The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1914-05-21

Reward
It Came at a Rummage
Sale.
BY MURlEL HAYNES.

But best brother that ever lived
concluded Richard Ames. Look here
Maude. III give up my intention Of
taking Miss Hempsted out driving and
devote the time instead to the noble
cause Of rummage, but only with the
understanding that If l give up the 20,
ciety of the beautiful Miss Hempsted
for sweet charity am to pick my own
company. ....
"The way you fred me at Nella
Brewster's head the night of the
church sociable was nothing short of
indecent. If she doesn't want to speak
to me again why should you deprive
her of that satisfaction"
Its not a satisfaction" insisted
Dicks sister. "Nella is as utterly mis-
cradle as you, and you know it."
"She didn't look that way this after
noon when / passed her skating with
Ben Hyrkinson," commented Dick.
"She's game. She would smile if she
had the toothache and happened to see
you owning" persisted Maude. "She
wouldn't let you see that she was hurt
by the way you have acted, but-well.
any woman can see that she ia dread
fully hurt"
$50 much hurt that she could not an
swer \ letter of abject apology sent
her." suggested Dick. .. ..
Ibid you really send itT' demanded
Maude curiously. "She says she never
got it and that you didn't even answer
hers"
Because there was none to answer"
retorted Dick. "Come on, now! Let
US get down to the church and to that
charity which is it's own reward"
Maude paused uncertainty. It was
the first time that Dick had spoken
freely about his quarrel with Nella
Brewster, and she wanted to sound the
trouble to it's greatest depths. But
here was Dick drawing off just US she
had seemed about to reach the bottom.
That the trouble had been trivial at
the start she knew, and with two per-
sons like her brother and Nella 1t was
hard to tell where the trouble might
end, but the chances were that they
would drift farther and farther apart.
Meekl7 she slipped into her wraps
and prepared for the walk to the
church, where q rummage sale for the
poor was being prepared.
Old clothes were pouring in to be
sold to che needy for whatever their
slender purses could afford. When
Maude led Dick into the Sunday school
room he whistled in surprise at the
stacks Of clothing.
Il didn't know that there were so
many old clothes in town." he de-
clared wonderingly, and one Of the
workers directed him briskly toward
one of the piles.
This is only the first lot," she said.
"These are the mems and boys clothes.
Will you help get those Strengthened
out? We want them sorted roughly by
Sizes"
Dick followed the example of the
other men in the room and slipped of
bis coat before he attacked the pile of
garments.
Here were clothes Of all sizes and
weights, and as he picked up the first
garment one Of the men on the other
side called to him.
Better 60 through all the pockets
first. l found a dollar bill in a vest
awhile ago, and Cheevers did better
than that. He found two.'
I'VE should leave them In the cloth
Ing" suggested Dick. perhaps the
donors put them there on purpose
"They forgot Them" declared the 9TH
er man as he turned to lay a coat on
its proper heap, and Dick again bent
to his task.
The pile Of clothing seemed formida.
BILE, but with half dozen men work.
ing briskly they had disposed of the
entire lot before the mounds Of fem
inine wear were half sorted. .... .
"They are stopping all the time to
talk about Styles" explained Cheevers.
1.-THE moment they get dress that is
out Of the ordinary they oil stop to see
how it's made
II heard Oracle Chester say that at
last she could be certain that Mrs.
Pomeroy's dress wasn't silk lined" an
swered Dick, with chuckle.
by the way" went on Cheevers,
"here's something I found in the over
coat Of the little darkey that the Brew
sters brought up from the south with
them last winter. Looks as though
Alexander had been holding out some
letters on you" ....
He passed over a thin package of
letters, and Dick gasped. The envel-
opes were grimy and worn, but he
could see that they were some letters
from himself that never had been de-
livered and others from Nella that had
shared the same fate.
He recognized even the letter in
which he had sought to win forgive
ness for all he had said during their
last quarrel-a quarrel which had start
ed over some IF her letters which he
now held in his hand for the first time.
There was bulky one from Nella
that he opened first, and his heart
glowed as he realized that without
xvo{tipn FOR him IN SnaaE No110 had