The Topeka state journal., 1918-08-05
EVENING STORY
For the Good of the Cause.
By GERALD ST. ETIENNE.

IL naQ disappeared. AAtST scar iShihe |
vainly about her own lot. she looked
at~the next lot. There stood her spade
against a, chicken-run.
"The nerve of some people!" she
gasped, as she made her way to secure
the missing tool. THAT is just like
man to have no tools of his own and
to come borrowing mine." she NUT
tered, as she started back. When she
glanced over the lot she noticed
big change. More than half was dug
up, and she was sure she had only
spaded about quarter of 1t. The
borrower of her spade had done the
rest, that was apparent. Gwendoline |
wished he had left 1t alone, just the
same. Perhaps vt was very nice o1
him, she reflected, but it looked to |
her very much like interference. she
would not nave undertaken to culti- |
vate that building lot if she had not
thought she could do it unaided. |
Women could dig just as well as 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 building lots
Gwendoline was equipped with COM
plete gardening outfit. costume and all.
She started in spading again, but after
a few minutes she, had to stop to rest.
IF you would hold } Sur spade
little higher up the-handle, you would
find the work much easier" she heard
q mans voice say.
-Gwendoline raised her shoulders
and stood at her full height. She
could feel just how impressive she was
in her costume. She was hot and
tired and for the first time felt
little discouraged. so it was little won
der she was not in her usual pleasant
frame of mind.
IT am mana ging nicely" she said
frigidIy. 'I have spaded gardens be-
fore, you know" She was sorry the
minute she had spoken the words, but
1t was too late to undo them. She
heard an embarrassed cough and the
man retreating to his chicken runs.
When she looked over in his direction,
five minutes later, she saw that he was
quite a young man, and 1t occurred to
her that he was really nice looking.
Why, it was Albert Beddome, the ac-
eountant at one of the banks. She had
known him by sight for months. That
made her more chagrined than ever.
He was hammering way at small
coop. His cheeks were red-from ex-
ertion or from the cut she had given
his feelings, she wondered which. AL
tho she was worn out before she had
worked another hour, Gwendoline was
not ready to give in. She could work
at her gardening just as long as he
could work. around his chickens. She
wished she had chosen chickens to
raise instead of vegetables. She knew
much more about them and the work
was not nearly so hard. They we're as
necessary. too. She had been unwise
to think that gardening would be SO
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 we'll. It
81 a ard N RI NIT To
that there were, some things men could
do that women could not. That she
would win out on that garden, tho,
she resolved firmly.
1t looked very much as II she was
going to win out, too. The lot was
| really small one but it seemed a
whole farm by the time Gwenuoline
had it all spaded and raked. The
| planting of the seeds was more in.er-
estins. When they started to sprout
tune was made. A week of splendid
growing weather worked wonders
| with the plants and she could hardly
contain her joy when she made her
daily visits Then came a special rush
at the office. For nearly a week
Gwendoline had to neglect the garden,
but everything had had such good
start she was confident that no harm
could come of it
When she did get a chance to visit
Liei iol AGAIN, Sne couio hardly wait
| Tor the car to stop to let her off Her
| radishes would be ready to eat and her
| corn would be a foot high, she ,eIt
sure of it. What a shock she got when
she arrived! What had once been
bright green leaves were black and
| dead Her corn and beans were hard
1y recognizable./ The radishes looked
blighted and the lettuce looked as If it
| had been eaten off Chickens. She
blamed them instantly. What else
| could have done it but chickens? That
was Albert Beddome's way of getting
! back at her for sighting him rs she
| had done. The wretchi
| 1T is a sorry sight. isn't it?" Gwen
| doline was too excited to distinguish
the note of sympathy in Albert's voice.
She grabbed her spade, which hap
pened to be the first thing handy to
clutch, and faced him. with eyes blaz-
ing. '-'------
1T is your wretched chickens" she
blurted angrily. How dare you allow
them out!'
My chickens haven't been OUT" he
said. This time she could not mistake
| the Kindness In his tone. THE frost
last night did this damage. 1t came
on Unexpectedly or 1 would have been
able to save them for you. I covered
your corn and beans with newspapers
about midnight, but the frost had pre-
ceded me. 1t is rather early 10 SOW
corn and beans, you know"
1T must have taken hours to cover
all the ground with papers. Did you
come here specially to do it?"
1T was nothing" he laughed, in en-
barrassment. You would have done
the same thing If our positions had
been reversed. I have had bad luck,
too. My chickens are dying at an
alarming rate"
What do you feed them?" 3wen-
doline asked, her mind off her own
| misfortune instantly.
He explained his methods.
That is all wrong she declared
emphatically. IT learned a lot on my
uncies farm. 1 will tell you just what
to do
Before she had finished telling"
him they had decided upon a partner
| ship, Albert was to assist her with
her gardening and she was to help
Il him with>his poultry. It was surprts-