The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1885-07-16
RuSSETs

sounding crisply under foot. We had
| just come in from foddering the cattle
-"we' sounds rather singularly when
you reflect that it meant Kitty and
me, two girls Of seventeen and nine
teen; but you see there wasn't any one
else to do it. Father had been bed
ridden ever since that last attack of
paralysis, and we could afford to hire
no one to take his place about the
farm.
was in great spirits playing with
pussy, who came to meet us with her
plumy tail erect; but Kitty leaned sad
ly against the wooden mantel and
looked into the fire with mournful eyes
"Kitty," cried I, at last, "what does
make you so dull?"
Tomorrow is the Sd of March"
said she, gravely.
"What of that?" 1 demanded.
"Don't you remember? Theinterest
on the mortgage comes due to-mor-
row."
$50 it does" said l, my radiant face
falling faster than the thermometer on
q freezing day. "Thirty- five dollars!
And we have nothing to pay it with,
except the fifteen dollars Laura Osgood
paid for the old melodeon.
"Perhaps Willis Avery would wait, :"
suggested Kitty.
drew myself up slightly.
~ don't choose to ask him to wait, :"
said I.
Now it happened that Willis Avery,
who held the mortgage on our home
stead, was the SON of a neighbour, and
an old play-fellow and boy-beau ofmy
own, who had gone to the prosperous
young city a few miles north of us, and
commenced business on his own ac-
count, and | had apartlrularaversion
to asking aid ar help of him in any
way. | might he poor, but / was al
ways proud, and Kitty was quitesyn
pathetic enough to understand me-
"But then what are we to dO?" said
Kitty.
I sat down on the hearth rug, with
my chin in my hands, and stared
earnestly at the big cracking back log
Pussy crept away. and nestled down
III the corner, as # she knew by instinct
that there was q change Of tempera-
ture.
'Look here, Kitty, said Isuddenly.
ThoIe rvs r!1Sset apples''
EW'e can sell them. There are eight
barrels at the least. Eight barrels at
$3.50 barrel"
"Aly dear Addy, no one will buy
them at ope-tifth the price. Apples
arc drug in the markell
"IIcre, I grant you; but not in the
city. will take them to Mapleton
and sell them."
"You will, Addy?'
"And why not? Squire Dyson would
charge at least twenty per cent COM
mission, and make a favor Oft at that
I can't afford either the price or the
patronage. Don't say any thing about
it to father. He would only fret and
raise objections. What must be done
must be, and am the girl to do it."
"RNt. Addy, haw2 All this seemss SO
perfectly wild and visionary to me-"
well, it needn't; for believe me, it
the most practical thing in the world.
All we have to do is to sort the apples
out in barrels, nice and sound-==I can
easily do it by lanternlight to-nig ht-
and tomorrow morning we rise early,
harness old pobbin to the lumber Wa
gOn-'
"But how are we to get the heavy
barrels up into the wagon?"
"Goosie!" cried I, laughing, "can't
I put the barrels up into the wagon
while they re empty and fiji Them at my
leisure? And III have them sold at
Mapleton before you've got the pork
and cabbage boiling for dinner"
"But where will you go?" asked Kit
ty.
30, l know lots of places. T went
once to- town with Obadiah Fairweath:
er when he sold a lot ofcheese; Ihave
a pretty good idea of the locality of
the commission stores, | can tell you. "
"After all, Ad,ly,' heSitated my con-
sentative little sister, at isn't q wom-
ans work.
"Why isn't it, Ishoull like to- know,
so long as a woman can do it? At all
events, a woman must pay her debts
so, if you'll hurry up the tea, I'll be off
to the barn"
"And what shall we tell papa?"
ooh, he'll think I've gone to singing
school with the Dyson girls, and ] don't
think lisa christian duty to undecelve
him" answered /:
BUT notwithstanding the brave face
I put upon affairs, my heart quivered
a little the next day, as drove off to-
ward Mapleton with the scarlet stain
of sunrise dyeing all the East, and my
own cheeks flushed with the keen morn
! ing air.
But it wasn't 50 bad, after all:
With pardonable eg0tism, / supposed
that every one wouldbe staring at me,
/ but on the contrary, a young woman
selling apples might be the commonest
sight in the world, SO little comment
or surprise did it apparently excite:
Mr.. Holloway, of the firm of Holloway
Brothers, produce and commission
merchants, didn't want any apples /
speedily learned.
'"Just bought a shipload from Alba
! n.y. said he, as carelessly as if ship
| 4OaQs OF apHies were as common a pllf-
| chase as ten CENTS worth of tape. And !
drove on beginning to feel lnfnitesi-
Mally small:
Nj: I4ovejoy could give me dollar
q barrel. "Apples wasn't worth no
more at this season OF the year," And
] whipped old Dobbin up, determined
to carry them home again sooner than
to sell at that price.
At the next place where stopped a
came out and Critically examined my
apples.
"Do they hold out like this all the
way DOWN. he asked.
am warrant Them" said I, care
lessly.
GLOW much?" he asked.
- 1.-TWO dollars and a half a barrel"
! He rpfipcte1 - =