River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-08-18

|
! right
| Joshua's face redeemed, and his jaw
| dropped The fence was there-yes-
| he could get a glimpse of the rails mere
and thCre-but it was a fence mace OIL
sweet peas They had been planted on
both sides-following the homely ZIG
gag of the fence, ana curling their falry
tendrils around every splinter and knot,
and reaching through cracks to embrace
one another and climb higher, arm IN
arm. Every inch of space, it seemed TO
him, was gay with blocm-pink and law
ender and white and purple ana cream
he had never geen-at least-not in long
years. he remembered noW-such mass
of bloom as that which yelled the fence
over which he and Abner had quarreled.
Somehow, the redness in his face deep
ened-and he looked with embarrassed
eyes at the girl in the white sunbonnet
who was going along the line on Abner's
side of the fence, shipping away at the
flowers and filling a big basket which
hung on her arm.
She did not see him until she had
come opposite, and his shadow fell on
her; and then she looked up, startled.
you must be Mr.. Long" she said, re-
covering herself at once. She did not
laugh-indeed, she spoke very demurely,
but he caught a trace of dimple in her
cheek, as though she had almost smiled.
so it's you that's fixed the fence?"
he said, uneasily. 1t had not been in the
least what he had meant to say, but
somehow, the sight of that dimple had
forced it out of him. you must be Bes-
sie," he added, as an afterthought
''Yes-I'm Bessie" she replied, look
ing at him from beneath the shade of the
white sunbonnet.
so I see Abner's had the good sense to
leave my fence where l put it, - he sug-
gested, remembering that he must make
a showing for himself. ct was good
thing for him. l wouldn't "a stood any
more foolishness."
''Uncle Abner hasn't been out of the
house yet" said Bessie. "He turned the
management of the-the War-over to
me-and don't you think l have i'm
proved the fence?"
The dimple was unmistakable this
time. Joshua's voice shook as he re-
piled:
Il dunno but what you have. But how
the come to -things-planted on my
side-but give me them shears, an I'll
cut We few posies from over here. My
mothers garden use to have blossoms
like these in it. She use to have 'em
trained up alongside of the porch"
cried the girl. 'Fve been wishing could
get to them. Sim generally cuts them
for me, but he had to go after wood this
morning. He's been so kind-made the
bed for the seeds on that side-the very
morning after you went away-and once
when it was dry he carried water and
watered the whole row."
"Well, I'll settle with Sim!" said
Joshua in his heart; but the next mo-
ment he asked in sudden amazement:'
What dye do with all these bios
soms?"
eve been sending them up to the
children's ward in the hospital. said the
girl, across the fragrant fence. 81 used
to visit it very often-and I thought it
would be so sweet for them to have the
fowers-and for me to give them-aspe-
cially as they we're raised along this
fence!"
She flashed a demure glance at him,
from under the pretty lashes, and this
time he was watching for the dimple and
caught it at it's best. He turned with
the heaped-up basket.
aye reckin I could git through them
vines somehow" he asked, looking du-
biously at their unbrSken ranks. 81
b'lieve-I sort O. thinK-I'd like to go
over and jaw bit with Abner."
ooh, there's thin place right down
here!" cried the girl with joyous thrill
in her tones. She ran down the fence;
and at the place she pointed out, Joshua,
stepping carefully lest he should crush
a single tendril, alighted beside the
pretty girl.
81 don't know why we shouldn't have
a gate in here-about here-so's you
could pick on both sides of the fence"
he said, shame-facedly, as he looked at
the fence and his heart began to warm.
"Stan's to reason, if the sick chil'ern
likes 'em so we'll the sick grown folks
might like blossom or two, along with
'em. 1t might be with them like it was
with me-, he added, wistfully. ''It might
make EN- think O. their mothers OF gar
den at home"
The mothers old garden at home, and
the sweet peas that were trained up along
the side of the porch went with Joshua
as he walked beside Bessie through the
orchard where the birds were singing
gleefully over their new-made nests. He
found Abner hobbling painfully the
length of the room, with the aid of
stick; and all at once the feud had melted
away and was as though it had never
been.
"Here-lean on me, Abner!" he cried,
hurrying to his old friend and throwing
an arm around the STOPPING shoulders.
And before the astounded Abner could
have time to push him away-if he had
meant to do so-Joshua hurried on;
GIVE been havin' the time of my life with
the rheumatics since seen you, Abner.
Say-I've changed my mind about max
ing a paster O. that field-the cattles
we'll enough as they are. An with no
cattle there we don't need no fence there
no fence at allan the groun's mighty
rich along where them fence corners
use to be-s'pose we take that four feet
along there an turn it into one big
lower bed-where she can raise all the