Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1918-06-06

mad seated her in front of CHEEKY
wood Are and stood beside her, smiling
as she made her proposition, held out
against the price. He said ii wasn't
worth II, and that he could Ill 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 II would have to be done after
lecture hours, and mayhap by the light
of a 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 a lantern for her
night work and, wearing under her
long coat a 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 dor1nitory cook, at the
direction of the kind-hearted house
mother. Margaret was sitting in her
oyeralls, eating the sandwiches by the
light of her lantern In the worhshed
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 it was
so good-humored that finally Mar
garet laughed herself and offered him
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 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 / 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.
sit is unusual to find a 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
| should be sorry that | had let you do
II. 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 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
garets 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 $15.70-just that and nothing
moref"
why did you hold out7" she re-
Joined. "You were dreadfully stlngy."
"A man has to be, when he has
pledged 100000 and he isn't a million
aire."
STANLEY Ashtonw she gasped.
"Why, l somehow imagined you were
baldheaded and sixty, with beard
and diamond stud, and creaky boots.
That's the sort of man l thought you
were. Then we have been really work.
Ing for the same thing. How little my
S37.83 looks compared to your $4,000,
especially when I've held you up for
$3.50"
you aren't the plucky little girl
who gave up her Christmas holidays
for the fund? The dean told me about
that 1t 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 it would be
very nice to be folded into.
Tempting the Stork.
1t Is customary in China, when the
number of children-daughter pre-