal appearance. He
was nothing but hired man, SO wheth-
er ugly or comely, what mattered it to
her?
Old Sol, an inflated ball of heat,
glowered upon them savagely, and the
perspiration stood out in beaded drops
upon their faces as they toiled on, Mr..
Denver's hired man making no better
progress with his row of potatoes than
Garnet with hers.
The girl glanced at him contemptu-
ously.
"You don't succeed any better than
Ia girl. You are the greenest hand
at digging potatoes I ever saw. Mr..
Denver II not keep you long, know"
"Perhaps not" he said in nom
chalant way. 81 am green hand at
it, acknowledge, but I guess l can
learn after a while. See. miss. have
done my work we'll"
Garnet condescended to inspect it.
90 myr' she cried out vexatiously,
show stupid, how very stupid you are!
You haven't got the potatoes half out
the hill, and those you have hauled out
are well-nigh chopped to pieces by the
hoe. You WELD that instrument as if
it were your intention to mutilate, to
destroy. You need dig no morer'
"Well," leaning contentedly against
the hoe-handle, and wiping the per-
spiration off his forehead with the dain-
test of white handkerchiefs, from
which emanated the perfume of violets,
"what next shall do? Issue your
commands, Miss-Miss''-
"Embers, young man, and an especial
friend of your master, Mr.. Denver.
Well, as you do not manage the hoe
adroitly enough to be anything but det-
rimental to auntie's potatoes, you may
as well take the haf-bushel basket,
gather them up, and put them in the
bags. They are peach-blows, and are
sure to bring an excellent price in the
market, Mr."
She stopped and eyed him narrowly
for the first tine, styling him remark
ably handsome and distinguishing
person for a hired man.
"You may call me Bob" he said,
with q comical grimace. Mr.. Denver
calls me that"
"Well, Bob, to work! Don't lag,
and when noon comes you may share
my lunch with me under the apple
tree"
Quite an inducement. A feeling of
righteousness came over him, and he
fairly shook with laughter.
Was he laughing at her? Garnet drew
herself up proudly, aspark Of fire in her
big dark eye.
"What makes you laugh so immod-
erately, Bob? 1t is not polite of you,
and 1 shall certainly report your ILL
behavior to Mr.. Denver"
"Pray don't, Miss Embers," with an
affected humility. 81 couldn't help it.
Indeed 1 couldn't! If you had seen that
ill-favored hop-toad leap over that po-
tato, you'd laugh too. TWAS 50 funny.
The toad was so small, whereas the
potato has grown to an enormous size
"a regular whopper! Look! Miss En-
bers, there goes the fellow now under
that struggling viner'
Humphr' was all the answer she
vouchsafed him, as she went on with
her digging, but she doubted the ex-
istence of the toad, and believed he was
making sport of her.
The minutes crept on, twelve o'clock
came, and Bob was waxing savagely
hungry. As he emptied the fourth
basket of potatoes he said:
ct is noon now. Miss Embers, I'm
sure. See! Old Sol is directly over
us. Come, let's have our lunch under
the apple-tree. I'm hungry as can
nibal."