The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-07-12
EVENING STORY
An Experiment in Orphans.
BY JANE OSBORN.

I from his publishers to get in his man
uscript for his book on truck garden
ing 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 collect
| ing 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 a day for a
plaborer. 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 peoples 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 IA or Is who
would profit by summer in the
country with plenty of wholesome
food and not too strenuous outdoor
| give them daily instruction in the
classics. but this he did not tel the
| authorities of the institution.
! Professor Osgood was really not
very old or very eccentric. Perhaps
| he might some day bee ome eccentric
| if left too much to the solitary con-
| temptation of ancient Roman truck
gardens. But now as he sat one very
sunshiny May morning in the railroad
station of Babcock's station waiting
for the arrival of his two orphans who
were to help in his war work, he was
quite normal looking young man
| of 35 or 36.
Barbara Grayson, whose i've acres
| adJoined his, was also at the station.
| She was knitting 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 a war measure, and
that it was not her regular occupa-
| ton. Not having book to write and
7 having a great deal of energy and fully
as much patriotism as the professor,
she was planning to manage her five
| acres alone. She was now waiting at
] the station to receive from the con-
| ductor some seeds that he had prom
| ised to bring her from the city on the
morning train.
Professor Osgood rose eagerly when
the train stopped and peeled his ewes
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
chugged out of the station and two
| substantial but completely inundated
girls dressed in blue gingham, each
carrying cotton umbrella and a cheap
wicker suit case, advanced toward
Barbara.
We're the orphans" one said in
monotone to Barbara, and another
held out sealed letter, which, from
the appearance of the envelope had
been held closely by a 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
Osgoods plans, was entirely mysti-
ned, but smiling on the two girls,
handed the letter to the professor. He
read it twice slowly and then handed
1t to Barbara. He knew her but slight
ly, but she was the only person in the
station, and assuredly he needed moral
support.
Our boys have all been placed. /"
said the note. signed by the rnatron
or the city institution. I'm 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. v.nrk
won't hurt them. Our visitor will be
out in two weeks to make inspections
ana to see how they are getting on"
While Barbara was reading the let
ter, Professor Osgood gazed mutely at
the TWO sturdy girls over the top of his
spectacleS
Wont we do?" asked one.
Neither one of US wants to go
back" faltered the 'ther. ITS nice
here" This with an approving glance
at the very green, very sunshiny cou.s-
try around them.
Professor Osgood thought a minute
more, and then~concluded that they
would do, and while Barbara trudged
back by one road the professor,
trudged thru the dusty road to his old
farm house
At 1 o'clock, as Barbara sat for a
minute after her midday meal. map
ping out on paper exactly how she
would sow the remainder of the seeds
she had just received, there was a
knock at the door of her shack-it
was of the portable, put-up-and-take-
, down variety with only two rooms and
species of kitchen-and Professor
osgood appeared. Barbara invited
him to sit down with her and drink q
cup Of coffee. quite as if they were
old friends, and this the Professor ac-
cepted with apparent gratitude.
I've come to ask advice" he began.
You see I'm pretty ignorant about a
good many things. It didn't occur TO
me at first that I oughtn't to keep
those girls. They want to stay and
; they have worked like trojans all
morning, and they cooked the dinner
and are washing up the dishes now.
They are a great help. I can do the
heavy work and I'll give them short
hours and I'll put away something
from the proceeds of the garden for
them every week. They are nice girls
stupid rather and perhaps a little
dull-but splendid outdoor workers
They take to it like peasants It &C.
: Cured to me. however. that one con-
> ventional doesn't do that sort of thing.
l That is, wouldn't there be something
out of the way about my keeping
I these girls there, without someone to
chaperon them? That's the idea, isn't
IT'D II occurred q me that rnavhs