Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-13

she was jabbing hairpin into it with a
| dextrouS feminine hand.
The three partners turned quite the color
| of her hair-Ja ckson Wells alone remained
| white and rigid. She, came on, her very
J short upper lip showing her white teeth
with her painting breath.
Rice was first to speak. 'I bes-your
| pardon, miSS-I thought it was Drown-you
know" he stammered.
But she only turned a blighting brown
| eye on the culprit. curied her short lip till
| ii almost vanished in her Scoraful noStrilS
| drew her skirt aside with a Jerk and con-
| tinued her way straight to Jackson Wells,
| where she halted
| I'VE did not know you were-here alone"
| he said. alphabetically.
| Thought | afraid to come alone
| didn't you? Well you see, I'm not. There!
| She made another dive at her hat and hair
and brought the hat down Ewickeuly over
her straight eyebrows, Gimme my plants.
| jackson had been astonished. He would
scarcely have recognized in this willful
| beauty the red haired girl whom he had
boyishly hated. and with whom he had
! often iauarreled But there was a recol-
l leetien-and with that recollection carae an
I Instinct Of habit. He looked her squarely
in the face. and to the horror of his part
7 ners said: Say pleased"
They had expected to see him fall-snit-
ten with the hairpin! But she only stopped.
jackson Wells''
II haven't dug them TIP yet-and it v ould
serve you just right if l made you get it
for yourself But perhaps my friends here
three partners seized spades and hoes and
rushed forward eagerly "Only show us
| what you want" they said. In one voice
! The young girl stared at them and at Jack
son. Then. with swift determination, she
! turned her back Scornfully upon MIN, and
with a dazzling smile which reduced the
! three men to absolute idiocy, said to the
Others, III show you." and marched away
to the cabin
Eye mustn't mind Jacksy." said Rice, syco-
| phantically edging to her side. Hes so
cut up with losin' your father, that he loved
like a son. he isn't himself, and don't seem
| to Know whether to ante up or pass out
| And as for yourself. miss-why-what was
| 1t he was sayin' only just the young lady
| came?' he added, turning abruptly to Wyn-
| gate.
| Everything that Cousin Josey plarted
| with her own hands must be took up care
| fully and sent back-even though it's KILN
| me to part with it," quoted Wyngare. I'M
| bluShingly, he slouched along on the
| other side
Miss Wells eyes glared at them-.hough
| her mouth still smiled ravishingly I'm
| sure I'm troubling YOU
| In few moments tue plants were dug
up and carefully laid together: indeed the
| Servile Briggs had added a few that she
| had not indicated
| Would you mind bringing them as far
| as the buggy that's coming down the HILL :"
| she said, pointing to buggy driven by a
small boy, which was slowly approaching
| the gate The men tenderly lifted the up-
| rooted plants, each carrying one and pro-
ceeded solemnly, Miss Wells bringing up
the rear, toward the gate where Jackson
| Wells was still surlily lounging.
| They passed out first, Miss Wells lin
| gered for an instant, and then. advancing
| her beautiful but audacious face within
an inch Of Jackson,s. Kissed out, Make
| believe! and hypocrite!'
| "Crosspatch and sauce box" returned
| jackson. readily, still under the malign in
| fuence of his boyish PAST, as she flounced
away. Presently he heard the buggy rattle
| away with his prosecutor. But his part
| ners still fingered on the road in earnest
| conversation, and when they did return it
| was with a singular awkwardneSs and en-
| barrassment, which he naturally put down
| to guilty consciousness of their foolish
| weakness in succumbing to the girls de-
| mands. But he a little surprised
| when Dexter Rice approached him gloom
| lily. "Of course he began, lit amt no
| call of ours to interfere in family affairs
and you've right to keep 'em to your
| self, but If you'd been fair and square and
| above board in what You got off on us
| about this per-"
What do you mean?" demanded the as
| tonished Wells.
"Wei-calin' her 'red-haired gall"
"Well-she is red haired sirl!'' said
| Wells impatiently.
| "A man." continued Rice, pityingly, that
Is so prejudced as to apply such language
| to beautiful orphan-torn with grief at
| parent-merely because she begs few veg
| etables out Of his potato patch-ain't to be
reasoned with But when you come to
look at this thing by and large. and as a
fair-minded man, sonny, you'll agree with
us that the sooner you make terms with
| her the better. Consderin' your interest
Jacksy-let alone the Claims of humanity
| we've concluded to withdraw from here
| until this thing Is settled. She's sort O.
| mixed us up with your feelings agin her,
and naturally supposed we object to the
| color Of her hair. and bcin' a penniIess or
phan. rejected by her relations"
What stuff are you talking?" burst in
Jackson: why, you saw she treated you
| better than she did me-
STEADY! There you go with that temper
Of yours that frightened the girl. OF course
| she could see that We were far-minded men,
accustomed to the ways Of society. and not
upset by the visit of a lady or the givin
| slide We're goin' back home tonight, SON.
| ny, and when you've thought this thing
| over and are Strengthened up and get your
| right bearings, we'll stand by you as be-
fore. Well put a man to do your work
| on the ledge-so you needn't worry about
| that"
They were quite firm in this decision, how
| ever absurd or obscure their conclusions,
| and Jackson, after his first flash of indig-
| nation. felt a certain relief in their de-
| parture. But strangely enough while he
had hesitated about keeping the property
| when they were violently in favor of it. he
| ter advice to compromise. The sentiment
| idea had vanished with his recognition
Q his hateful cousin in the role of the in
| jufed orphan. And for the same odd rea-
son her prettiness only increased his re-
sentiment. He was not deceived-it was the
same capricious, willful. red-haired girl
The next day he set himself to work with
that logged steadiness that belonged to his
| simple nature and which had endeared him
| to his partners. He set half a dozen China
men to work-and followed-although ap-
parently directing their methods. The great
| difficulty was to restrain and control the
excessive vegetation and he matched the
small economies Of the Chinese against the
| opulence OF the Californian soil. The gar
| den patch prospered: the neighbors spoke
| Well Of it and of him. But jackson knew
| that this fierce harvest OF early spring was
to be followed by the sterility of the dry
season, and that irrigation could alone
make his work profitable in the end He
brought pump to force the water from
| the little stream at the foot of the slope to
| the top and allowed it to flow back through
parallel trenches Again Buckeye applaud
ed. Only the gloomy barkeeper shook his
head. 1.-The moment you get that thinp "a