New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1909-07-28
BY F. A. mitchell.

oy =. -. MI NtJeIs
copyright, 1909, by American Press Asso-
ciation.l
He was her fathers farm hand,
hired for the harvest season. She had
come out while he was driving reap
ing machine to bring him pitcher Of
buttermilk. He had descended from
his perch to drink it and for a brief
chat with her.
IF you wouldn't mind telling me, y
he said, II would like to know just
what it was that prompted you to
bring this buttermilk to me-
'"The kindness OF my heart, sup
pose.''
Eve been a farm hand before, but
I never knew a farmers daughter to
take pity on me when reaping. I'm
afraid you haven't given me the true
reason
why did you bring me those wild
fowers?''
This was counter question that
shifted him from the offensive to the
defensive.
''The kindness of my heart, sup
pose,'' he said presently
"Oh, we'll, if that's all, we're even.
But it doesn't seem to me that the two
cases are the same. l see you hot and
tired and think how refreshing drink
Of buttermilk would be to you, so I
bring it to you You see some wild
flowers. You don't know that I'm es-
pecially fond of flowers-fndeed, only
like them as other people debut you
gather them for me, you said, and give
them to me. Suppose had been some
one else.''
II haven't been used to gathering
| wild flowers before for farmers daugh-
tiers where I have worked
1--WE often brought farm hands but
termilk when they were reaping''
He lookec into her face. 1t was as
mild as a May morning.
"Then why did you ask He
| paused, but she replied to the unfn-
ished question herself before he could
| finish.
II didn't until you had asked"
He had returned to the starting
II suppose if any one else had gath
cred flowers for you you would have
liked it just as well.'' a.
II didn't say that"
"But you said you had often brought
farm hands buttermilk.''
II did,
$50 there's nothing more about it."
Nothing except that you haven't
told me why you gave me the flowers -
There was longer pause this tins.
He was leaning against the machine;
she was standing on the fallen grain.
well, I don't mind telling you," he
said, though I don't see any use in
doing SOL was walking in the woods
when came on the flowers. was
thinking Of you. They looked up at
me innocently and seemed to say,
Take us to herr
Nov you've told me that much, I'll
tell you what the flowers said to me.
They said, Wasn't it sweet OF him to
bring us to you 2, and said, why was
it sweet? And they said, Because
because-we don't knowr Didn't he
tell you why. he sent your 1 asked.
No. they said, he didn't Then I
said, Why did he send you to me with
out reason?' and they said, He may
have had a reason, but he didn't tell
us what it was 'Ohv said I, and that
was the end Of it.
"Ho, there, Jerry! Stop that!''
Hes only kicking the flies. You
wouldn't have him suffer their sting
without trying to get rid Of them?'
"1'll tell you what I'll do,'' he said,
without noticing her remark eff you'll
just forget for awhile that you're my
employers daughter and some day
coming into this big farm and the
stock and the crops and the money in
bank for many past crops, I'll tell you
why I gave you the flowers"
''They didn't say that had anything
to do with it,
'That's because they didn't know.
They sprung up out Of the ground
/ naturally and remain natural We
spring from the same ground, but we
are warped by being civilized"
But the minister said only last Sun
day in his sermon that until we be-
came civilized we weren't ready to
receive the New Testament. How,
then, can civilization kill within us our
loveliest feelings?''
Again he looked at her and Won
dered. How could she by her shrewd
replies continually force him to take
the aggressive and yet be so simple,
so innocent?
These are too deep questions for
country folk like us to handle,'' he
said. ''All I know is that can't speak
all would speak to your fathers
daughter
They stood both looking on the
ground. Confused sounds came to
them-the lowing of cattle, the rattle
Of distant reaper, the neigh Of a
horse, the bark Of dog, the hum Of
bees. The horses continued to kick
the flies, but there was just now moth