The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-09-24
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BY LoRA slMMs.

by LUNA SiMmo. ~
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Mrs. Mapes always referred 10 he
two Bokharas and the Royal Baluch
istan as "the rugs that Dustin ate up,
and lest anyone who heard her Nigh
surmise that Dustin was a sort of car
pet moth, she would go on TO explain
just how on that August day, 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 like any other
peddler and proceeded TO open his pack
before her as she and the golden-halred
Ida sat stringing beans for dinner.
But right from the first Mrs. Mapes al
ways insisted she could see that there
was something different In Dustin's
face. There was honesty and ambi-
ton. She knew IL 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
Dustins appearance to have made him
rouse her sympathies as he did.
"You wanted TO enter this year| she
asked, feeling of the silky fineness of
the rugs before her.
Eyes, yes" he faltered. II am lit
tie older than the average freshman
but you see am alone in the world;
genuine vegetable dyes all the way
through" he continued more glibly. II
can let you have the large one for
hundred dollars-just what 1t would
cost at wholesale. That smaller one
could go at fifty. I'll give you the lot
for $780,"
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-Lida was
seventeen then.
II can't afford to pay you that mon
ey for Them" she said. "But / feel
that / must have those rugs. How |
would this scheme strike you? We have |
a large house here and we are near the |
campus. I 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
II am afraid that wouldn't go very
far" he said, however. 81 had hoped
to make enough on these rugs to put
me through college"
Mrs. Mapes, with her glasses on, was
the threads of the reverse
side of the rug. Apparently the weave
suited her. "Well. then, make 1t board /
and lodging for four years." And be- !
fore giving the poor student time to ac- y
cept or reject this offer Mrs. Mapes d
was dragging the rugs through the long $
French windows that opened between
the veranda and the drawing room Of I
her old-fashioned house. +.
So Dustin Lorrey went to board with !,
the Mapeses and so the romance that !,
was inevitable began between Dustin a
and Ida. Ida was just the sort of |,
blue-eyed, golden-haired lassie that
might have been a college-town belle, n
between the ages of seventeen and P
twenty-three or so, had 1t not been for +
Dustin.
After graduating, Dustin induced :,
Mrs. Mapes to listen to his story,
x,yus a out &c fnIInutc.
"When you made that offer to take b
me in he said, looking between n
phrases back to Ida for encourage p
ment, II tried to get out of 1t, and Il
looked at Ida sitting be- Il
side you. 1t came to me that the best 10
hing could do was to accept your Of p
Ter and stay right here. So l let the Vi
gang know--told them IL they made =
my fuss about the rugs I'd have them n
Ill exposed. And so l stayed. The II
they aren't exactly what la
cracked them up TO be. They aren't ne
antiques and they were struggled. in
ida knew that told her. But 1t so
vas Ida that made me stick 1t out M
nd finish here before told you, and pr
Vhen l graduated ana left here told - :
ida that / wouldn't come back till / u
ad made good and until l could pay Al
ou on the level for that long board bo
ill.," W,
Mrs. Mapes had thrown her fat arms col
round Dustin's neck. 81 always tt
new you were an honest lad" she int
aid. II knew it the first time / saw ap
on. It wasn't half so bad TO stick me
18th those rugs as it would have been
, go off and leave Ida here with
roken heart. That's what people
ere say you did. But l knew you'd
,me back. But don't you fret about
lie board bill. Unless you've got to tn'
md the rugs back to the customs "a
,ople they're good enough for me-" r.,
Copyright. 1917, by the Mcclure Newspa- To
per Syndicate.) og
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