The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-11-25

had seated her in front of CHEEKY
wood fire and stood beside her, smiling
as she made her proposition, held out
against the price. He said 1t wasn't
worth it, and that he could i'll afford
to pay fancy prices. But Margaret
was obdurate, and finally the bargain
was struck. Margaret stipulated that
she should be allowed to do the work
when she chose. She realized that
most of it would have to be done after
lecture hours, and mayhap by the light
of lantern.
By the aid of one of the men stu
dents in horticulture, Margaret gained
smattering knowledge Of how the
hotbed seedlings should be transplant.
ed. She secured a lantern for her
night work and, wearing under her
long coat pair Of working overalls,
which she borrowed from the same
student, she started out for her task.
1t was not easy, but she persevered,
even when her hands were bruised and
scratched.
The second afternoon Of her work
Margaret determined to continue there
until nine O'clock. and accordingly
took with her package Of sandwiches
put up by the dormitory cook, at the
direction of the kind-hearted house
mother. Margaret was sitting In her
overalls, eating the sandwiches by the
light Of her lantern in the workshed
for which her employer had given her
the key, when the employer himself
appeared at the door. At first his OBJ
vlous amusement at her position and
costume embarrassed her, but 1t was
SO good-humOred that finally Mar
garet laughed herself and offered him
a piece Of her last sandwich. He
watched her work and did not criti-
cize. Then, obviously only to have an
excuse for lingering with her, he
worked with her, always under her d.
rection, and assuming no knowledge
Of the work himself.
"You are q robber," he told her, "a
he worked by her side. 1T was q hold
up game for you to get so much; but
1t was you or no one, 80 I had to give
in. By the way" he said, asking q
question that had been perplexing him
since her first offer to do the work,
ut is unusual to find q young woman
so in need Of funds. Pardon my rude
ness" he FASTENED to add. If you
didn't seem to enjoy the work SO much
I should be sorry that had let you do
It. There must be other more con.
genial, more remunerative sorts OF
work."
Margaret did not answer his Ques.
ton nor satisfy his curiosity, and al
though they became well acquainted,
in q measure, during the fortnight that
followed. never again did the man in.
quire more into Margaret's identity.
They did not even discover each
others names, for acquaintance in the
usual acceptance of the word has very
little to do with the acquaintance that
is sometimes the precursor Of deeper
attachment. On the last night of Mar
garet's work, when she had trans
planted the last succulent head Of
lettuce and the last leaf Of endive, 1t
seemed the most natural thing In the
world for the man to tell her that he
loved her, and for Margaret, standing
there In her clumsy, baggy overalls,
her hands loaded with the warm,
brown earth, to look quite frankly into
his eyes and to tell him that she loved
him, too.
"And now," he said, tell me why
and wherefore. Why did you stick me
for $1b.70-just that and nothing
moreT
"Why did you hold outT she re-
joined. 'You were dreadfully stingy."
: "A man has to be, when he has
pledged $4,000 and he isn't million
aire."
STANLEY Ashtonw she gasped.
"Why, somehow imagined you were
baldheaded and sixty, with beard
and diamond stud, and creaky boots.
That's the sort Of man thought you
were. Then we have been really work.
ing for the same thing. How little my
$87.83 looks compared to your $4,000.
especially when I've held you up for
$15.7O."
'You aren't the plucky little girl
who gave up her Christmas holidays
for the fund? The dean told me about
that. It was far finer than anything
I've DONE"
And then, In spite Of the muddy
hands, Stanley Ashton folded the lit
tie gardener into his arms-those
strong arms, that had somehow struck
Margaret when she was crushed
against them In the street car two
weeks before, as arms 1t would be
very nice to be folded into.
Tempting the Stork.