The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1917-11-07
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AIRS. Mapes always referred to hel
vQ Bokharas and the Royal Baluch
.stah as "the rugs that Dustin ate gP.
nd lest anyone who heard her might
urmlse that Dustin was a sort OF car,
pet moth, she would go or 10 explain
just how on that August day. a half.
dozen years before, Dustin had first
come up her poplar-lined driveway
staggering and STOPPING under the load
Of the rugs.
He approached her ike any other
peddler and proceeded 70 open his pack
before her as she and the golden-haired
Ida sat stringing beans for dinner.
But right from the first Mrs Mapes al
ways insisted she could see thar there
was something different in Dustln's
face. There was honesty and ambi-
ton. She knew It from the start
Mrs. Mapes had heard the tale Of the
student working his way through col
lege so often that there must have been
something unusually earnest about
Dustlr's appearance to have made him
rousf her sympathies as he did.
"You wanted TO enter this yearT she
asked, feeling or the silky fneness Of
the rugs before her
''Yes, yes" he faltered. II am a 1T
tie older than the average freshman
but you see ! am alone in the world
genuine vegetable dyes All the way
through" he continued more gibly. II
can let you have the large one for
hundred dollars-just what it would
cost at wholesale. That smaller one
could go at fifty. I'll give you the lot
for S4O0."
Mrs. Mapes tried to conceal the look
that must have indicated her despair
even at the thought Of possessing that
much ready money. Then the inspi-
ration flashed through her mind. She
gave look at her daughter-Llda was
seventeen then.
Il can't afford to pay you that mon
ey for them," she said. "But l feel
that / must have those rugs. How
would this scheme strike your We nave
large house here and we are near the
campus. / could take you in and give
you board and lodging for two years in
payment. You could eat out the price
Of the rugs"
Dustin was embarrassed, especially
because he knew that the golden
haired blue-eyed girl was watching him
intently. He hated to reject the offer
Il am afraid that wouldn't go very
far" he said, however. Il had hoped
to make enough on these rugs to put
me through college,
Mrs. MApes, with her glasses on, was
inspecting the threads Of the reverse
side Of the rug. Apparently the weave
suited her. "WeiI then, make it board
and lodging for four years" And be- !
fore giving the poor student time to ac- |
cept or reject this offer Mrs. Mapes
was dragging The rugs through the long
French windows that opened between
the veranda and the drawing room Of
her old-fashioned house.
So Dustin Lorrey went 70 board with
the Mapeses and so the romance that
was inevitable began between Dustin
and Ida. Ida was just the sort Of
blue-eyed, golden-halred lassie that
might have been a collegc-town belle,
between the ages Of seventeen and
iwenty-thres or so, had 1t not been for
Dustin.
After graduating Dustin induced
Mrs. Mapes to listen to his story,
which was about as follows:
"Wheu you made that offer to take
me in" he said, looking between
phrases back to Ida for encourage
ment, II tried to get out of it, and
then-then looked at Ida sitting be-
side you. 1t came to me that the best
thing / could do was to accept your of
fer and stay right here. SO / let the
gang know-told them If they made
any fuss about the rugs I'd have them
al exposed. And so l stayed The
rugs-well, they aren't exactly what
| cracked them up TO be- They aren't
antiques and they were smuggled
Ida knew that-I told her. But it
was Ida that made me stick it out
and finish here before I told you. and
when / graduated and left here told
Ida that I wouldn't come back till
had made good and until could pay
you on the level for that long board
lill"
Mrs. Mapes had thrown her fat arms
around Dushn's neck. Il always
knew you were an honest lad" she
iaid. II knew It the first time l saw
rou. It wasa't half so bad to stick me
With those rugs as it would have been
o go of and leave Ida here with a
,roken heart. That's what people
lere say you did. But I knew you'd
'ome back. But don't you fret about
he board bill. Unless you've got to
END the rugs back to the customs
,eople they're good enough for me"
1917. by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Eyndicate)
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