The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1907-03-26
..pLEAsE DON'T sropr' SHE DRIED.


rimless and his face tanned to a deep
bronze.
But Wainwright was young and Wig
Orous and had keen relish for adven-
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 vag-
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 exhausting
than he had anticipated, but Vain
wright kept on doggedly, though each
hour added fresh blisters 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
Is worth dozen hotel verandasy' The
rustic of leaves, the talk of the men
near by and the drone of insects
through the warm air all blended into
confused murmur An unconquerable
drowsiness stole over him.
Wont you have some dinnerT said
voice beside him, and Wainwright,
opening his eyes, looked up at a girl
who might have been Priscilla, SO de-
mure was her blue dress and white
kerchief. She wore frilled sunbon-
net, and Wainwright wished that he
might see the face it hid, but his de-
sire remained unqualified, for after
serving him the girl turned her atten-
ton to the next man and from that
went impartially down the line. The
men fell to at once. Wainwright alone
stared after the sunbonneted figure
that tripped across the field and took
the orchard path leading to the Rolfe
farm.
That night as he took his seat among
the harvesters that clattered around
the Rolfes' supper table he saw with
qulckening interest that the girl of the
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 wavy brown hair
! coiled low upon her neck.
When supper was over the other
farm hands strolled off toward the
barn. Wainwright fingered.
"Your daughter must be a great help
to you" he ventured.
my daughter" laughed Farmer
Rolfe "Why, she amt my daughter!
She's the hired girl. though l 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 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 hustlerr' 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
stunning al a guitar a white dress
glimmered In the doorway, and pres
emily Mary came out and sat down.
please don't stopw she cried as
Wainwright smothered the last chord
Of a college glee. Pm very fond of
musicr'
What else are you fond Of, won
der?" thought Wainwright and he
deftly led her on to speak of herself.
She was fond of reading, she confess
ed, and knew many of the poets by
heart. Her taste in literature was as
ample as it was fine, and the more she
spoke the more Wainwright wondered,
for she seemed utterly content with
her present occupation.
ANY work that is done we'll Is beau
tiful,'' she declared earnestly, and,
though her illusions to herself were
delicately reticent, Wainwright found
it easy to picture her primitive life,
primitive and yet not humdrum. Her
love of nature and beauty forbade that.
What a wonderful country 1t Is.
unused Wainwright, where even the
rustics have ideas of their own and
vivid way of expressing them" Mary's
personality was the most challenging
and Illuminating one that be had dis
covered so far, and descriptions of hel
covered several pages of his notebook.
In the days that followed he found
that If he. helped Mary with the sup
per dishes the longer they would have
to sit on the porch In the cool of the
evening. So while she splashed the
suds he polished plates and cups and
quoted his favorite authors. After.
J ward they. would stEoll together down