The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-06-02
WainWright's
Experiment.
BY Constance darcy
Mackay.
Copyright, 1907, by NJ. N. Cunningham.

sat little apart from the others ant
mopped his forehead. The muscles o.
his arms and shoulders ached from un
accustomed labor. Yet as he lookei al
the close cut field his feeling was on,
Of pleasure.
Two months before as assistant pro
fessor Of political economy In an east
ern college he had ionged to put Ger
tain problems to the test, to learn from
actual experience those things which
other men were content to take from
the text books. So while his brother
professors spent their vacations In Ell.
rope or at the seashore Wainwright
tramped the highways Of New Eng
band. knapsack on back and notebook
IN hand. Routine and conventionality
we're forgotten, And so much Is man q
part OF his mode OF living that after
bis first two weeks on the road not one
Of wainwright's old confreres would
have recognized him. His clothes had
lost their hall marks Of good tailoring
and become frayed and dusty. His
shoes were out at heel, his hat almost
rimless and his face tanned to deep
bronze.
But Wainwright was young and Wig,
crous and had keen relish for adyen
ture. He liked the freedom OF the high
way, the quest of picking up odd jobs
at the scattered farmhouses along the
route. the deep sleep of the travel wea,
ry in dim, sweet scented haylofts or.
oftener still, in the open, with the stars
shimmering through the branches Of
the trees.
1t was the harvest season. There
was work In plenty, and In time Vain
wright quilted his hand to mouth yag
abondage for the SOLDERING occupation
of harvester on the Rolfe farm, where
he was to receive a dollar a day and
bed and board. The first mornings
labor had proved more exhaustfns
than he had anticipated, but Vain
wright kept on doggedly. though each
hour added fresh bllsters to his hands
and made the scythe seem heavier to-
WELD The midday rest brought an
ecstasy of relief.
This" thought Wainwright as he
stretched himself In the shade -''this
Ia worth dozen hotel verandasw The
rustic of leaves. the talk OF the men
near by and the drone of insects
through the warm air all blended into
q confused murmur. An uneonquerable
drowslness stole over him.
Won't you have some dinnerf' said
q voice beside him, and Wainwright, |
opening his eyes, looked up at a girl
who might have been Priscilla, so lie
mure was her blue dress and whit
kerchief. She wore frilled sunbot.
net, and Wainwright wished that he
might see the face 1t hid, but his de
sire remained ungratlfed, for after
serving him the girl turned her atten-
tion to the next man and from that
went impartially down the line Th
men fell to at once. Wainwright alone
stared after the sunbonneted figur.
that trlpped across the field and took
the orchard path leading to the Rolfe
farm.
That night as he took his seat among
the haryesters that clattered around
the Rolfes' supper table he saw with
quickening interest that the girl of th
noon hour was fitting about the kitch-
en-, passing huge platters of bread and
stone jugs of foaming milk Vain
wright had leisure to observe that she
had brown eyes and wayy brown hair
eolled low upon her neck.
When supper was over the other
farm hands strolled off toward the
barn. Wainwright fingered.
"Your daughter must be great help
10 you" he ventured.
my daughterg' laughed Farmer
Rolfe. why, she amt my daughter.
She's the hired girl. though ! will
say" he added, "that If ever I'd had
a daughter I'd ha' liked one like Mary
Carter. She's as quick and handy as
she can be, and my wife thinks a heap
o. her. Took to her from the first
when the girl come from over by
Coopersville way lookin' for work.
She's so slim and slight you wouldn't
think she could do much But. land.
she's hustlerv Indeed, so absorbed
was Mary In her work that Vain
wright only saw her at mealtimes.
Even then she merely stopped for a
pleasant word or nod.
But one Sunday night when Vain
wright sat alone ON the back porch
at guitar white dress
in the doorway, and pres
emily Mary came out and sat down
"Please don't stopr she cried as
Wainwright smothered tie last chord
Of college glee. "I'm very fond of
musicw
what else are you fond Of, | won
IerT thought Wainwright and he
leftly led her on to speak Of herself.
She was fond Of reading, she confess
ID, and knew many of the poets BY
leart. Her taste In literature was as
imple as 1t was fine, and the more she
poke the more Wainwright wondered.
or she seemed utterly content with
Ter present occupation.
AAny work that is done well is beau
IfuI.D she declared earnestly, and, |
- -. .4l,,.fnno fo harealf 1vnrn