The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-06-12
A Crop of
Potatoes
It Was Connected With q
Romance.
By f. A. MITCHfl

When the time approached for our
going to our modest country home for
the summer had just parted with my
fifth servant In as many months. /
concluded to advertise for another. I
wrote out tempting description of
the place, expatiating on the delicious
country air and mentioning that the
house stood In four acre lot.
received just one reply. A few
days after the issue Of the advertise
ment girl came to see me who said
that she was looking for a situation.
She was very plainly dressed, but there
was an air about her that did not ac-
cord with her attire. She did not seem
so interested In the wages proposed
to pay as In the place where she was
to spend the summer. She asked me
If there was room for a kitchen gar
den, adding that she would like to try
her hand at raising vegetables When
I informed her that she could have all
the land she could plant, that the soil
was excellent and had never grown
anything but grass, she accepted the
position, but on condition that she
might be permitted to go to the place
by the middle Of April In order to get
her planting done in season. 1t was
not my intention to go to the country
before the LIST of May.
Margaret, my new maid, agreed to
flll her position In my household for
the few weeks remaining till she was
to depart for the country. She came
one day at noon and cooked the din
ner. l had told my husband that
had secured prize, and when he saw
Margaret and ate the dinner she had
prepared he admitted that was right
In my assumption.
"But / fear" he said, that she will
be above her work. She is evidently
not Of the servant class. can't ex-
actly make out to what class she be-
longs; but, from her personality, leav-
ing out the fact that she is a serv-
ant, would place her well up In the
social scale. ! don't believe she will
be satisfied to remain long with you"
''If she plants garden she will have
to remain with me-" l replied, eth she
has gathered her CROP"
Margaret showed no disposition to be
dissatisfied with her work so long as
we were In the city nor, for that mat
ter, ever displayed such dissatisfac-
ton. True, l treated her with more
consideration than / had ever treated
a servant before. But she did not
exact such consideration and was al
ways perfectly respectful to me, though
she never addressed me as "ma'am."
1t was always Eyes, Mrs. Alderman"
and mo, Mrs Alderman"
On the 18th Of April my maid left me
for the country. l supposed that she
would fear to sleep alone In the house,
but she said she might have a sister
with her some of the time, with my
permission. This l Of course granted.
We missed the delightful meals Mar
garet prepared for us, for she was the
best cook l ever knew. 1 was glad
when the time came to follow her,
though my husband said that II she
were to make farmer of herself she
would deteriorate as q cook.
When reached my cottage ! found
Margaret domesticated She was alone,
her sister having gone away the day
before my arrival What was my sur
prise to see two-thirds Of the ground
laid out for a garden and few sprouts
here and there. l asked Margaret who
had turned over the ground, and she
said she had hired a farmer In the
neighborhood to plow it and a friend
Of hers had leveled it. She had done
the rest herself.
what have you planted, MargaretT
l asked.
81 have put in variety In that cor
ner," she said, pointing, "for your Ia
BILE; the rest has been given up to po-
tatoes."
"PMatoesI" l exclaimed. what do
you propose to do with SO many po-
tatoes?"
man, that the worlds war is reducing
the earth's products. Not only will
this tend to raise the price of food,
but spectators will make this an ex-
cuse to hoard their products, which
will greatly enhance the market value.
1 have put In this crop on speculation"
/ was astonished. A servant girl
had secured a situation that brought
with it piece Of ground and had used
it to enter upon speculation. Her
action was predicated upon sound rea-
soning and business principles. My
husbands prediction that would find
her above her business was true In
one respect, but false in another. She
knew her place as a servant, but was
competent to act In far wider field.
As the weather warmed ethe vegeta-
bles in Margaret's garden came up, and
since both the soil and the weather
were admirably fitted for the growth Of
potatoes there was every prospect OF
her securing a fine crop. The stalks
were not too luxuriant, and Margaret
said she did not fear that the crop
would be mostly stalk with few pota-
toes. The corner that she had planted
for our private use gave US such a va
riety Of vegetable food as one could
enjoy.
And this corner was of especial salts
faction to us because by midsummer
Margaret's calculations on prices had
begun to show themselves correct We
could not buy vegetables even from the
farmers about us at prices we coult
afford to pay, and, as for potatoes
when the old years stock had givel
out one would have been obliged to g
without them had we not bought TIL
few we needed from Margaret.
When the summer was drawing to al
end man drove up in a wagon on
morning and asked If Margaret Sayle
was in. Margaret was out In the gar
den, and / sent him there. Later
saw him digging the potatoes, putting
them In gunny sacks and loading then
on to the wagon. did not notice tn
mans appearance particularly, but b.
wore q SLOUGH felt hat ard pair o
overalls. l don't know how man.
loads of potatoes he took away will
: him, but he was all day at the work.
That evening asked Margaret hov
she was coming out on her crop. Sh
said that she believed she would d,
very well, since potatoes were increas
ing in price every day. l replied tina
was well aware of the fact, to m,
cost. she added that she had been SO
licited by the neighboring farmers t
hold her property for a better price
but had declined. She did not believ
in the principle and would risk losin
all she had made. The price nigh
drop and the potatoes might rot on he
hands. 1 told her thought she wa
wise.