The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1908-01-22
he &c IL
Mushroom
arm By J. LUDLUM
u ezE sac LEE.
Copyright, 1907, by P. G. Eastment.

& Copyright, 1907, by P. G. Eastment.
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The girls were holding an Indignation
meeting. Clara Carruthers was curled
up on the window ledge, Myrtle Reed
had stretched herself comfortably on
the lounge, Mary Sands was perched
on the side of a table swinging her
feet. while two or three other girls
were comfortably seated in armchairs.
Myrtle Reed was reading the Goshen
Leader, tie principal local paper.
Girls, it ought to be stopped. Here
she is advertising for man to fix the
roof of that old stable. Yesterday she
wanted man to fix the furnace, and
the day before it was boy she want
ed to water the mushroom beds. Her
family are poor enough without en-
couraging Florence Weiss in any more
of her foolish fads. Why doesn't she
marry, as the rest of us have done?"
That's what l asked Jack the other
night" chimed in Mary Sands. But
she says she hates the men and wants
to raise mushrooms and make a for
tune of her own. Her grandmother
left her 5000, you know, and that is
what she invested in the mushroom
fad"
Lets go down in body and apply
for the job," suggested Clara st is
a glorious day, and the walk will do us
good"
In the meantime Florence Weiss was
unlocking the door of the old stable.
Dressed in a short walking skirt and
| scarlet sweater, with an old tam-o'-
shanter on her golden hair, she made a
picture most unfarmer-like. Her blue
eyes sparkled with anticipation as she
entered the cellar of the stable to view
| her precious mushrooms. Florence had
| ideas and ideals, and she meant to live
up to both. If the family expected her
to marry just to replete their purse
they would be sadly disappointed. Wo-
men were born for nobler things, she
argued, and she would go forth and
make money with her own hands and
brains and not tie herself to any man.
! She knelt down by the side of one
of the beds and with a spoon cut off a
tiny mushroom sprung up overnight
She examined the spawn in another
bed, felt the temperature of third
and then went to the door to call Mala
chi, the boy whom she employed to dc
| chores.
Malachi Malachiv' she called out
but Malachi did not appear, SO she
went out to look for him. Behind the
stable on the side hill she found him
covered with tar and beating fire.
Malachi, what is all this?' she de
manded.
Eyes. ma'am-you see, ma 'am-C
Lord, miss, I've set fire to the tar" he
walled. "You see. miss, I was gettin
opened the barrel Of tar, an i
wouldn't run, so / thought, you see
maam, l thought I'd melt it-yes
ma'am.''
"Well, Malachi, you're an idiot, that:
what you are, and never want to SCI
right, and I'll have to buy more tar a
IS a BARREL"
/ Malachi was discharged, and the
man who applied to put on new roo
was installed in his place.
"Clean up the place" said Florence
when asked what he should do unit
more tar arrived for the roof.
Florence started for town and s.
missed the call that the girls paid
She was back the next morning, how
ever, to see her new man started OF
his work.
Get some of that fertilizer. Joseph
and bring it to me. This bed is in yer,
poor condition and will never yiel'
anything unless we work on it,
Joseph stared in blank amazement
Fertilizer, ma'am." he said Is
that pile of rotten stuff that was lyir
out yonder what you're speakin q
Eyes, yes!" answered Flosaa
Right there at the side door
''Well. I'm after dumpin
brook, ma'am." he announ
told me to clean up the
done it. ma'am to the
ity.' And he strai~htpn
what bent shoulder
his brilliant " gf
1t was too III