Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1885-05-23
THEINTEREST

come III from f0uderlng the cattle
"Wen sounds rather singularly
when you reflect that it meant Kit
ty and me, two girls of seventeen
and nineteen; but you see there
wasn't any one else to do it. Faith
er had been bedridden ever since
that last attack of paralysis, anf
we could afford to hire no one t
take his place about the farm.
l was III great spirits, playing
with pussy, who came to meet us
with her plumy tail erect; but Kit
ty leaned sadly against the wooden
mantel and looked into the fire
with mourni'ul eyes.
"kitty," cried /, at last, "what
does make You so dull?"
"To morrow is the third of March
said she gravely.
"What of that!o / demanded.
"Don't you remembers The in
terest on the mortgage comes due
to morrow"
$50 it does" said I, my radiant
face falling faster than the thcr
mometer OH a freezing day. "Thir
ty-fve dollars! And we have moth
ing to pay it with except the fifteen
dollars Laura OSgood paid for the
old melodcOn."
"Perhaps, Willis Avery would
watt" suggested Kitty.
/ drew myself up slightly.
III don't choose to ask him to
watt" said |.
Now it happened that Willis
Avery, who held the mortgage on
our homestead, was the son Of a
neishbor, and an old play.fellow
and boy beau Of my own, who had
gone to the prosperous young city
IL few miles north of us and com
menced business on his own &C.
count, and had a particular aver
s SS a to asking m2g 4 Or IL e Po Of hin Ht
was also proud, and Kitty was
quite sympathetic enoughto under
stand me.
'sBut then what are VIC to dos'
said Kitty.
L sat down on the hearth rug,
with my chin in my hands, and
stared earnestly at the big crack
ling back log. Pussy crept away
and nestled down in the corner, us
if she knew by instinct that there
was Il change of temperature.
sLook here, Kitty" said |, sud
denly. "Those russell apples!"
"Wells"
ave can sell them. There are
eight barrels at the least. Eight
barrels at two dollars and fifty
cents "A barrel"
"My dear Addy, no one will buy
them at one fifth the price. APP
pies are a drug in the market"
'.Herc, | grant you; but not III
city. will take them to Mapletor
and sell them"
"You will, Addyi"
"And why mott Squire Dyson
would charge at least twenty pei
cent. commission, and make ia
vur of it at that. | can't afford
either the price or the patronage
Don't say anything about it &c
father. He would only fret and
raise objections. What must be
done, must be, and l am the girl t(
do it,"
"But, Addy, how7 All this seems
perfectly wild and visionary t(
me-"
"W I'll, it needn't, for, believe
me, it's the most practical thing il
Tue world. All we have to do is Il
sort the apples out in barrels, nice
and sound-I can easily do it B.,
lantern.light to highland to-mor
row morning we'll rise early, har
ness old Dobbin to- the lumbe
wagon"
"But how are we to get the heav,
barrels up INTO the wagonP"
"Gooslew cried l, laughing, "can'
l put the barrels up into the Wagon
while they're empty and fill then
at my lcisuref And I'll have then
sold at Mapleton before you've 60
cabbage boiling for dinner"
"But where will you got" aske'
Kitty.
"Oh, l know of lots Of places.
wenS once to town with Obadia
Fairweather when he sold a lot G
cheese. l have Il pretty good idle
OF the commission stores, can te
you.;'
"After all, Addy," hesitated n
conservative little sister, sit isn't
woman's work"
"Wby isn't it, 1 should like
know, SO long as woman can d
it? at all events, a woman ca
pay her debts-so, if You'll burr
up the tea, Ill be off to the barn
'sAnd what shall we tell papa1
, sob, he'll think I've gone to SIM
ing school with the Dyson girl
and | don't think it's a duty to u
deceive him." answered l.
But notwithstanding the oraN
face l put upon affairs, my hea
, quivered a little the next day, as
drove up toward Mapleton, VIII
F, the scarlet stain Of sunrise DYER
all the east, and my own cheel
5 flushed with the keen morning al
But it wasn't so bad, after ALL.
With pardonable egOtism, So