The Red Cloud chief., 1915-11-18
HER GOLDENROD DYE
BY MURIEL CHANCE.

@. '~N'"
not make herself believe that it was
true.
She was weaving in the attic, max
ing the homcspun rugs which had be
come a village industry in the little
Pennsylvania town. Her winters work
brought in enough money to buy a few
Injuries for her bedridden mother and
clothes for Monte, at school. Suddenly
a knock came below and. when Nancy
went down, she saw a young man. a
stranger, standing at the.door.
Il am told that you make the best
Jugs in the village, Miss McLane,' he
said. May | see some of your work.
She showed him some. Certainly the
contours were straight, and not higgle.
~dy-piggledy like those Of most of the
village rugs. However, the young man
was interested in other details than
that.
MY name Is Cyrus Brown. and !
am from the rug factory at Altoona"
he said. I'VE want to buy the secret
of your vegetable dye-the yellow
one"
Nancy laughed. There isn't any se.
crct about that" she answered
Everybody here knows that. It's
goldenrod. You steep the flowers in
hot water and add u little alcohol and
- And Nancy gave linn the secret
May come another day when goa
are making the cy.ract?' asked The
young man
yes, ] reckon III hc making some
this day next week, Nancy answered
Seems to me, Nance, ggumb,ed her
mother, when ne had gone, you might
have GOT hold Of a young fellow Ike
that instead Of that go1I-fo nothing
Jim Penny"
Nancy said nothing. Eut she sighed
a little tha, nisht when jim out IL
work as usual, sat glumly at nor side
and asked, tor the tenth time that year,
when she would marry him.
Nancy and Jim had been engaged
for years. But he had never neld a DO
sition more than a week or two. and,
while the girl felt the bond of old as.
ISOLATION, she had begun to think serl.
ously of the future.
When Mr.. Brown called, a week Ia.
ter, Nancy had a ~steaming pot of gola.
enrod extract upon the table, and he
was quickly initiated into the mystery
OF dyeing the fabrics.
1t seems too good to be true" said
the young man I'VE thought those
vegetable dyes had been forgotten long
ago. am authorized to pay you this
in remuneration" And he handed her
a crisp bundle of bills.
Nancy drew back. "Why Mr..
Brown she said. everybody knows
how to make goldenrod dye. 1t isn't
worth anything-really."
But he left the bills upon the table
and. declining to stay for supper this
time. departed. When he had gone
Nancy looked at the money. There
were five hundred dollars!
Breathless. she ran after the visitor,
but he was out Of sight. And so she
back and wrote a letter to the
rug factory explaining that a mistake
had been made.
Her mother, though inclined to agree
with this view, was strongly against
Nancy's posting the letter.
That evening Nancy, radiant, ran to
Jim with a cry OF pleasure and told
him what had occurred, showing him
the bills,
To her amazement Jim became al.
most inarticulate with anger.
Five hundred dollars for a trade
secret" he shouted. why. it's worth
five thousand at the least"
But, jim, everybody knows how to
make goldenrod dye" Nancy protest.
ed.
We'll tell them that we stipulated
for i've thousand" he said. and I'll
take this lot. Nancy. to make a first
payment on that cottage l spoke
about"
A few days later the young man
called again.
We have received a letter from a
Mr., Penny, threatening to bring suit
on your behalf for five thousand dol.
lars" he began. The company sent
me to investigate. Do you really make
~ Sioiih, NiSo NiSiAduc.
Mr.. Brown. l don't want to take a
penny" she cried. Why, IL gave
you the secret and"
She brought the money and thrust
it into his hands. That shows you
what I feel about it," she cried.
And 1t took the whole afternoon,
until supper time, before Mr.. Brown
could convince Nancy OF the value OF
a commercial secret. In fact, 1t took
so long that Jim came in upon the
couple as Mr.. Brown was ex.
planning to Nancy after supper was
over.
Hum! | guess ! see where the mig.
ger lay" remarked the young man, sur.
vcying the couple with a cool stare,
Nan. if you're going to let yourself be
cheated out of your money by a swim.
dler like that, all | say is. l wash my
hands of YOU"
Nancy got up with dignity. per,
haps you would like To talk IN Mr.