Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1905-09-14
Girls Kisses Saved Crops.

Pittsburg Leader from Topeka, Kan.
At no time for years have men been
so hard to get to work in the wheat
fields Of Central Kansas as this year.
College boys have tried it and most Of
them stuck to the task, but there are
few of them to be had, and the farm
ers have been obliged to get along
with what hands they could pick up.
The greater part of the Huston
wheat was unstacked, and the farmer
saw the loss of crop worth $4,000
staring him in the face when govern
ment reports came that continuous
and heavy rain was expected. The
loss of his crop meant financial ruin
to Huston, and both he and his daugh-
ter, who is Is years old, took to horse
and rode far and near, gathering up
men and offering double wages for
any that would go to their farm. But
hands were scarce and others were Of
fering high prices and things looked
as gloomy as the sky above when the
hands started for the fields that morn
ing.
Unknown to her father, Mabel, who
is as pretty Kansas girl as ever rode
a mustang, told the servant she would
carry buttermilk to the fields that
morning, and keep on filling the men
up with the grateful drink until every
head of wheat was shocked. So she
appeared in the fields with gallons
upon gallons of the cool drink, and
after every man had his fill the girl
called them around her.
Boys" she said, blushing to the
tips of her pretty ears, Daddy 8
wheat must be saved before the rain
comes or l won't be able to go back to
school this fall, and you all know how
badly 1 want to have just one season
more Of preparation for college SO l
won't be behind those bright Eastern
girls.
"Well, am going to offer a prize
for the best workers, and it's prize
no man has won yet-kisses and hugs
for the best men here. To the man
who stacks the most wheat today l
will give three kisses and real, old
fashioned Kansas girls hug. To the
man who is second l will give two
kisses and the third man shall have a
real hard hug. So please save daddy 8
wheat. "
Never was there such harvesting In
all Kansas as that of the Huston
wheat. Every man worked, not as
if it belonged to him, but as if the crop
belonged to Mabel and her college
career depended on it, as it really
did. The hands to a man refused
most gallantly to stop work even for
dinner, and for hours the contest
seemed so even that any one Of q
dozen husky fellows might have been
the winner. Toward evening it was
noticed that three men were leading
all the rest, and when Miss Mabel
brought the buttermilk again and
noticed their progress she grew pink
er and pinker and prettier and pret'
tier. Finally the contest was seen
to be almost tie between Fred Nor
ton, the brawny SOD of neighbor
and two young college men who had
left their universities earlier thar
usual for the health-giving work IL
the fields.
Besides the test of Drawn it begar
to be felt that there was another rea'
son for the determined rivalry of the
two pale Eastern students, who hac
overdone athletics a little, and th'
boy from the Norton farm who haC
deserted his fathers work to join tn
list for Mabel's caresses.
The way those college youths hus
tied that wheat was caution. M
one would have believed 1t had n
not seen one breast the tape in a rec
ord-breaking relay race, aud the Othe
lift his shell out Of the water on tn
long four miles. Finally one fell bacl
a little and it was between the othe
and young Norton, who plainly wa
working himself to death for love o
the pretty Mabel. 1t was nearing
the quitting hour and the college ma
was ahead and looking as pale an
I;ot,xLo5 os rban the raca wa