The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1904-07-05
MESS OF
POTTAGE
By FRANK III. SWEET
tcOpyrish,. Is04. By Daily story Pub. Co.,

HE nldcS were IN doom, ana ABOVE
them, upon a limb of the big elm,
an oriole had hung her pensile nest, and
every day in the sunshine her trouba-
dour mate sang to her of love and COM
panionship and airy journeyings. From
across the fields came the odor of
freshly-plowed ground and the breezy
calls Of men to their horses. In the
barnyard were the cacklings OF hens and
the peeping of many chickens, while
from the pasture below came the lowing
of cows to their calves. 1t was mid-May,
and the wheat-heads were still green
with their thriftiest growing, and the
fence corners and roadsides were CHEEKY
with their golden offerings of dande-
lions.
Elsie came to the kitchen door and
looked out The oriole was singing. and
she ran lightly down the steps and round
the house to the front yard, her sleeves
rolled above her plump elbows and her
cheeks flushed with the exercise of dish
washing. Her eyes were bright with
sympathy of the perfect day and the
surroundings, and as she looked up at
the oriole her lips parted in a ripping
little song which she was to sing with
her graduating class at the high school
a few weeks later.
But at the front gate the song dropped
to a lower key, and then stopped alto
gether, as a gaily-dressed young man
threw himself from his horse and came
jauntily toward her. with hat in hand.
Good morning. Elsie" he began, 81
take the ten o'clock, but of course had to
come round and say goodbye to you. |
haven't much time, you know. But you'll
write, won't you? And I'll write and tell
you how l get along. Everything IL be
| fine up there"
Yes. l suppose So" Elsie answered,
slowly; "and I'll write" Her eyes had
grown softer at his approach, now they
looked troubled. They always looked
troubled lately after few minutes talk
with Fred. He was changing so. His
people had taken summer boarders, and
Fred was aping their manners. He wore
cheap kid gloves. and tried to initiate
their way of walking. and used as many
| Of their phrases as he could in his con-
versation. Already he was becoming
ashamed of country ways and even oi
his own people And now he had beer
offered a position in the store Of one oi
the boarders. and was going there tC
| work why-But she forced back the
| unworthy thoughts with sudden self.
| condemnation. Fred was her longtime
/ friend, the brightest boy in the whole
neighborhood. her generous competition
in the graduating class. for had he no
| dropped everything for this position IN
the city he could easily have won clas'
honors away from her. And OF course
he had thought Of this when he decided
| to leave the school so abruptly. All th'
rest was merely boyish enthusiasm
Fred was everything. she believed. anC
hoped, below the surface. Even thi!
going away to the city was an assurance
Of his unbounded ambition. of his beini
different from the contented boys of thu
neighborhood.
So she smiled across the gate at him
and forced the temporary doubt int
confidence and pride in him and int
gladness for them both.
Yes, I'll write" she repeated, "ant
tell you about everything going on here
But they'll be dull letters, for I'm jus
a farm girl and like farm ways. wisl
| could be ambitious like you: but tn
country is so beautiful. / feel about 1
like the oriole singing up in the tree
I'm afraid you'll think we are dull. Fred
and grow away from us"
st couldn't do that" he commenced
eagerly; mot from you, Elsie. /
wish We" He hesitated and pause,
doubtfuny. He was looking at he
arms. barred above the elbows and al
ready becoming rosy in the direct sun
light, at her plain check apron, whicl
she had not removed when she lef
the kitchen, at the healthy. sunburne
face and bare throat. and his speech fal
tered. The girls who boarded at hi
house did not look like that. They car
ried parasols to protect their faces, an,
wore gloves to protect their hands. an
they did not laugh in the loud, heart
/ manner of the country girls. They wer
refined.
well. l guess I'll have to say good
: by, Elsie" he said, with unconscious re
, straint. you must write, and | will.
She watched him down the road, to tn
corner OF the next field, where he stoppe
for a moment to speak with Hank Bur
ton. Hank was one ofShe p1owers wnos
voices had been ringing cheerily acros
the fields, and he was in the same elias
at high school, which would graduate 4
J a few weeks.