The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-06-05

lay down on the bed to rest an hou=
before going to the cafe around the
corner for dinner. Afterward she
forgot all about them until the next
evening when she came home, tired
as usual. She was unpleasantly re.
minded then. The soft fruit had been
a long time from the tree, and the
juice had slipped through the fraii
wooden basket and trickled down the
faded greet wallpaper below the win
dow sill.
With an exclamation Of vexation
Miss Lotion put the basket on a
paper pad n then considered what
she should do with the black cherries.
She couldn't eat them. 1t was impos-
sio1e to dispose Of more h n lay
er. She smiled w%istfully as she re-
mem5ered that time so long g and
such a long way from the city when
she had perched on a black limb,
astradle like the boy on the limb
above. and with careless EAST man
aged to eat a peck in one afternoon.
Or was 1t a bushel? She wondered
where the boy was now. Married
most likely-a tired old middle aged
three Or four children. But she shook
that vision away. Handy had too
much energy to be a tired struggler.
Energy and nerve. She laughed and
forgot how tired and warm she was.
lie always went scooting to the top
most. frailest limb. Nc other cher
riss tasted SO good, he told her.
tauntily. "'Fraid to risk your precious
bones"
But Eleanor calmly continued to be
a "piker' and ate ~contentedly down
below. They're my bones.'' she flung
up. Who's going to feel the hurt
except me if they break"
One day the inevitable happened.
Handy came crashing down from his
perch, arms and legs flying. cherries
be directly underneath. Bang against
her he came and slanted on through
the lower limbs to the ground. And
Eleanor. knocked sideways by the i'm.
pact of his flying form, came crashing
after and hit the green grass beside
him. He had a leg broken. Eleanor
fractured an arm and sprained her
ankle. Handy grinned in his pain as
they carried him home.
You might as we'll have had the
fun of climbing" he tainted. Got
hurt anyway, Piker!!"
Soon after that Hamly's folks had
Sold their small farm and moved away.
Eleanor grew up. Her parents died
and her married sisters and brothers
uld not need her. Anyway, she didn't
care to live around with them. She
came to the city and worked, worked,
worked. till she was tired and old.
Miss Lotion came to with a start. An
hour had been spent in dreaming ana
now the juice had soaked through the
newspaper pad to the faded carpet.
Her landlady would be furious. Yet
the cherries were too good to throw
out. Miss Lotion had been reared to
frugal habits. 1t seemed sinful to
waste food that ma1y people would he
thankful for.
When a timid ran sounded on the
door and she opened it to the small,
freckled daughter of her l%aundress,
Miss Lotion was delighted.
Wouldn't your mother like a has
ket of cherries?" she asked ingrati-
atingly, as she took the big package
of Numbered white waists.
The small. freekled face glowed. II
guess he would" she replied prompt
ly. Cherries like them cost a LOTT
So Miss Lotion carefully wrapped them
In several thicknesses. though the
small girl seemed quite willing to risk
the juice: then she pencilled a short