Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-11-21
THE AMATEUR HARYESTERS.

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was late in September. At Hill
Farm all the harvesting was done, ex-
cept the family vegetable garden, and
if Mr. Elisha Patten had not fallen
down the corn chamber stairs and brok-
en- his arm, the products of this garden
would probably have been gathered in
orthodox fashion, and this story would
never have been written.
But here was the catastrophe, a set
tied fact; no help to he had for miles
around, and Mr.. Elisha Patten, inclined
by nature and habit to stake Time by
the forelock," and to have everything
done little in advance Of others, in a
condition verg1ng on complete despair.
In the face of this emergency the
girls undertook to harvest the garden.
'"The girls" in this instance were two
lively maidens Of eighteen and twenty
years, nieces of good Mrs. Patten, and
adopted daughters of the household,
which was completed by small
boy Of nine, q more recently adopted
charge.
The sun shone brightly forth, with
the fervor of summer in his beams, on
the morning when this amateur band
of reapers went forth to reap" Helen
and Christina led the procession, little
Carl followed with implements, while
Victor and Rupert, two young and sport
i've dogs, gaily brought up the rear.
The sweet corr stiffly waved it's dry
ind yellow pennons, the string beans
displayed their ripe and bursting pods,
and golden pumpkins crowned the
withered vines, which trailed over de-
serted hills where early. potatoes had
once reposed. With their beauty We'd
that Of the more aristocratic, but no
more valued, squash; the delicate melon
nestled among it's scalloped leaves, and
the modest cabbage lifted it's head
with hesitation among the prouder veg
etables. .*'Ef&,. ...'
It is not my purpose to follow the
details Of their harvesting. It pro-
crossed from day, to day slowly indeed,
but no less surely. Much freely offered,
but less freely accepted, advice was re-
ceived from the masculine member of
the party, who, though young in years,
considered himself old in wisdom, and
having already much of a certain spirit
which children of an older growth"
sometimes manifest, looked with uncon-
cealed contempt upon the femme efforts
and methods of his co-]aborers.
1t may be that these efforts were es-
sentially.s feminine. Does that change
their value? IF obstinate stalks Of corn
which refused to be quietly cut, were
pulled up by the roots; if potato hills
were excavated to such depth, IN the
fear of not finding all the potatoes,
that the excavators felt obliged to
fill them up again, lest as Christina SOL
emily remarked, "some one should fall
in and break g limb, and l be RESPONSE:
ble;" if, as before said, the methods
followed we're not the strictly scientific
ones accepted by generations of mascu-
l1S workers, it las been said by dis
tinguished writer that the truly great
work not by rules" and in this work, at
least, ought not the end to be aclznowl
edged as "justifying the means?"
On golden October day the labors
of my heroiues were drawing to close.
They had been arduous. Tt must. be
confessed that blistered fingers and
aching limbs had often been their &C
compartments; yet who shall say that
the work had been without its pleasures,
too? For these we're maidens who knew
the charm Of sun and air, who loved the
face Of Nature at all times, but best of
all when she. donned her autumn robes,
and under "slies SO blue they fash, .
held through field and wood high festi-
val. III. Tia. %5,t rs ~
The apple trees in the orchard were
dropping under their weight of fruit,
the meadow slope was bright with as
ter flowers and frost tinted ferns, while
further still lay woodlands in all their
autumn co1ors, and q line of purple
hills circled the horizon. On the edge
Of the garden, against this fair back
ground, a pretty tableau was displayed.
Helen's hat5had fallen back upon her.
shoulders, and her golden hair half es-
capped its fastenings. She had raised
two portly pumpkins, while Christina,
with an armfnl Of cornstalks, stood like
the goddess Of Autumn, if that deity
can be imagined posing in print gown.
gloves and sun hat. Little Carl was
busily engaged in transferring q heap
Of patotoes from the grass toa diminu-
tive wheel barrow. s 4
tt was pretty tableau, as { said but
its tranquility was suddenly disturbed
by q sight which cause*l Helen to drop
her shining burdens, Carl to stand in
open mouthed wonder, and both at
5tendant dogs to bark violently. j. t.S Il.
In corner Of the stone wall which
adjoined the higl, road, q young man,
apparently on artist, was discovered
with open sketch book, evidently occu-
pied in sketching the scene before him
On perceiying that he was observed
he approached the group, with apollo
gies s. am sure / must be trespass1ng;
but as / passed along the road, I was so
charmed with this mountain view that I
could not resist tho temptation of maxi
ing sketch, . lie said. y
Helen, having with some difficulty
succeeded in quieting the excited ca
mines, politely assured him that he was
very pardpnable 6 r ray finish your
sketch if you Like she added
The ARTIST replied with thanks that
it was already finished bowed himself
away and disapp eared OF without
many q backward glance.
Christine emerged from behind her
cornstal ks, whittier she had retired in
confusion and the nversation which
Iensued was not the last on the subject
LOT the Mysterious artist =