Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1918-11-22
An
Experiment in
Orphans
~~
BY JANE OSBORNE
1Copyright 1915 by the Mcclure Newspa-
per 6yndicate.)

per 6ynOlCdIe.l
Professor Osgood had near-sighted
eyes, ten acres Of good rich garden
soil, a desire to do his bit and an or
der from his publishers to get In his
manuscript for his book on truck gar
dening 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 collecting
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 day for a
iaborer. There would he no economy
and no patriotism In that Sort Of gar
uening The only thing left to do was
. send for orphans. lie hNd beard Of
~bther people doing 1t. SO he wrote
to the nearest large city where there
was an asylum for mOtherless and
{atherless girls and boys and asked
for two young boys Of fourteen or
fifteen who would profit by Il summer
In the country with plenty OF whole
some food and not too strenuous out
door work. He intended incidentally to
give them daily instruction in the
classics, but this he did not tell the
authorities of the institution.
Professor OsgOOd was really not
very old or very eccentric. Perhaps he
might some day become eccentric if
left too much to the solitary cOntem-
plation of ancient Roman truck gar
1enS. But now as he sat one very
Bunshiny May morning in the railroad
station of Babcocks there waiting
for the arrival of his two orphans who
we're 10 help in his war work, he was
quite q normal looking young man of
thirty-fivG or six.
y Barbara GraySon, whose five acres
Rdjoned his, was also at the station.
She was knitting a sock to save time,
Rhl lliG IuNl llltll SllC NblC IL INlHCI
severely cut, fairly short suit of khaki
with canvas CATERS and q 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 occupation. Not
having book to write and having Il
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 sta
lion to receive from the conductor
some seeds that he had promised to
bring her from the city on the morning
train.
Professor OsgoOd rose eagerly when
the train stopped and peeled his eyes
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
two sturdy boys, when the train chug
chugged out of the station and two
girls dressed in blue gingham, each
carrying cotton umbrella and CHEAP
wicker suitcase, advanced TOWARD
Barbara.
"We're the orphans" one said in 6
monotone to Barbara, and another helC
put sealed letter, which, from the
appearance of the envelope, had beer
held closely by q warm hand all the
way from the city. The ink had run
but barbara saw it was addressed tt
Professor OsgOOd." Barbara, no
having the SLIGHTEST idea Of prOfaSSO,
Dsgood's plans, was entirely mystitied
but smiling on the two girls, handed
the letter to the professor. He rea(
It twice slowly and then handed it t.
Barbara. He knew her but slightly
but she was the only person in the sta
tion, and assuredly he needed mora
support.
sour boys have all been placed,
said the note, signed by the matrol
of the city institution. 'Tm sendin
two sturdy, honest girls that are use
to hard work. Don't be afraid to Civ
them enough to do. If they have plent,
10 eat and enough sleep, work won
burt them. Our visitor will be out 4
two weeks to make inspections and t
see how they are getting on"
While Barbara was reading the lei
ter, Professor Osgood gazed mGtely q
the two sturdy girls over the top of hi
spectacles.
won't we do?" asked one.
"Neither one of us wants to go back
taltered the other. Its nice here
This with an approving glance at tn
Verv green very SunShiny cOuntT