Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1900-11-01
DAUNTS WOOING.

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hide in a small place - he has even
been known TO secrete himself IN
strawberry box. And that is the story.
Sanderson of Verbena had 20 acres
out in berries. which was bad sense on
his part, considering that small fruits
bring next to no profit in these days,
But Sanderson liked strawberries, and
apeared to be willing 20 raise them
for the delectation of the rest OF man
kind, even though he was not enriched
nv the labor. SO when the June sun
turned the fruit juicy and the perfume
of the berries hung heavy upon the
sweltering air, the field was thronged
with plckers, who rode out from the
village on great hay racks, and back
again at night singing and laughing
and scandalizing the neighbors.
Among the noisy pickers there was
one fellow who kept to himself, and
who neither whistled nor sang nor
called out to the others. This was
Daunt Jewlson of the Becker road
He walked two miles from the north
every morning to meet the hay ricks
at the village, and no one knew much
about him except that he had a small
farm laid out in sweet potatoes and
peanuts. In a country where every
one grew fruit almost exclusively, and
where peaches were king, it seemed
amusing for a man to raise sweet po-
tatoes and peanuts, and Daunt was
usually accosted in the morning with;
well, how's the peanut CROP" or,
"The great American luxury getttn'
on all right, Daunt?'
Daunt was brief but not taciturn in
his responses. He was not particu-
Iarly fast picker, and he seemed to
dream a good deal, He set the whole
company in a roar of laughter one
night as he and they stood about the
packing sheds looking at the crates OF
luscious fruit as it was being prepared
for shipment
81 wonder where all them berries
are going?" said he pensively. He
looked so absurd with his watery blue
eyes and his large ears and mouth that
everybody roared.
Want to go along, Daunt?' cried
they. Daunt nodded.
you bet I'd like to go along, he
murmured wistfully. And that even
ing he did not ride home on the rick
with the rest, but walked along the
lake shore three niles to town and
two miles beyond to the lonely house
among the potatoes and the peanuts,
Then he milked his cow and drank
milk for supper, sitting out where he
could watch the red sunset.
1t was the next day that an idea
came to him-one Of the first of his
life. He took his pencil and wrote on
the inside of a strawberry box: L am
Daunt Jewlson, Of the Becker road,
near South FORK ! WOOD IKE " court
up with whoever gets theSe mere pe',
RES Ihen ne plIeu IN the IFulI' anu
the box went away win the rest none
whiting though Daunt mad Deeh III d
terror lest some accluehI Shoulu occur
which would "eVeal ms secret 10 MS
jeering friends.
Now, little Lena Nelson, VINO mad
been used all her he 10 VIDE mel
ancholy fields, to a sombe" ford, to
distant hemlocks, and to a house
where logs burned on the hearth, was
homesick past words where she worked
in the fiat on North Erie street. Thir-
ty-two families were crowded together
in the big apartment building, and the
maids at night ran down to the tele-
phone room to gossip together. More
over, they said many things which it
offended Lena to hear. So she staid