The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1896-08-21
"And to think there is never q serpen

in it'll"
''Oh, but there isl I Iregard Hiram il
the light of a serpent"
Hiram! Hiram is a dear, dow,
and an angel. He has promised to give
half the crop of his turnip field to tn
bicycle fund"
'"That's nothing. I'm willing to giW
my entire share of the turnips."
"Oh, no! She couldn't expect you t,
give up beefsteak and turnips boil:
TN sure she wouldn't"
And so the bicycle fund grew ant
grew. Miss Matilda was entirely un
disturbed; she simply let affairs talk
their own way. She had set the bal
rolling, or, rather, the wheel rolling
and the boarders were doing the rest
That was as it should be. She denie}
them nothing-in fact, she even addee
crullers to the frugal breakfast. BT'
their interest in the fund did not seen
TO need tanning. The strawberry fes
tival was great success, chiefly owing
to the fact that the June Rose had or
dered 20 boxes sent to her mother,
while the other boarder, for lack of o
mother, ate, himself, as many saucer
fuls at ten cents plate. The Rose had
imported large number of friends,
who cheerfully paid fares and expenses
amounting to two or three dollars that
she might reap the benefit of their ten
cents admissions. Everybody said it was
beautifully managed. The Rose had
announced that she should pay for
everything and only hope to make legit-
innate profits; but when she went the
rounds to bargaih for the berries and
the sugar, and the cream and the cake.
the silver quarters that she dutifully
drew out of her little purse to bear
witness to her willingness to pay, clung
SO lovingly to her little gloved fingers
(mind you, don't say that her fingers
clung to the money!, that farmer, farm
cr's wife and groceryman at once an.
nounced their firm intention not to ac-
cept cent. Then they went and paid
ten cents admission to look at their
berries and sugar, and cream and cake,
as arranged for the festival, and ten
cents more for the satisfaction of see
ing how they tasted in such novel'sur-
roundings, and then, because they
tasted well, ten cents for another plate
full. Oh, yes! 1t was beautifully man
aged.
And so the fund grew and grew. Gra-
hame bore patiently the depletion of
his purse and the sacrifice of his beef
steak, but when the Rose suggested
that he begin deliberately to earn for
the fund, and give UP riding his bicycle
in the afternoons to hoe corn for
Farmer Platt at so cents day, he de.
INJURED.
"Can't make you understand that
If we give her our bicycles at the end of
the season there isn't any need of rails
ing fund.-"
'Of course there isn't any need. But
It's such fun to see the money accumu-
late! And you can always buy more
things to go with it; tools, and lam
terms, and cyclometers, and waterproof
capes, and lunch-baskets."
'W&l, if you must have money to
accumulate, promise to pay so cents
q week into the fund for the privilege of
riding my own bicycle till ths time
comes to give it up, if you'll allow the
to let Farmer Platt hoe his corn with
out me. There may be less corn for
the market, but if there is I promise
to eat canned corn next winter"
"But if there isn't any corn how can
there be any corn canned?"
"There can't. That's the advantage,
don't you see? Wouldn't you be glad
to have canned corn eliminated from
the market?"
Eyes, if could have mushrooms in
stead"
Every well, you shall eat mushrooms
if you'll only let me ride my wheel in
peace till the time comes to give it up"
So she graciously accorded her per-
mission.
But the fund idea was too fascinating
The next day she had formulated new
plan.
She would help gather in the crops.
She could pick berries and cut the fresh
egetables-and-oh glorious new idea!
She could preserve the Strawberries left
over, and jelly the currants, and churn
butter for market, and make ever so
much! She could help Hiram"
L
going to stop riding with him, but she
was going to begin lingering with
Hiram.
Didn't point out to you the other
day that there was no need of fund at
all, as we are going to present the town
with our wheels?"
"Yes, but"
"But what?"
"Its such fun to see the money accu-
mulate! And they are sure to want
something"
''Well, want something, too"
"What do you want?"
He came very near telling her, but
prudently postponed it and merely sug-
gested:
81 want to murder Hiram"
Still Hiram went unmurdered to the
end of the season, apd gradually the
fund craze died away as the hot July
weather made churning butter seem
less enjoyable than rides through the
cool woods. In due time the boarders
departed, leaving their wheels behind
them, and the town passed vote of
thanks to Miss Matilda for the effort
she had made in its behalf. The fol-
lowing summer Mr.. Grahame johnson
and the June Rose came back, as he had
once gracefully expressed it, together"
"Do you know" he said to her as they