The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-07-31
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY
For the Good Of the Cause.
By GERALD ST. ETiNNE
VNOWITI|NI1 I'I01 y OF" 0I||ININ
Newspaper Syndicate

- LANNA HE8AAtAAhN NeAhAN e'NNN 49,
own lot. she looked az the next To-,
There stood her spade against chick
n,Tun.
''ThO nerve Of some peaple," she
bDod, a. she made her way 10 secure
Q missing tool. THAT is Just like .
IN 70 have no tools OF his own and 70
me borrowing nine" she muttered,
she started back When she
HANGED over the lot she noticed 4 biz
change. More than half was dug IN
and she was sure she had only spadei
about a quarter OF II. The borrower
Of her spade had done the resi-, thai
vas apparent GWendoline wished he
h0d left Il flons. Just the same. Per
hans Il was very rice Of him she re-
Elected. but It locked 70 her very much
ike interference She would not nave
undertaken tO cultivate that building
lOt n she had not thought she could do
Il unaid0d. Women could dig just a.
we'll o. men. This greater production
campaign was going to show It. To.
begin with. more girls than men had
taken up the idea OF cultivating empty
equipped with Q complete gardening
outfit, costume and all. She started
% SDadinG again, but after few min
utOS she had TO stop 10 rest.
III you wouid hold your spade
ittlo higher Ur the handle. you would
find the wcIl: r1Gch easter" she heard
. mans voice ray.
GWendoiine raised her shoulders
and stood at her full height Sne
could feel Just how impressive she
WGS IN her costume. She was hot ano
tired and for the first time felt little
discouraged, so It was little wonder
che was not IN her usual pleasant
frame OF mind.
II am managing nicely che said
fEigldly. Il have SDaded gardens be-
fore, you know" She was sorry the
minute she had spoken the words, but
q was too late TO undo them. She
heard an embarrassed cough and the
man TetFeatiug to his chicken runs.
when she looked over in his direction,
five minutes later, she saw that he was
quite q young man, and II occurred 10
her that he was really nice looking.
, Why, Il was Albert Beddone. the ac'
cOuntant at one OF the banks! She haG
known him by sight for months. That
made her more Chagrined than ever.
He was han.meFing away at a small
GOOD. His cheeks were Ted-from OK
eFtiOn or from the cut she had given
his feelings, she wondered which. Al
n mt hafnVn gIr
had worked another hour, Gwendoline
was not feady 10 give In. She could
work at her gardening Just as long as
hO could work around his chickens.
She wished she had chosen chickens
10 raise instead Of vegetables. she
kneW much more about them and the
work was not nearly so hard. They
were % necessary, too. She had been
uhWlse TO think that gardening would
be 90 much fun. She had enjoyed two
months on her uncle's poultry farm
one. summer, and had learned LOT
about chickens. OF course, she would
not have been able to build the coops
and runs-at least not very well. II
was hard TO admit, even to herself,
that there were some things men could
do that women could not. That she
would win out on that garden, though,
she FOsOlVer firmly.
Il looked very much as Il she was
going 10 win out, too. The lot was
really q small one but 1t seemed q
whole farm by the time GwendOline
had 4 all spaded and Taked. The
planting Of the seeds was more inter-
estlng. When they started TO sprout
through the ground. she was sure her
fortune was made. A week Of splen'
dld growing weather worked wonders
with the plants, and she could hardly
contain her Joy when she made her
daily visits. Then came q special rush
az the office. For nearly q week
GWendoline had 10 neglect the garden,
but everything had had such a good
start she was confident that no harm
could come Of II.
When she did get q chance to visit
her lot again, she could hardly wait
for the car 10 stop to let her Off. Her
Tadlshes would be ready to eat and her
com would be q foot high, she felt
sure Of It. What q shock she got when
she arrived! What had once been
bright, green leaves were black and
dead. Her corn and beans were
hardly recognizable. The radisheS
looked blighted and the lettuce looked
IS II It had been eaten off. Chickens!
She blamed them instantly. What
else could have done It but chickens.
That was Albert Beddomes way "
getting back at her for sighting him
as she had done. The wretch
: 1T 10 q sorry sight, isn't it, Gwen
dullne was too excited TO distinguish
the note OF sympathy in Albart's voice
She grabbed her spade. which happen
Cd 70 be the first thing handy to clutch
and faced him. with eyes blazing.
1t Is your wTetched chickens" she
b;u-ted angrily How dare you allow
them OUT"
s.y chickens havn't been out" he
ta,.. rhis :...--.s she could not mistake
the kindness IN his tone. THE frost
le Z night did this damage. It came on
Unexpectedly or would have been
able 10 save them for you. covered
your corn and beans with newspapers
about midnight, but the frost had pre-.
ceedsd me. Il Is rather early TO SON
corn and beans you know"
1T must have taken hours 10 cover
tll that ground with papers Did you |
c0me here specially 10 do IT,?
II, was nothing" he laughed, IN en-. |
baTraSsment. "YOu would have done
Ire same thing II our positions had
been reverced. ] have had bad luck, |
100. My chickens are dying at an
Alarming rate"
''What do you feed them" Gwendo.
Lire Aaked. her mind off her own mis-. |