The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1917-05-18
A Crop of
Potatoes
Il Was Connected With a
Romance.
By F. A. MICHEL

the summer had just parted with my
fifth servant III as many months.
concluded to advertise for another.
wrote out a tempting description Of
the place, expatiating on the delicious
country air and mentioning that the
] house stood In "A four acre lot.
| | received just one reply. A few
! days after the issue of the advertise
ment a girl came to see me who said
that she was looking for 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 nav as In the place where she was
TO spend the summer. She asked me
/ if there was room for kitchen gar
den. adding that she would like to try
! her hand at raising vegetables. When
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 90 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 1st of May.
Margaret, my new maid, agreed to
/ fill her position In my household for
the few weeks remaining till she was
to depart for the country. She came
! one day ut noon and cooked the din
ner. | had told my husband that |
| had secured prize, and when he saw
| Margaret and ate the dinner she had
prepared he admitted that l was right
/ In my assumption.
but 1 fear" he said, that she will
be above her work. She Ia 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 serv-
; ant, | would place her well up In the
I social scale. don't believe she Will
| be satisfied to remain long with you.
'lf she plants garden she will have
! to remain with me-" | replied. It'll 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'
tion. True, | treated her with more
consideration than | had ever treated
n 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 "Yes, Mrs. Ackerman.'
and "No, Mrs. Alderman"
On the 10Th of April my maid left me
for the country / supposed that she
would fear to sleep alone in the house
but she said she might have sister
with her some of the time, with my
permission. This | of course granted
We missed the delightful meals Mar
garet prepared for us, for she was the
best cook ! ever knew. l was glat
when the time came to follow her
though my husband said that If she
were to make farmer of herself She
would deteriorate as cook.
When | reached my cottage l 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 grount
laid out for garden and few sprouts
here and there. ] asked Margaret WHIT
had turned over the ground, and sh'
said she had hired farmer In thu
ncighborhood to plow 1t and frent
of hers had leveled 1t. She had don'
the rest herself.
What have you planted, Margaret :
asked.
IL have put in variety In that cor
ner," she said, pointing, "for your IA
bile: the rest has been given up to pa
I tatoes."
= "potatoes" | exclaimed. What d.
= YOU propose to do with so many pc
tatoesT
! Sell them. You see. Mrs. Acker
4 man. that the worlds war is reducin
: the earth's products. Not only vii
A this tend to raise the price of food
V but Spectators will make this an eS
, cuse to hoard their products, whic
Il will greatly enhance the market value
q | have put In this crop on speculation,
I was astonished. A servant gil
a had secured "A situation that brough
b with 1t piece OF ground and had use
!, II to enter upon speculation. He
u action was predlcated upon sound res
4 soning and business principles. NJ
% husbands prediction that l would FIN
b her above her business was true 1
y one respect, but false In another. Sh
knew her place az a servant. but wa
competent 20 act In far wider field.
As the weather warmed the vegeti
bles in Margarets garden came up, an
; since both the soil and the weathe
p were admirably fitted for the growth {
!, potatoes there was every prospect ,
/ her securing "A fine crop, The stalk
were not too lrxuriant, and Margart
, sald she did not fear that the era
would be mostly stalk with few pot
, toes. The corner that she had plante
| for our private use gave us such II VI
, ric;y OF vegetable food as one coul
/ enjoy,
> Aud this corner was of especial sati
faction to us because by midsummt