The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1881-06-02

her? Old Sol, an milan ed ball of heat,
glowered upon them savagely, and the
perspiration stood 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 contemptuously.
"YOu don't succeed any better than
Ia girl You are the greenest hand
at digging potatoes l ever saw. Mr..
Denver'll not keep you long, know"
Perhaps not he said, in noncha-
liant way 81 am green hand at it,
acknowledge, but guess | can learn
after Il while. See miss. if | have
done my work we'll"
"Oh, my" she cried out, vexatiously
chow stupid-how very stupid you are.
You have not got the potatoes half out
of 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 more"
"Well," leaning contentedly against
the hoe-handle, and wiping the perspir-
alton off his forehead with the dalntiest
of white handkercaiefs, 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
detrimental to aunties' potatoes, you
may as well take tn hal f.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 time, styling him remark
ably handsome and distingue-l looking
person for hired man.
"You may call me Bob" he said,
with 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, spark Of fire in her big
dark eyes
"What makes you laugh so immoder-
ately, Bob? 1t is not polite Of you. and
Ishall certainly report your ill-behavio:
to Mr.. Denver"
'Pray don't Miss Embers,' with an
affected humility. ~ couldn't help it.
Indeed l couldn't. If you had seen that
ILL favored hop-toad leap over that po-
tato, you'd laugh, too. 1t was so funny.
The toad was so small, whereas the
potato has grow to an enormous size
"a regular whopper! Lcok! Miss EN-
bers, there goes the fellow now under
that struggling yinep'
"Hump!" was all the answer she
vouchafed him as she went on with her
digging, but she doubted the existence
Of the toad and believed he was making
sport Of her.
The minutes crept up, - o'clock
came, and Bob was waxing savagely
hungry. As he emptied the fourth
basket of potatoes, he said:
ut 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 canni-
ball."
II too," acknowledged Garnet. "Get
that parcel yonder, Bob, and don't
squeeze it, else you'll crush the cram
berry tarts in it. Aunt Sarah made
them, and she's a famous pastry cook
CRANBERRY tarts" his mouth begin
ming to water. "You bet I'll hold it
lightly, am especially fond of them.
But what delicacies does the luncheon
contain, Miss Embers, prepared by your
hands,"
"Not any, Bob," with something that
sounded like sigh. II am no better
cook than dressmaker. We have both
missed our vocation. I worked two
years in Madam Br WINS establishment
endeavoring to learn how to cut and
make dresses, but failed ANONYMOUSLY;
was therefore sent home minus recon-
mendation. So it will be with you,
Bob. Although thoroughly good man,
Mr. Denver is very exacting one, and
if your work to-day is a specimen of
what you can do he will not keep you
in his service any longer than what is
absolutely necessary. What uphill
work life is for the poor! Dear me! l
wonder what I am good for, anyway"
"Good to look at" he muttered, I'M
der his breath, wishing that she would
toss off the sunbonnet that almost con-
cealed her face Then aloud, Good to
dig potatoes, l suppose"
At which both laughed heartily, and
together they wended their way to the
apple tree, weighed down with golden
fruit, at whose foot they were to par
take of their lunch. A musical stream
let threaded its way over a pebbly bed,
washing the roots Of the apple tree as
it ran merrily on Here, on the grass,
in sound of its babbling voice, they
seated themselves and prepared to par
take of the repast, which Garnet spread
daintily out on a newspaper, first
throwing off the offending sun-bonnet,
which motion caused the red-brown
hair to tumble about her face, making
a picture at which Titan would have
raved.
'By Jupiter! !" calculated Bob, "she
is even prettier than imagined. She
is perfect witch"
He had dotted his sombrero, and his
picturesque, Moorish face, illumined
by dark J splendid eyes, Garnet thought
the handsomest in the world.
''If ne were not hired man." she
unused, "or even had ever so small an
income, believe I could love him. As