The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1905-04-26

the atmosphere OF refinement thai
enveloped her like the faint fra
GRANGE of the flower whose name
she bore; and by contrast was pain
fully aware of his own brown hands
and his unpublished speech. Lily
herself observed no such contrasts.
She noted the broad shoulders and
well set head of the young man op-
posiJe, with appreciative eyes; she
liked the slight drawl that con
trasted oddly with his alertmanner
He was only the hired man, yet
somehow she resented that he new
er once addressed her, but confined
most of.his conversation to Tommy.
"Clem said he was a rolling stone
and he's got to roll pretty soon.
Can'tI roll with him?" Tommy
piped presently in the shrill treble
of childhood.
Farmer Blake looked up quickly
under his shaggy brows. You
wasn't thinking of leaving was you?
It's going to be mighty busy
month, and / m depending on your
staying here right along, anyway.
I'll make it worth your while. \
His voice was at once anxious and
peremtory. Farmer Blake asked
few favors; but Glen was the best
hired man that had ever come his
way.
"You amt figuring on leaving
are your" He demanded again.
Glenn looked at his plate in con-
fusion. ''No, | don't know as l
am, he said. A moment after
ward he wondered why he had an
swered so.
The matter rested for a week,
then Farmer Blake spoke definitely.
He liked the best of a bargain, al
ways; but the best in this case was
in forcing Glenn TO an agreement to
stay, even if he had to promise bet
ter terms than he liked. If you II
agree to stay two years, I'll raise
your wage So month, that'll be SIS
and, besides, furnish the seed and
plant the south meadow with you
on shares, said Farmer Blake,
It'll be worth your while, I reck-
on,
81 reckon it will, " said Glenn
briefly; and Farmer Blake, thinking
the hired man considered the dnan-
cial aspect of the case only, reflect
ed that he might have offered lower
wages or left out the south meadow
concession altogether.
The year that followed was hap
py one for Farmer Blake's hired
man. 1t was full of hard work; but
there was a compensation in the
summer evenings under the shade
trees in the front yard, where the
hired man according to farm ETH
quette, was priviledged to sit with
the family; in the long winter even
;ngs, around the big base-burner
in the sitting-room or the even
cheerier kitchen stove; and in the
quarter and half hours which Glenn
stole from his other duties to doodd
chores around for Her. For the
hired man, by the end of the
year, had reached that point where
the world held only one Her
the farmer S tall, slim daughter.
As to the feelings of the girl her
self, Glenn was in the dark. She
smiled on him. but so did she on
the lanky farmers sons, who drove
to the house in the evenings or on
Sunday afternoons. She was un-
failingiy sweet and gentle with him,
bat so was she with everyone. He
hoped yet he feared, and he linger-
ed in the not undesirable land Of
Uncertainty until, one summer af-
ternoon, quite unpremeditatedly, he
crossed the boundary into the. land
of Delight.
"You never did go rolling, did
you Glenn" said Tommy from the
kitchen step, as the hired man
paused minute, below, before
starting back to the bayfield,. The
subjectAwas one that had never lost
Interest to Tommy. when are
you going to start? You said there
wasn't nobody to keep you here. !"
/ ftD.A ILr~o - eoyooh1lr 49,