Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-02-06
Gertrude 5 Grove.
BY Priscilla Leonard.
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BY Priscilla Leonard.
two hundred and fifty dollars on
the sixteenth of March, said Ger
trllde, wrinkling up her forehead.
"And here it is February, Dick, and
we have only one hundred and ten.
We've gone without new clothes all
the year; we've eaten only what we
couldn't sell; we've been equal to all
the articles on How to Live on Ten
Cents a Week"
Indeed we have!' growled fifteen
year-cld Dick. I'VE could run vege-
tartan restaurant on our experience.
never want to see turnip again,
or a bowl of mush. There's been
enough mush cooked in this house
to float battleship-and neither of
US ever did like mush, either. AS for
clothes, / can save the farm the ex-
pense Of scarecrow, anyway" and
he held up one boyish arm, the shah
by coatsleeve far outgrown by the
muscular young wrist. 1.-The advan-
tages of poverty, as a school Of great
ness, ought to make up for it all, of
course, but"
There was an eloquent pause. Ger
trude began figuring again, for the
twentieth time, on scrap of paper.
Il wouldn't mind so MUCH" she
said, disconsolately, ''if we'd had our
chance and failed. But l can't get
my chance.
There are the chickens she went
on. IF could afford even fifty dol
lars to put into settings of eggs and
weather tight accommodations and
enclosed yards, could make money.
There's the trolley-line coming this
spring right by the foot of the lane,
SO that we can market the eggs and
chickens in the city, which we never
could do before, because the horse is
too old to drive in and out twice a
week and do the farm work besides.
With your fancy vegetables and my
chickens we could make this place
pay by spending a little. Instead of
that we have to strip everything to
get the interest on the mortgage to-
gether and pay off the notes-and ev-
en- then we can't do IT."
There's only fifty dollars left on
the notes." said Dick, encouragingly.
Get old Slater to renew them
again."
'He won't" said Gertrude. %As
long as this farm was off in the back
woods he didn't care. But the trolley
changes all that. Mr.. Slater told me
last week he had waited long enough
for his money. He is going to fore.
close-he said as much-unless we
can raise the money for both notes
| and interest. He wants the farm. He
thinks it's worth having, Dick. That's
the hardest part of it; it is worth hav-
ing, just sa we have to lose it." And
| Gertrude's head went down in her
hands in despair.
Dick looked at his sister in dismay
She was only four years older than
he, but she had been mother as well
as sister to him for SO long that he
looked UP to her strength and ability
| His father had been a dreamy,
thriftless man who had come back
to the old farm from the city for his
health, and whose creed had been
that things would LAST his time
But Gertrude! The place had already
prospered better since Mr. Hender-
sons death, through her energy. An
other year would have seen them
through the worst of the debts, with
a little indulgence on the old money
lenders part. If Gertrude gave up
| IL Gertrude felt the fight was hope
less, then indeed the crisis was des
perate! Dick felt he must say some
thing.
I'VE can sell the horse and-and
the furniture, If it comes to that
he said.
eve can't farm without Rex, and he
| wouldn't bring anything to speak Of
One hundred and forty dollars more
before the sixteenth Of March! Dick
I've lain awake and gone over every
thing we have in the world to sell
and seventy-fiye dollars is the very
most, even if anybody wanted to buy
We haven't any relations that aren't
as poor as we are, and father never
had a rich friend, nor mother either
All we've got is the farm, and it has
not even any timber land, or water
right, or anything on it to sell ex
cept the house and barn and fences
| That grove father planted might be
worth cutting down some day, but moi
yet"
There was man driving by yes
terday, who stopped and asked me
about those trees" said Dick, sud
denly. HE wanted to know how ole
they were, and how many of them
There he is, driving in again Look!'
A well-dressed man, in light bug
gy, drove up the lane and hitchet
his horse by the barn. He looked
round the farmyard, with its lack O.
| prosperity, with considering eye
and then came up to the shabby
house
Gertrude and Dick met him hos
pitably on the doorstep.
THANK you, haven't time" wa.
his brusque answer to their invita-
ton to come in. Il see you have {
few elm trees out there that might BIZ
worth transplanting. There are
great many round this part of thu
country and sometimes buy severa
of them here and there, that look a
| If they might live through transplant