The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-07-13
BY F. A. mitchell

Putting in beets?" looking down a
, drill.
mo; lettuce"
"Everybody's gardening this year."
Yes. We've got to garden or starve
Prices of provisions are prohibitive"
There was brief silence. The cir
continued to loosen the soil with hel
hoe, then took up rake and smoothed
the ground from stones and tufts OF
grass. The young man showed nc
sign Of moving on.
$50 you can't tell me where the Deer.
ing family have moved to-" he said
presently.
'No, l can't"
wasn't there a son, Georger
George? George?" repeated the
girl, as If trying to recall the person
mentioned.
1--WE been told he was the worst boy
in the county. No apple tree was safe
from him, and as for watermelon
patch, they say he would carry Off q
melon as big as a small barrel under
each arm"
'If he was like that the county Is
well rid of him." the girl suggested.
'He was about eighteen when he
left here, and I've been told that the
night before he went he made love to
one Of the girls of the place. asking
her to be his wife and telling her all
sorts of yarns about how he was go
ing to put her into a big house and
dress her up fine. and all that. The
next day he disappeared and never
turned up again"
There are lots of men like that In
the world"
''Going to put in any potatoesT'
Reckon not. Seed potatoes cost so
much that question If it would pay.
1t certainly wouldn't If the price Of
potatoes gets back to easonable fig
ure"
you say you don't remember George
Deering?"
"If he was any such fellow as you
have described don't want to remem-
Der him"
She started another drill. The man
took up fork and opened the ground
for her. When he had done so and
removed some of the earth with the
hoe he said:
'"That'll be easier for you"
She thanked him and resumed her
work.
do you see that beech tree over
fhere?" he asked, pointing to tree
env,aa a ffxy va rdc distant
"Of course do"
I'm going over to look at It."
She made no comment, and he saun.
tered over to the tree. under which
was a rustic bench. He glanced medi-
tatively at the bench, but proceeded to
the trunk of the tree and looked at
some letters that had been made by
carving the bark. 1t had grown to-
gether so as to give them an appear
hnce of having grown there naturally.
Wont you please come here7" he
called to the girl
She dropped a trowel and advanced |
toward him. When she reached him,
pointing to the letters on the tree
trunk, he asked:
Whose initials are those?"
1.-THE upper ones?"
"Yes."
Those are mine"
"And those beneathY'
II can't see them"
This was true; her eyes were dimmed
with moisture.
These letters" continued the young
man, "stand for Eva Butterfeld and
George Deering. | know George very
well. He's faulty chap and no mis-
take, but there are palliating circum-
stances In his case. Sit down here and
I'll tell you something about him."
He led her to the bench, where they
sat down side by side. Then he con-
dnued:
George struck bad luck from the
start. He didn't write to Eva because
ne had nothing cheerful to write. At
east he didn't send her a letter. He
wrote one or two. but on reading them
,ver they appeared to him so hopeless
hat he tore them up. Several years
alter the prospect before him mended,
md he said. IF ! make some money
III write to Eva He did make a
title money, which gave him some
hing to work with to make more, but
when he sat down to write to Eva Il
occurred to him that he had treated
Ter unpardonably. The only hope for
lin was to go to her and tell her So
nd maybe she would forgive him.
About that time a chance was Of
cred him to get In on the ground floor
a big operation, and he concluded
0 wait awhile. IL the scheme turned
ut well he might make good the stupid
osst be had made the night he parted
rom her. 1t turned out bigger than
is widest dreams"
The girl had been looking at the toes
Z her shoes. When he ceased speak
lg she turned her face 10 his. Not a
'ord was spoken, but great deal was
one. After being locked for some time
! each others arms George asked:
did you know meT'
From the first moment first saw
ou."