Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1918-08-02

ing up the dishes now. They are a
great help. 1 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 little dull-but splendid out
door workers. They take to it like
peasants. 1t occurred to me, however,
that one conventional doesn't do
that sort of thing. That is, wouldn't
there be something out Of the way
about my keeping these girls there,
without some one to chaperone them?
That's the idea, isn't it? It occurred
to me that maybe you could help US
out. It's all war work and know
you are just cultivating your garden
for patriotism. Couldn't you come
over to my place and live? I'd do all
the heavy mans work and you could
sort Of keep your eye on the girls"
Barbara laughed at the professor
and suggested that SO far as conven-
ton went there would be no advantage
In the way he had outlined.
CSCAoA otACA pAoAS "CAC 0uSSCoSCOs
There wasn't room In Barbara's cot
tage for the orphans, and Barbara
didn't like the idea Of staying in Pro
lessor Osgood's house with the orphans
while he stayed in her shack. So It
was decided that for the time being he
would sleep In the hayloft, while the
orphans stayed alone in the house.
Perhaps within a week or SO the or
phans would be tired Of the experiment
or would have proved themselves poor
farmers.
But as matter of fact Just the op-
posite thing took place. They became
expert agriculturists, and when Bar
bara. at Professor Osgood's suggestion,
asked them whether they weren't
ready to 60 back, they both burst into
tears, the only sign Of vivid emotion
that they had expressed since their ar
rival. So the professor continued to
sleep in the hayfoh without any seri-
GUS discomfort. After all there was
no one in the neighborhood to criticize
the arrangement and the plan might
have worked out all summer were 1t
not for the expected visit Of the in
spector.
did the people at the asylum know"
said Professor Osgood feeling carefully
one day as the girls were about to go
forth to hoe the first showing of beans,
ibid they know was living here alone
when they sent your
,"No. SIR" said one emphatically.
"They said there was MIR. and Mrs.
Osgood, they did, and the matron said:
Mind you do what Mrs. Osgood says"
The professor suddenly became pen
sive. 1t was not the first time he had
thought In rather concrete way Of
late Of the possibility Of a Mrs. Osgood.
After all it was not such an entirely
idea. Other men, rea.
soned the professor, had managed to
win the love Of women completely and
their superiors In every way.
How foolish 1t would be not to take the
chance. Not to ask Barbara to marry
him would not make the intensity Of
his love any less poignant. And per-
haps-. The professor left his
orphans abruptly and sauntered over
to Barbara's shack. he had planned
several ways of beginning the CONVEX
sation, but Barbara was busy planting
corn and he felt that quick action was
most suitable.
Barbara will you marry me?" he
said, looking very hard at the corn in
her curved palm.
'Bless your heart" said Barbara,
dropping the grain and laughing a
little. II was almost afraid you
ask me in time. I thought
maybe you would sometime, but I
wanted to have 1t all fixed and settled
before that orphan inspector got
around. It's part Of our war duty.
Isn't it?'