Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-06-16
The Argus Daily Short Story
Her Burned Mushrooms-By Anita Carr.
Copyrighted. 1908. by Associated Literary Press

TO buy her cottage: I'm going to keep
it and stay right here. 1t is home to
me. 1t is not for SALE
Mrs. Barnes went over at once when
the news reached her. Carrie" she
began abruptly, chow are you going
to do it? What are you going TO live
on?"
There was a faint CLEAN of the old
humorous smile on Carries lips as she
surveyed her inquisitOr's grimly disap-
proving face. I'm going to grow
mushrooms she announced, land
ship them to New York"
Perhaps had it been any other COM
modify than mushrooms Hillside would
not have seethed with disapprOval as
it did. Mushrooms to them We're OBJ
jects of suspicion, classed with weeds
and other obnoxious products of ma
ture. without which TIE human race
could got along famously. as
That there were enough persons in
the world who yearned for mushrooms
to give Carrie living income seemed
highly improbable, but all the protests
were met by her with facts. figures
and methods. for she had studied the
subject thoroughly before deciding to
go into it.
The determination with which she
chung to her project was another mat
ter for surprise. No one had dreamed
she had such persistence in her. And
the mushroom sheds were built and
the beds made, and Carrie started in
| business.
The first check Carrie received from
| the big New York hotel she cried over
| before half the women Of the town had
gazed upon it with their own eyes and
| had seen money really was forthcom
| tr1 for the queer creamy white fungi
THAT had been so carefully packed IN
| baskets aha Put on the train by theil
growers own hands.
1t was not such large check. bu
it was something. and she had earned
it. From then on Hillside had to ad
NIT that possibly Carrie had NOR,
| they could not at once abandon tn,
oversight they kept upon her.
'She will never outgrow her flight
ness" Mrs. Barnes said one day. ''
met her downtown in this cold. raw
wind with no fur around her neck an,
Just lace blouse over her throat
Carrie needs some one to look afte
her"
"Oh, she'll marry again." said Mrs
| Croft comfortably "She's too prett,
not to. And there's no sense In he
living alone in that little cottage an,
growing those toadstools-well, the
look just the same. anyway-all tn
rest of her life! But she doesn't seer
TO have eyes for any one, and poo
White would be pretty attentive t
her if she'd let him. and he's fin
man
Yet. when DR.. White soon afte
asked Carrie TO marry him she shoe
her head with faint little smile an
refused him. st isn't that don't az
preciate you" she said. with an IL
stiTct to soften her refusal. "but. yo
see, I'm so busy here IL haven
time to be happy"
Yet there was n pang of regret
her heart as she watched his-ta fl
ure down the hill, for their cheerfr
comradeship had frightened her days.
Tie had brought her books ard pan
phlets on her work, had advised an
sympathized. ard she knew she woul
miss his brief but almost daily call
But love. she told herself. she wa
done with. Time had sOftened he
sorrow. but for her she thought til
ordinary happy life of a woman wa
over and finished.
DR.. White after time bravely trie
to renew their former unsentiment;
comradeship. but that. too. seemed d
stroyed and the attempt n farce.
81 can't do it. Carrie" he broke o,
- hoarsely one day. II love you. and