Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1910-06-16
Among the
Apple Trees
n Story Of Farm
Life
By CLIFFORD v. GREGORY
Copyright. 1910. by American
Copyright. 1910. by American
Press Association
CHAPTER Y.

help them gather the luscious fruit.
In accordance with Mr.. Parsons in
structions, they were placing the APP
pies in huge piles and covering them
with straw until they could provide
some more permanent place 10 store
them
81 wish we had Il cold storage house"
said Gladys These Wealthys won't
keep very long any other way, and
they aren't worth much now"
You ought TO have sold them to
Snyder" said Mabel
You don't catch me selling apples
to a trust" Gladys answered 'I'u
make them into pies and let JEFF eat
them first
What are you going TO do with
them?" her father asked. There must
be nearly seventy barrels of these
Wealthys."
I'VE might make them into cider"
suggested Mabel
I've thought Of better plan than
that" said Gladys The Glen City
Cold Storage company stores apples
for a dollar a barrel, so Mr.. Pearson
told me- The Wealthys Will keep in
storage till the middle of February,
and by that time they'll be worth 81
or s. a barrel"
The next day the girls left their IA
Their to pick apples alone and went to
town to talk with the storage man.
Eighty barrels, did you say?" asked
the manager when Gladys had explain
ed what they wanted. 81 guess we
can handle that many all right. What
did you say your name was?' he went
on, drawing his book toward him.
He gave surprised whistle when
Gladys told him and excused himself
for q moment.
I'm sorry" he said as he came
back, but find that we haven't any
more room Good day"
The girls stared at him in blank sur
prise, and II was not till they were
halfway home that Gladys suddenly
bel. You know, he said We couldn't
sell our apples unless we sold them
to him. But We'll show him yet"
81 don't see how" Mabel objected.
WED better have let him have them
and saved any trouble"
1t took about week longer to fin
ish picking the apples. After they
were all piled and covered with straw
Mr.. Sanders helped the girls load up
wagon load. and they started for
town to peddle them.
They found 1t no trouble at all to
get rid Of them at a dollar a bushel,
for Snyder's corner was already be-
ginning TO make itself felt. By the
middle Of the afternoon the entire
load was gone. The girls drove around
by the bank. and Gladys ran In and
deposited $15. There was still S12 left
of the money the apples had brought.
The girls had long before agreed that
some of the first apple money was to
be used to buy that long wished for
silk dress for their mother BY the
time they had selected the dress and
trimmings to go with it and reached
home it was almost dark.
Guess what we've got for you,
mommie!" cried Mabel. dashing into
the kitchen like a young whirlwind
and throwing the folds Of the dress
around her mothers shoulders.
Mrs. Sanders was an undemonstra-
tive little woman. but she had TO gath
er up the new dress quickly to keep
a couple of teardrops from falling on
it.
"What would ! do without my two
girls?" she said and then turned to
her cooking as if nothing had happen
ed.
But the girls understood. and when
Mr.. Sanders came in and the supper
dishes were done they made the little
mother sit in the rocking chair while
they draped the folds of silk around
her. and their father agreed with them
that "she looked just like a queen"
though he had very hazy idea what
a queen looked like.
"Wasn't it fun? said Mabel just
before she dropped to sleep that night
Lets spend all our money that way
instead of going TO college,"
The next morning they were up and
had their wagon loaded when the sun
came peeping up over the haystack.
1t was hot after the sun began to
shine. and it was hard work measur-
ing out apples. but the money kept
coming In, which made the work seem
a great deal easier. 1t was fun. too,
in a way-there were so many differ
ent sorts of people. and they made so
many queer remarks.
There was the old negro nanny
who hailed the "apple girls as de-
liverance from the daily fare of dried
prunes; the wistful looking old man
who said he liked apple pie, but his
wife didn't and IL he bought any ap-
pies 1t would make trouble" and the