Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-03-17

Gm0RDS AND
ID I s o r. ID s
RIIIY1S LETTERS


him that she had asked NE TO assist
him Ia taking care OF the family gar
#den during the summer and that if he
was satisfied that ] would buckle in
and devote all OF my spare time to
the task he would utilize every inch
OF space on the premises 10 raising
stuff 10 serve ON the table. He also
had been talking TO his next door
oeighbor. who is q cripple. and unable
To attend q garden, and had about
struck 81 bargain with him to take over
his ground and work It tie coming
season. with the two plots under
cultivation net only would there be
enough raised to supply EvaIyn's fam
lily through the summer, buE her faith
or and me could make some money
on the side. as with vegetables at pre-
IyafIng high prices and her father saw
no reason why the prices should fall
materially just because warm weather
was coming on. we could have a nice
bank account to lay away in the fall
( wanted to know if she meant when
she said that we would have some
+ money at the end of the struggle
whether her idea was that It was to
be split fifty and fifty or If it was her
understanding that father was to take
over the whole amount and deposit If
7 to his credit Wen she could not say
exactly, but Der father certainly would
mot expect me to work all summer for
nothing although she saw no harm ia
having the profits put away in the
name of her father. inasmuch as he
was 81 man Of honor and could be de-
pended on TO do right by me. ] said
j had 40 reason to question the integ-
/ r3ty of her parent. but I remembered
the case of another fellow who. engag-
ling in similar task. that of aiding
the family on his 5ancee, just when he
Thought father was going TO give his
blessing and tear Off generous check.
led hin to the front door and planted
+ q number eight between his rear collar
button and his heel but he couldn't
+ recall whether he was handed the right
or the left Of the head of the house.
But, EValyn said. that parent must
have been cruel ana unfeeliug and
#iuconsiderate person. That was not
like her father He really held nae in
high esteem. was confident Of my ulti-
mate success in life and daily felt
more kindly over my attentions to-
ward EvaIyn 1T was not with the idea
OF getting me TO contribute my ef-
forts without promise oL reward that
he welcomed my cooperation IN his
home farming enterprise She eE
planned. Rather he regarded it as an
+ operation that would bring him and
me closer together, that it would open
AS up 10 each other. I said I didn't
. know anything about that but she
could bank on one thing. and that was
that If I turned myself loose behind
the spade ana the rake my pores would
bee opened, and as 7 was not used 10
having them exercised by such heroic
treatment. it might SO weaken nae that
would never be the same. which
might result in the physical Fujn Of
the one Wfth whom she had agreed to
cast her future years But working
in the open makes one strong. she in
sisted but / said chat applied mostly
in instances where one was brought up
in that sort of work from childhood
on Iaat it was dangerous for man
who had not been trained i'm mental
labor 10 suddenly peel his glads and
cut in without any sort of preparation
Yes j might accumulate strength. hu5
I was satisfied that the only way +
would do IT. would be by turning in
T every night at EHe end of the soil
+ batE5a with "a pocket filled with onions
I However, I didn't wish Evalyn to get
tle notion from nay reluctance 10 en-
ter into the compact that was 8 quit
ter. Far be IT, t merely wanted 10
lortlly her for tho worst ii things
came to the worst. I was enthusiastic, +
II GoLd her. when once I entered into
any project. and the danger was that
I might oyer6aE myself. and not only
oald I suffer iu the possible bring /
! ing on OF poor health, but al her
prospects would be shattered. We
should not move hastily ia drifting
f from the work we are fitted for into /
activities Of which we know not. But
EyaIyn said she would ba near me all /
the while during the work al her home /
and she would not permit nae to over I
! do myself But. said I. father is q /
husky and ] would have to keep pace [
with bim or he would show nae up SO /
that lt would bee nothing short of hui (
initiation TO me. He would call me q 7
sptueless Jessica and probably chase +
me down the street with hoe That
would cause scandal In the neigh I
horaood and there would be no end .
OF talk, which would be simply terrible s
for GTaIyn and me i'm view Of the plans T
alaE we have under way and which +
are rapidly becoming known to our
friends over the city The first re- /
port that would spread would be that
I had robbed the Ice box or stolen her
father Wad and there would be no /
use in trying 90 explain that I was .
other than a culprlI and uudeserviug
Oh the love Ell any good girl How
would she like story like that to get
going the rouuds2 OF course that
would De awful, Evalyu agreed. but
she said II was silly Of me 10 antici-
pate such an impossible tragedy.
In the first place her father was not
quarfelsome, didn't have a temper. and
was ready to make any reasonable
sacrifices 60 the end that his daughter
might be happily situated in life. and
that's why Ae was So pleased when she
advised him OF her plan 10 have me
ana nun double mp Tor the summer
engagement She just knew that we
would get along and thar father would
snow me how 10 make the work that /
would do easy Father was an ala
Hand gardening and he would be
patient with me and would not become
fused # turned mp hill in search
Of potato bag or did some other act
tha5 would asgraEate We're il rot that