Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1908-06-26

~o~o
A boy was sitting on n low stone
wall reading a paper covered book.
He was a small boy with q big cap.
and the big cap had a number on its
front.
Presently a quick puff Of wind came
up the roadway, lifting n little cloud
of dust and whirling the fallen leaves.
1t fiuttered the leaves Of the boys fns-
chatting romance, too, and then deity
lifted n yellow envelope from a little
pile of other yellow envelopes on the
wall beside the boy, and toppled it over
the stone wall and into the garden on
the other side, and then sped along.
h the boy finally reused himself
and thrust the romance into his pocket,
he failed to notice the loss Of the en-
vr!ope. If he remembered right there
six messages to deliver, and now there
were but five. Perhaps he had been
mistaken. He had been mistaken on
several occasions. SO he trudged along
u the message sent by Shelb'lrn
Apgar was not delivered. 1t was in
tcllded for the edilication of his daugh-
ter, Grace. But she remained in happy
ignorance Of its contents.
This was the message:
Gam sending up Curtiss Thorne on
the threc-thirty. Meet him at station
and make him welcome. There's moth
ing too good for Thorne. I can't leave
here until SIX"
Grace would have understood this.
She knew how Curtiss Thorne was the
famous young engineer whom the
bridge company, of which her father
was president, was SO anxious to Sc
cure. But at 3 80 o'clock the messag e
was lying in the long grass behind tho
stone wall on the East hill.
The father Of Grace had said moth
ing to her about the coming Of this
guest. She knew that the company
was anxious to get his services, and
that the directors meant to make him
a handsome offer. Her father had
spoken in high praise Of his work, but
the engineer was out Of the city ut
The time and nobody seeeed to know
just VIXEN he would return. So that
J Mullins i lc was uOI III al III NluCC
Apgar's mind.
Hut at breakfast hat morning her
father had said something about his
fear that the electrical wiring of the
house was not in the best Of order.
There had been a disastrous fire in The
nc%ishborhood and the cause had been
givei as defective wiring.
I'm going to have a man up here,''
he said as he passed her coffee cup,
"to look the wiring over. I'm a little
afraid Of electricity myself. And a
stitch in time may ave q fight with
the insurance companies"
Cant you telephone for a workman,
daddyY' Grace asked.
"No," her father answered. II want
something better than an ordinary
workman. l want an expert to look
the thing over and tell me what needs
to lie done. The ordinary workman
can do the rest"
what you want is c specialist,
\ DADDY"
THAT'S it. A specialist on ~installa-
ton. III attend to 1t as o as 1 reach
the city. Perhaps 1 can get the man
up here to-day"
IAN right, daddy, III be on the look
out for him"
Grace had this electric specialist in
mind when she saw q man coming up
l the gravel walk late thai afternoon,
She went to the door to admit him.
He was a well built young man, not
far from thirty. He wore a neat ut.
ting gray suit and n light felt hat and
carried a hand satchel. He was rathay
6arE with dark hair, and he wore q
pair Of dark glasses over his presum-
ably dark eyes.
Home of Shelburn Apgar, I pre-
sumc?' he said ! n a sharp, quick fash
Ton.
YES"
Possibly you are one Of his house
hcldf"
81 am his daughter"
He drew Off his gray hat.
"Glad to meet YOU"
He seemed to look at her with either
admiration or surprise-the dnrl
R.asses quite efrectually hiding his eyes
"Come In" said Grace.
He entered the hall and put dowr
his satchel.
"Your father prepared me for til,
fact that I was to meet you-at Oh.
railway station, I think he said.'
AT the station?" exclaimed Grace.
ut is quite a dusty walk" said til,
stranger. And then he added, But
don't MIND the dust, and the sccner,
YVES pleasing May / sit DOWN.
Grace started. This wds a yer.
friendly young man. Much too friend
y sue Thought.
ssi S;iis Own H ssa ais HEvs sas sNss