Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-11-04

YouIl blister those pretty hands Of
yours inside Of an hour" sneered the
man. but as before not unpleasantly.
Il might try" suggested Alec.
well, maybe you can earn your
board" said Milo, turning to work
again, for the others had stopped the
moment he did. 81 wouldn't pay you q
cent for what you would do the first
day. You can find hoe inside the barn
up there"
Alec stood undecided for q moment,
but no one was paying the slightest at.
tention to him, SO he walked silently
back to the house, and at last, with the
help Of the pretty girl, found the hoe.
He rebelled at the idea of working mere
~ for his board, but the fear Of having
to draw again SO heavily on his very
small amount Of cash decided him to
work one day at least. II he only earned
his board, they certainly would not ex-
pect him to work very hard.
Mr.. Bennett, or Milo, as they called
him, even the boys, took some pains to
show him how to manage his hoe, how
to pull the weeds out from among the
potatoes without pulling up the potato
vines, too, and then how to hill the dirt
up and make it compact all around. It
was more of a trick than he had i'm
agined. and he took some interest in
learning how to do It neatly and quick
ly. But as his employer had prophesied.
his hands were blistered inside Of an
hour. and he had to wind his handker-
chief about the right one in order TO
keep it from becoming torturipgly sore.
Besides. his back began to ache pretty
socn, and before very long it ached 60
that it seemed as IL he couldn't keep at
work. But he was determined rot to
give up for any such thing IS that.
Of course Alec did not try to keep up
with the others, whose hands were az
parently as toagh as iron and whose
backs never ached, for they walked
straight along, down ono row, back an
other, the four Of theG abreast and
seeming TO have sort of pride in keep
ing even, though now and then enc
would drop behind for some reason or
other. When at last he heard q great
bell ring up at the house, and looking
up saw the pretty girl in the kitchen
doorway ringing ii, he knew it must be
dinner time. But he kept On working,
not noticing that the four men lad
dropped their hoes as suddenly at tbs
sound of the bell as if they had been
automatons. But Milo called cut good
naturally:
Better come along to dinner now /
guess you've earned it. How are your
hands?"
The others said nothing, but laughed
together, and as they walked slowly up
toward the house they glanced at Alec
every now and then in such a way that
he felt uncomfortable. Only his Pride
made him affect an indifference that be-
came him very well.
No one paid any particular attention
to him, and as dinner was not quite
ready he was glad enough to sit down
and rest. He saw coming and going
within a tall, angular woman when
they called mother, but SIZE paid nc
moro attention to him than did tho 9th.
ers. though she had never seen him be.
fore. Milo came around once as the
pretty girl passed near by and said:
"Maud, want to introduce to you q
young city swell from New York.
What's your name:'
Alec answered.
"She's Maud. She's my girl. cal!
her my little duck. Do you think They
have nicer girls in the city. now" went
on Milo after learning Alec's name.
Maud paused a moment and Their
went on with her work, apparently
quite indifferent TO the 'youug city
SWELL" Alec had been standing before
the little looking glass combing his wet
hair and would have been very much
embarrassed had he not been invited a
that moment to move mp to the table
where, with the others, he partook Of
an ample dinner of baked beans ant
pork, cold brown bread. boiled beets
green peas, potatoes, radishes and baked
rice pudding, with cranberry tarts Il
top Off He found afterward that in thi
family baked beans and potatoes wer'
the staple of every meal. and pie O
some kind usually appeared for break
fast, supper and frequently for dinnel
too. They also had cold cider, but MILD
and Mr.. Condor were the only ones wit
partook Of it, and consequently Ale,
felt impelled to refuse.
~ M rOyTyNR0y