The Holbrook news., 1912-04-12
WINNING OF AGATHA
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 of the sausage packing gang that had reported for work Teof1la, the inter- preter, had quit the preceding Satur- hay to get married.
 Old Heine, the foreman of the saul sage department, ruefully surveyed the half-dozen new girls standing around aimlessly, and big Boleslaw, who had been sent up from the gate with them because enough girls had not appeared for work that morning. An hour of busy day had gone al ready with no orders packed, and O'Brien, the shipping boss, was likely to stalk in at any moment, storming Rt the delay.
 How can dey expec' me to turn out work with such cattle?" groaned old Heine.
 "W'at you want us to dor" demand ed pretty little Agata.
 Old Heine stared. He had always associated prettiness with shallow ness, and he thought Agata passed too much time primping ever to learn anything.
 You speak English?" he Queried.
 "Sure,D answered Agata.
 He told her what he wanted done. In ten minutes everybody was busy and old Heine could think calmly of the impending visit of O,Brien.
 Stalwart BolesIaw felt humiliated at having to work at such tasks as the girls did, and he listened shamefully as Agata translated old Heine's orders to him. The other men saw that he was bashful, and they increased his discontinue by their raillery. He soon determined to make himself in dependent of Agata's assistance by learning to understand the foreman himself.
 Old Heine was pleased with Agata, except for her good looks. He feared that she would soon leave him to get married, as Teofla had done, with green gang on his hands. To post pone this evil as long as possible he determined that no man in the sau- sage department should court her if he knew it.
 In a few days Matte, the trucker, began to loiter between loads at the table where Agata worked. Agata,
  to rid herself of Matte by telling him f Piotr. back in the old country, who tome time would come to Chicago to claim her. But instead of acting as a deterrent, her story seemed to arouse n him sudden ambition to over come his absent rival. Then one day he got down to the loading platform with box of sausage after the train had been pulled. Thereupon old Heine discharged him and put Boles- law in his place. Truckers were cas- Ter to get than interpreters, and he | felt certain that the bashful BolesIaw | would not try to woo Agata. Boles- law was pleased to find himself doing | . mans work.
 In few days Franciszek, the mailer, began to finger, after his days work was done, for a chance to walk home with Agata. Old Heine soon noticed Ehis. One morning Franciszek came few minutes late and found Boles- law in his place. Rheumatic Tomasz was put to trucking.
 Anton, the sealer, was the next to Iall victim to the charms of Agata. A few days later a customer com plained of the weights of consign- nent, and Anton was discharged. Boleslaw wss put in his place at the Vcales.
 Old Heine did not relish these in- roads on his gang. No one seemed to understand why the men had been discharged for offenses that hitherto had been condoned, so the foreman hinted the reason to Agata, hoping that she would keep the men at dis tance.
 Boleslaw, not realizing that his ap- parent bashfulness had had an impor- tant influence on his advancement, felt pardonable pride, because after only six months of work he was earning as much as any one on the gang. He no longer had to get his orders through Agata, and now his fellows seldom laughed at his shyness. But he had long admired Agata, as she was aware lrom his glances.
 One day Boleslaw whispered a re- quest to Agata for permission to take her to a dance on the following Sat urday evening She put him of with m evasive answer, but he took 1t for ! refusal due to his awkwardness and blushed and stammered confusedly. Be had heard the story of the absent Piotr, and now he blamed himself for bis boldness. Agata seemed so unat- tainable to him that he marveled at bis effrontery in asking to accompany her to the dance.
 For the next few weeks Boleslaw worked harder than he had ever work cd before. He had done every kind of work in the sausage packing room, and now he set himself to learn the various brands of sausage, how to keep the time of the workers and even the names of all of old Heine's custo- u,ers As BoIeslaw's efficiency grew