The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1918-04-26

had seated her in front of cheer, |
wood fire and stood beside her, smiling |
as she made her proposition. held out |
against the price. He said IT 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 1t would have to be done after
lecture hours, and mayhap by the light
of Il lantern.
By the aid of one of the men stu
dents in horticulture, Margaret gained
"A smattering knowledge of how the
hotbed seedlings should be transplant
ed. She secured lantern for her
night work and, wearing under her
long coat Il 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
vious 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 di-
rection, and assuming no knowledge
of the work himself.
"You are a robber," he told her, as
he worked by her side. ut was hold
up game for you to get so much but
it was you or no one, so l had to give
in. BY the way" he said, asking a
question that had been perplexing him
since her first offer to do the work,
at is unusual to find 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
l 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 measure, during the fortnight that
followed, never again did the man in
quire more into Margarets 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 a 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, i
2 seemed the most natural thing in The
2 world for the man to tell her that ht
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
; him, too.
, "And now" he said, tell me why
} and wherefore. Why did you stick me
for $15.70-just that and nothing
: more?'
"Why did you hold out?" she re
Joined. you were dreadfully stingy.'
: "a man has to be, when he ha.
pledged $4,000 and he isn't a million
aire''
STANLEY Ashton" she gasped
"Why, l somehow imagined you wer
baldheaded and sixty, with a beart
and diamond stud, and creaky boots
That's the sort of man l thought yol
were. Then we have been really work
ing for the same thing. How little m.
$37.S3 looks compared to your $4,000
especially when I've held you up TO
$1570."
"You aren't the plucky little cir
: who gave up her Christmas holiday
for the fund? The dean told me abou
that. 1t was far finer than anything
I've DONE"
And then, in spite of the mudd,
hands, Stanley Ashton folded the lit
tie gardener into his arms-thos
strong arms, that had somehow strucl
Margaret when' she was crushe,
against them in the street car tw,
weeks before, as arms it would b.
very nice to be folded into.
Tempting the Stork.