The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-12
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 Miss Appieton's clearly penciled orows rose inqufring1y Then why didn't you Keep still?''
 You asked me I told you because you are Dan Appleton's sister New ertheless I don't want it made pub lie Let's sit down." said the girl, with a laugh .sTo tell you the truth, I didn't come here to interview you for my paper. I'm afraid I've tried your patience awfully. faint flush ting ed her clear complexion. .I just came, really. to get some news of Dan.''
 Hes perfectly we'll and happy, and you'll see him in a few days.f' N Miss Appleton nodded. "So he wrote, but couldn't wait Now won't you tell me all about hira-not anything about his looks and his health. but lit tie unimportant things that will mean something? You see. I'm his mother and his sister and his sweetheart
 OsNelI did, as he was directed and before long found himself reciting the details of that trying trip up the Salm- on river. He told her how he had sent tAe young engineer out to run tue preliminary survey for the new rail- road and added He is in fair way to realize his ambition of having you with him all the time. I'm sure that will please you.
 And it is my ambition to make enough money to have him with me, 2 she announced With an air of some importance she continued: .sI'II tell you 3 secret. I'm writing for the maga- zines-stories.'. She sat back await ing his enthusiasm When she saw that it was not forthcoming she ex- claimed. My. how you do rave over the idea:
 T congratulate you, of course, but Now. don't tell me that you tried it once. Of course you did. I know it's. a harmless disease, like the measles, and that everybody has it when they're young Above all don't volunteer the tnfOrmat ton that your own life is full of romance and would make 8 spIen- did novel. They all say that
 Murray O'Neil felt the glow of per EonaT interest that results from the dis covery in another of congeniaI sense of humor.
 T didn't suppose you had to write, he said Dan told me you had in vested your fortune and were on Easy street"
 That was poetic license fiction 1zed slightly in my report to him be- cause knew he was doing so weIl.p
 Then your investment didn't turn nut fortunately ?''
 Miss Appleton hesitated You seem bo be a. kindly, trusting person. rm. sempted to destroy your faith in hu- man nature
 Please don't g
 Yes, shall. My experience may help you to avoid the pitfalls of high t Hrro 41era Val f7 little fortune, to begin with, like boy ln grammar school-just big enough to .se of no assistance. But even a boys size foetune looked big to me. want ed to invest it in something sure-no national bank stock, subject to the dan ger of an Rbsconding cashier, mind you; no government bonds with the possibil- ity of war to depreciate them, but something stable and agricultural, with the inexhaustible resources of nature back of it. This isn't my own lam guage- I cribbed it from the apple man"
 Apple manY'
 Yes. He had brown eyes and Hlky mustache and big irrigation plan over east of the mountains. You gave him your money and he gave you perfectly good receipt Then he plant
 
 tenderIy for five years, after which he turned them over ts you with his bless ing and you lived happily for evermore. At least that was the idea You could not fail to grow rich, for the water all ways bubbled through his little ditch, and it never froze nor rained to spoil things. used to love apples. And then there was my name, which seem ed good omen. But lately I've con- sidered changing Appleton to Berry or .PIummer' or some other kind of fruit"
 "I infer that the scheme failed.' O'Nel's eyes were half closed with amusement.
 Yes It was a good scheme, too, ex- cept for the fact that the irrigation ditch ran uphill and that there wasn't any water where it started from and that apples never had been made to grow in that locality because of some thing in the soil and that brown eyed Betty's title to the land wouldn't hold water any more than the ditch Other wise I'm sure he'd have made a sue cess and I'd have spent my declining years in TO, fling chair under the fall ing apple blossoms, eating pippins and Jonathans and Northern Spies. I can't bear to touch them now. Life at my boarding house is one long battle against apple pies, apple puddings, ap- pie tapioca. Ugh! I hate the very word"
 T can understand your aversion" " laughed OpNaal. 'I wonder if you would ht me order dinner for both of Ms. 1noVaded tRH0o fruit. Perhaps