The Delta independent., 1917-09-14
'DIsposIRG lI!; SING OF THE CROP
BY JOAN RUGBY.

dOWaru threw his fountain pen furi-
ously on the desk as a timid tapping
came on the door.
Blame that squint-eyed Oriental !
What do you want?" he cried.
please, Mr.. Landreth, the telephone
rings"
Howard jerked open the door. Well
might the little Japanese tremble for
his masters scowl was terrible to be-
hold. Gone was the elusive idea he
had just managed to grasp after days
of futile effort. His mind was Just
beginning to yield to the quiet sooth-
Ing peace OF the country after days of
Irritation and unrest following a quar-
rel with Sylvia. and now his chance
Of writing for the day was gone.
He strobe to the phone and jerked
down the receiver. "Hellor he
snarled.
A feminine voice came over the
wire. Have you any potatoes to
| SELF"
NO" roared Howard.
oh" came the voice. "Well, have
you any corn or onionsT
mo" answered the master of
Yamasani. II have no corn or onions 7"
"Well, have you anything at all to
sell? Tomatoes or cabbage or apples
or eggs or anything?"
Nothing, madam, but ideas, but
lately the crop has been small"
He hung up and turned away. "what
are you fussing about, Yamasani7
We're not running market garden
just because we're In the country"
"Will master come and seer There
Is SO much potatoes! Men dig all day
yesterday. Outside there IL like a
house Of potatoes. And the corn
Enough for all America. And cabbage,
sol! Spreading his arms high and
wide. And onions, sol And beets and
turnips! Everything there is so much
And the eggsi The chickens mike
SO many l I'LL the basket every night.
One day, two days, a week, two weeks
Some baskets l throw over the hill
when they got old. Mister eat only
one. 1 bake cake. Throw out. 1
make everything. Throw out. Yama-
sani tell mister many days before and
mister say only, Shut up"
Howard laughed. "All right, Yama-
sani 1 guess you did say something
'.bout 1t and 1 told you not to bother
NE. Well, II the lady calls up again
or II you can find out who she is, give
her all she wants for nothing"
Howard put on his hat and went out.
t was beautiful day In early autumn
and the country was exquisite with
oronzes and reds. Although he had
taken the same walk many times be-
fore he had never been able to see any
thing but Sylvia. After all, perhaps
she was right to go away, II some Of
those English chaps in Bermuda don't
carry her on and marry her before she
gets back.
He felt better after his walk in the
cool bracing air and called the Jap.
"Yamasani, have you found out who
the neighbor is who wants the
oniOnsT
"Yes. think, Mr.. Landreth. A man
drive by and stop. He say there Is n
big house over there with many chill
dren and they eat. eat, eat everything"
"Oh. seel An orphan asylum or
children's home. Well, get those men
that were here yesterday and haul
over all the stun you can find. After
this I'm going to write. and II the tele-
phone rings smash 1t. Do anything,
but don't you call me-"
The days sped on and Howard lost
track Of them. One afternoon as he
reached for his pipe he found some let
ters he had forgotten to open. He
tore them open without interest at
first, but an itemized bill puzzled him.
ha ..t.fx -.
with considerable interest. II was
made out to cash for $45. and 1t was
signed Sylvia Farnsworth. Sylvia
Farnsworth, his Sylvia-what could II
mean? It announced that Miss Syl-
via Farnsworth was debtor to "a kind
neighbor" for the following items
20 bushels potatoes at 80 cents,
bushels tomatoes at 81, and so on.
But what had Sylvia to do with all
this? Without waiting to wonder any
longer he went back to the road that
led to his neIghbor's farm. As he
came near to the house he heard the
shouts of children. There were hun
dreds of them, 1t seemed, all sorts of
sunburned. healthy-looking little boys
and girls.
as Miss Farnsworth here?" he asked
one of them.
"Yes, she's In the house. Just go on
up" advised the small Informant.
Then Sylvia came In. not the Sylvia
he had known. the languid society girl
he had accused of being useless In
the heat OF the quarrel. This one
was brisk and alert and with an air
Of one who enjoys responsibility. $50
Mr.. Kind NeighbOr has called at Inst -
az fhnuDllf you Avera In Rarnidn L,