The Sneedville news. (Sneedville, Tenn.) 191?-19??, 1918-08-16
An
Experiment in
Orphans
IN
Copyright, 1918. by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate)
By JANE OSBORNE

soil, q desire to do his bit and an oil
der from his publishers to get In hi
manuscript for his book on truck gar
dening In ancient Rome by the first o
October. Naturally the course of tn
| summer would shape itself In only on
way. His defective eyes prevented hin
from enlisting. the possession of tel
acres made 1t his patriotic duty t
raise everything possible. and In th,
meantime he would complete his bool
from the notes he had been collectin,
for the past five years. He would
divide his time between the menta
work of his book and the physical
work Of supervising his garden.
He could not cultivate ten acres In
tenslvely 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 q
laborer. There would be no economy
and no patriotism In that sort of gar.
dening. The only thing left to do was
to send for orphans. He had heard of
other people doing IT. So he wrote
to the nearest large city where there
was an asylum for motherless and
fatherless girls and boys and asked
for two young boys of fourteen or
fifteen who would profit by 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 I'm 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 II
left too much to the solitary contem-
plation of ancient Roman truck gar-
dens. But now as he sat one very
sunshiny May morning in the railroad
station Of Babcock's there waiting
for the arrival of his two orphans who
were TO help In his war work, he was
quite a normal looking young man of
thirty-five or six.
Barbara Grayson. whose five acres
adjo:ned his. was also at the station.
She was knitting a sock to save time,
and the fact that she wore n rather
severely cut, fairly short suit of khaki
with canvas CATERS and wide
brimmed khaki hat proclaimed the fact
that she had recently "gone in for
ms a war measure, and that
u was not her regular occupation. Not
having n book to write and having n
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
ton 10 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 ont from the car vestibule TO
hand her the seeds. Professor Osgood
vas still cnsting about In search of the
two sturdy boys. when the train chug-
.hugged out of the station and two
girls dressed In blue bingham, each
n cotton umbrella and cheap
wicker suitcase. advanced toward |
Barbara.
"We're the orphans" one said In n |
Monotone 20 Barbara. and another held |
'ut sealed letter. which. from the
appearance OF the envelope. had been
,ald ciaSalxr he An mann, ha,l al a..
way from the city. The ink had run.
'ut Barbara saw II was addressed to
Professor Osgood." Barbara. not
aving the slightest idea of Professor
)sgood's plans. was entirely mystified.
mt smiling on the two girls. handed
he letter to the professor. He read
/ twice slowly and then handed Il TO
He knew her but slightly,
ut she was the only person In the sta
Ion. and assuredly he needed moral
Import
"Our boys have all been placed"
aid the note. signed by the matron
I the city institution. "rm sending
NO sturdy. honest girls that are used
D hard work. Don't be afraid to give
rem enough TO do. II they have plenty
, eat and enough sleep. work won't
urt them. Our visitor will be out In
40 weeks 10 make inspections and TO
- how they are getting on"
While Barbara was reading the let
r.. Professor Osgood gazed mutely at
le two sturdy girls over the top of his
Dectacles.
wont we dor" asked one. II
Neither one Of us wants To 60 back"
Uttered the other. "It's nice here" |
his with an approving glance at the
Try green. very sunshiny country
round them.
Professor Osgood thought q minute
ore. and then concluded that they ,
ouId do. and while Barbara trudged I
lck by one road. the professor. with :
IA two orphans following him.
judged through the dusty road to his ,
a farmhouse.
At one O'Clock. as Barbara sat for q ;
inute after her midday meal. map '
M out on paper exactly how she {
ould SOW the remainder 81 the seeds ]
u had just received. there was !
lock AZ the door Of her shack-it Was .
the portable. put-ap-and-tske-dovn {
lneiy with only two rooms and q 9
.ccies 81 kitchen-and Professor o. 9
n. 4 =