Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-02-17

mustn't put many leaves in, though
They don't like that"
1T doesn't sound difficult"
Difficult! Well, no; but 1 car
tell you it's quite trick to pick sc
that you can turn out your three
boxes day. They used to allow yor
to put some leaves in, an then q
fellow could manage four or five, but
now it's different. They're darn par.
ticular."
Lets see, what do we get?"
"Thirty-five cents box an grub.
If you boarded yourself, you'd prob.
ably get so. They usually have lot
of people who pick after that fashion
come up from Hintonville, so un.
derstand. That's how they manage in
most yards hereabouts."
I'm really quite keen on It," said
Rossiter, with a touch of Joe's en-
thusiasm,
"You must try and get at box
next to ours. You see four boxes
are generally joined together, made
SO, consequently they's only room
for our family at one of the combi
nation things" announced Becraft.
ooh, that's how it isl"
eyes, that's the way they work it.
The little breeze that sprung up
just before their arrival had died
with the going down of the sun, and
the fever of the day was still in the
air: Far away beyond the western
hills black cloud was beginning to
invade the sky, and Rossiter con-
cluded that the prophecy of the sill
vering popular leaves and the trum-
peting peacock was likely to be full
filled before morning. In the parched
and dusty grass at the roadside q
cricket chorus was ringing clear and
CHEEKY, and late locust was vio-
lining in the stubble of barley field,
They walked for perhaps half mile
before they turned, Becraft COM
menting in his frank way upon the
pleasure he was anticipating in his
sojourn of two or three weeks in the
hop-fields, and telling Rossiter of the
monotony, the colorlessness of his
ordinary daily life.
''Do you know he said, with q
wave of his hand, "if it want for
somethin' like this every year or
two, I'd be a fit subject for an asy-
lum. 1t often seems, when I leave
the mill at night, as though I was
never goin' to get the clatter O. ma.
chinery out O. my head. / hear the
wheels hummin' in the dark, an see
the straps spinnin' round an round
Then begin to think o. the country
the smell o. things"-and he drank in
the pungent aroma of the hop-felds
with infinite content-''an' after q
while I'm all right. There's nothin'
like havin' somethin' free an healthy
to look 70, ward to-
''You'd thrive on farm, wouldn't
you? Haven't you ever thought Of
trying it?"
'Oh, yes! But there's no money
in farmin' unless you've got good
ish-sized place, an then my girl
I've got girl, you know" he inter
jected-''she don't take much stock
in livin' out away from folks"
Reticent as Rossiter was in regard
to his own affairs (and he felt that
he had good cause to beg, it was very
pleasant to have this young man, tc
whom he had been an utter stranger
until that morning, talk to him il
this confding strain. 1t made him
have new and surprising sense OF
half-confidence in himself.
AS they were silent for a moment
they became conscious that a vehicle
was approaching behind them. The,
glanced back, and saw not far dis
tant, and drawing near at a rapit
rate, pair of large sorrels attached
to light surrey. They retreatet
farther into the grass at the road
edge to avoid the dust from the pass
ing carriage, and, CHANGING up as i
swept by, observed that it contained
driver and two young ladies. TIL
one who sat upon the side neares
them let her eyes rest upon then
for an instant, then she, her compan
ion, and, indeed, the whole convey
ance. were lost in whirl of dust
Rossiter watched the travelling clou
until the horses and the sure
emerged from it at the Merton's gate
did you notice that girl?" re
marked the younger of the two mer
"Yes, did,
"Gee, but want she hummer!"
"She certainely was" agreed Ros
sitter, amused at his companion
tribute to feminine beauty.
The calm of the growing dusk no.