The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-12-14
IN SEARCH OF ADVENTURE.

| the phaeton in front of Lavaud's Hote
at Roseville, when this sign, hung out
on the walk, met our eyes.
/ looked from it to Baby; Baby, with
a little laugh in her blue eyes, returned
my gaze. We understood each other.
''Let us CO." she said, as we drove
| off.
"Now?" / asked.
Nonsense! Of course not; but we
can drive home, hunt up some old
dresses and old shoes, make a couple OF
sun-bonnets, and tomorrow morning,
when Harry goes away, harness up the
box-wagon and try our luck. 1t will be
lots of fun"
Now be it distinctly understood that
my audacious friend was "wooed an
married an a." while 1 was single
young woman, accountable only to my
self for my misdeeds.
"And Harry?" l asked.
1--WE will tell him when we come
| backn
But l urged again, "what do you
imagine we will have to dop have
only the vaguest notions of farm work.
My knowledge has been principally de-
rived from sGory-books, and l am afraid
their suggestions are, to say the least,
impractical. Is it to husk corn, or pare
apples, or-or-"
"Pick potatoes, most likely" broke in
Baby.
"Never mind what it is; we can steal
| away and 90 home if We don't like it."
VERY well," said, and it was set
tied.
Harry took the seven O'Clock train
the next morning, with an unsuspi-
cious heart, and his wife and 1 went
home to begin our adventure.
Titus was ordered to harness up the
box-wagon while we dressed. Two
straight plain calico skirts were put on
and viewed with much complacency.
My jacket was loose one, borrowed
from Sarah, the cook; Baby had ripped
the ruffling off one of her own. Her
sun-bonnet was blue, mine bright
pink. Our hair we plated in two braids
down our backs; our shoes were mira
Gle Of holes. l gave fieeting thought
to Baby's high French heels. Farm
women did not usually wear them, !
thought. but said nothing.
We laughed till we were exhausted at
the figures we made, but decided, thanks
to the sun-bonnets, that we were pretty
well disguised.
Away we drove in high glee, amid
the laughter of the servants, who were
by this time pretty well used to our
pranks.
1--WE will be back for the half-past
five train,' shouted Baby, as we turned
out at the gate.
81 eo;J ,rbo,, ,,-o ,,,o.o -. Al. j.
Anadale road, ''do you know where
it is?''
"Which-the farm, or EltingvilleP"
"The farm"
mo; but we can ask"
And ask we did, and no little amaze
ment we created, as we drove into the
inn yard, put up the horse, and pro-
ceeded the rest of the way on foot, q
wise suggestion of Baby's. 1t would
not look right, she said, for working
women to drive up in their own wagon.
OF course l acquiesced.
/ wonder did there ever present them
selves at any place two such remarka-
BILE little figures as turned in at the
White Dairy Farm.
We went past one or two fields and
met no one; at last we came across q
man with spade on his shoulder.
sis this Whites Dairy Farm?" asked
Baby.
at be-" was the answer.
where do they want the people to
Baby do all the talking.
''Oh, you want q job, do you?'
Baby's sun-bonnet dropped and quiv-
cred. l knew she was speechless.
"Yes," | said; "where do we go?'
'To that red building over there.
Just down that path and then to the
right"
We thanked him, and ran on till we
came to great red building, a sort of
barn, with wide open doors, and within
men and women apparently hard at
work asserting and packing fruit.
Baby gave my arm a triumphant
squeeze We could do that.
A few turned and stopped their work,
looking at us curiously, but the rest
kept on, occasionally exchanging jest
with one another.
A young man stood in his shirt
eeves-marvellously white they were,
too-with his back towards us, giving
orders to o carman who was loading a
wagon. In a moment he turned and
regarded us with broad stare of as
tonishment.
Sir" said Baby, with her eyes on
the ground, ''we heard you wanted
hands; can you give us any work?''
Alas, alasi Baby was more than hall
a French woman, and, as the clear,
crisp, un-English tones fell on his ear,
the look of suspicion on his face be,
came one of certainty.
''Will you come this way?" he asked,
leading us out of the opposite doorway.
''What can you do?" he added.
''Anything," l said, as confidently as
could.
He showed us a pile of fruit which
was to be sorted and put into baskets
and walked away to the first corners.
Baby and l fell too at once. She
knew what she was about, and worked
under her directions.
"Oh, Min," she said, in a whisper,
eve are in nice scrape if he finds lis
out. Harry will be so angry"
''Let us steal away" whispered
back; "we can do it in little while"
Still we kept on, half laughing, hal
dismayed, for couple of hours, wher
our master, as Baby persisted in calling
him, came back.
He might have been any age between
twenty-five and thirty, tall, straight
! and handsome.
1 saw him glance at Baby's white
slender fingers, where, horror of hor
rors, shone a diamond, which from
sheer force of habit she had forgotten
to remove.
He looked somewhat surprised at tn
quantity of work we had done.
You are getting along famously,' HI
said, in an amused tone. Then, CIVIL
you be so good as to follow me?''
Men did not generally speak in tina
way to hired help, but we could not il