Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1892-04-02

hold the flax seeds. This had to be or
the race of fax would vanish from the
earth.
At last the time came for us to DE har-
vested. Our seeds we're fat and brown.
"They will ripen in the shock" said the
farmer. I was ignorant of what he
meant by shock. I wondered if he meant
thunder storm for that shocks most
folks you know. But when he came into
the field with his sickle thought then it
was the shock of being cut down to lay
and wilt in the sunshine, but 1 learned
in the afternoon that we were to be gath
eaed up in small stack, that was the
shock. The farmers daughters were to
gather us up.
In spite of the fact that they had COM
pany, they went into the field and made a
pleasure party of shocking fax. Their
company joined in the work and they had
a merry time.
Close to the field lived widow with an
only daughter whose name was Rachel.
Little Rachel joined the merry harvest
ers and though too small to work she
could follow them in the field gathering
flowers and grasses and listening to the
fun.
The girls we're planning to 60 to the
creek for bath just as soon as they fin
ished their task. Rachel wanted to 60
too but her mother was fearful that she
might be drowned; however, after some
tears on the part of Rachel and earnest
promises on the part of the part of the
older girls to take good care OF her, her
mother at last consented.
Wasn't it merry trip through the
meadows to the creek to their bathing
place. Let me tell you about that bath.
You know that I have visited many
baths. I go in different shapes, as tow
els, and though I was not there as dam
ask towel it was prettier, grander than
any marble bath. The willows grew SO
thickly that they formed a roof over the
pool where the creek seemed to stop to
listen to the focks of birds that held
song services in the oak trees near.
There was path leading to the water,
and brushing aside the willow branches
there was the purest, coolest, sweetest
bath imaginable.
An old print dress that had done SER
vice long, aud seen its best days. was the
regulation bathing suit, and the dressin 3
rooms were flower decked and furnished
free. How kind nature is to those who
live in the country!
Little Rachel was looked after care
fully until the girls were all in the water;
then the fun of diving, swimming, splash
ing and "ducking" some tormenting girl
caused them to forget her for awhile;
presently a scream called them to q
thought of her.
Rachel is drowningr' screamed her
cousin Belle, making for the shore.
Rachel had fallen into deep hole and
when noticed, was bobbing up and down
like cork, getting her ears and mouth
full of water, not even knowing enough
to scream, or perhaps being unable to do
SO.
The girls were all out of the water in a
moments time and the girl would surely
have been drowned had not one with
more presence of mind and more courage
than the rest, rushed in and seized her
just as she was going down for what
would surely have been the last time.
Rachel was taken out and rubbed and
made to lie with her head on huge rock
that lad grown so hot in the sunshine
that you could hardly bear your hand
upon lt-this to take the water out of her
ears.
Then she was coaxd and petted and
hired not to tell her mother how near she
came to being drowned the day the fax
was shocked.
Her mother was surprised that Rachel
mover wanted to ego in swimming" again
with the big girls and Rachel never told
j on her trends, because che had promised