Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1918-08-09
An
Experiment in
Orphans

U~%B
BY JANE OSBORNE
Copyright, 1918. by the Mcclure Ne
per Syndicate.)


eyes, ten acres of good rich garden
soil, desire to do his bit and an or
der from his publishers to get In his
manuscript for his book on truck gar
dening in ancient Rome by the first of
October. Naturally the course of the
summer would shape itself in only one
way. His defective eyes prevented him
from enlisting, the possession of ten
acres made it his patriotic duty to
raise everything possible, and in the
meantime he would complete his book
from the notes he had been collecting
for the past five years. He would
divide his time between the mental
work of his book and the physical
work of supervising his garden.
He could not cultivate ten acres in
tensively himself. Labor was scarce.
1t was necessary in the community
where his ten acres was located to pay
three dollars and a half day for a
laborer. There would be no economy
and no patriotism in that sort of gar
dening. The only thing left to do was
to send for orphans. He had heard of
other people doing it. So he wrote
to the nearest large city where there
was an asylum for motherless and
fatherless girls and boys and asked
for. two young boys of fourteen or
fifteen who would profit by a summer
In the country with plenty of whcle-
some food and not too strenuous out
door work. He intended incidentally to
give them daily instruction in the
classics, but this he did not tell the
authorities of the institution.
Professor Osgood was really not
very old or very eccentric. Perhaps he
might some day become eccentric if
left too much to the solitary contem-
platiOn of ancient Roman truck gar
dens. But now as he sat one very
sunshiny May morning in the railroad
station of Babcock's there waiting
for the arrival of his two orphans who
were TO help in his war work, he was
quite a normal looking young man of
thirty-five or six.
Barbara Grayson, whose five acres
| adjoined his, was also at the station.
She was knitting a sock to save time,
and the fact that she wore a rather
severely cut fairly short suit of khaki
with canvas CATERS and a wide
brimmed khaki hat proclaimed the fact
that she had recently "gone in for
farming" as war measure, and that
1t was not her regular occupation Not
having a book TO write and having a
| great deal of energy ard fully as much
patriotism as the professor. she was
planning 70 manage her five acres
alone. She was now waiting at the sta
ton to receive from the conductor
some seeds that he had promised to
bring her from the city on the morning
train.
Professor Osgood rose eagerly when
the train stopped and peeled his eyes
| for two sturdy fOurteen-year-old boys,
| and Barbara ran to the conductor,
leaning out from the car vestibule TO
hand her the seeds. Professor Osgood
was still casting about in search of the
two sturdy boys, when the train chug-
chugged out of the station and two
girls dressed n blue Bingham, each
carrying a cotton umbrella and cheap
wicker suitcase, advanced toward
Barbara.
"We're the orphans" one said in a
| monotone to Barbara, and another held
| out a sealed letter, which, from the
appearance of the envelope, had been
held closely by q warm hand all the
way from the city. The ink had run,
but Barbara saw it was addressed to
professor Osgood." Barbara, not
having the slightest idea of Professor
Osgood's plans, was entirely mystified,
but smiling on the two girls, handed
the letter to the professor. He read
it twice slowly and then handed it to
| Barbara. He knew her but slightly,
but she was the only persop in the sta
ton. ard assuredly he needed moral
support.
sour boys have all been placed, :"
said the note, signed by the matroa
of the city institution. 'Tm sending
two sturdy, honest girls that are used
to hard work. Don't be afraid to give
them enough to do If they have plenty
to eat and enough sleep, work won't
| hurt them. Our visitor win be out in
two weeks to make inspections and to
see how they are getting on"
While Barbara was reading the let
ter, Professor Osgood gazed muteiy at
the two sturdy girls over the top of his
spectacles.
won't we do?" asked one.
"Neither one of US wants to go back"
| fal+ered the other. Its nice here. "
This with an approving glance at the
very green, very sunshiny country
| around them.
Professor osgood thought minute
more. and then concluded that they
would do, and while Barbara trudged
| hack by one road, the professor, with
his two orphans following him.
trudged through the dusty road to ms
old farmhouse.
At one O'Clock, as Barbara sat for a
minute after her midday meal, map