Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1919-08-13
Clans
By DORA NOLAN
Copyright. 1918. by the Mcclure News
paper Syndicste.D

4ssSs~~>~~~~e>~ee~
Copyright. 1913. by the Mcclure News
paper syndeste.)
"By golly :" suddenly exclaimed Dor
IS from. where she stood by the win
dow. eff that job doesn't end socn
there won't be clam left in the
cove ?"
Doris!" came the reproachful voice
Of her mother. "please don't use such
unladyllke words"
Find me one as expressive and l
won't" responded the irrepressible
Doris. I'm dying for some clans, and
those laborers laying the new gas
pipes are just digging them all up be-
fore | get a lOok-in."
But they are busy putting in the
pipes, aren't they. dear?" mildly quer-
led Doris mother. How can they dig
CLAIMS at the same timer"
"Oh, they're just stalling on the job.
mother, waiting for some more pipe.
The little foreman told me so yester-
day. Meanwhile they're just digging
up all the CLANS"
Doris the mother again started TO
demonstrate with her lively young
daughter, but as often happened, that
same daughter took the words from
her mouth. 81 know, mother, what
you're going to say-'Please don't go
around talking to that strange young
man.. You needn't worry. I've only
seen one worth speaking to since we
came-and he was claiming, too
Came from over across the cove some
where. Got a lot. too. If he'd had
any decency he'd have offered me
some Goodness knows limited broad
~ enough"
The little mother remarked in re-
signed tone: HE thought YOU were
child, probably. with your bobbed
hair and that short, red skirt"
~ should worry what he thought !;
he's some country clam himself"
Doris replied, laughingly. "All the
same, l wish my boots would arrive.
It was so stupid of us to forget them"
Then speculatively THAT waters too
cold to go into barelegged."
81 should say So" the mother made
haste TO reply. Doris, don't you
think Of such a thing"
"No. mother, won't" dutifully
spoke the daughter. busily scheming in
her impatient young head some way
Of getting over those clam flats. where
at the moment several Italians were
industriously digging
Now, Mrs. Dart, Doris mother, had
purposely omitted packing those boots.
She had a rather guilty feeling all day.
as Doris watched for the parcels post.
This clever. up-to-date young daugh-
ter was rather beyond the old-fashioned
mother.
She was proud of her, of course, for
didn't that same cleverness enable
Doris to "hold up the government at
the rate of thirty-five per with a
months vacation" as Doris herself ex-
pressed II?
And didn't that weekly thirty-five
make possible the yearly vacations at
the shore, even If sometimes they had
10 come Mt an unheard-of early date ?
But oh deari II the child would only
care about clothes like other girls and
not insist on bobbing her hair with
the ridiculous excuse that ii saved
time
And then those awful understand
boots-that she insisted on wearing out
fishing and claiming! But Mrs. Dart
preferred not to think about them.
Doris was a wizard at finding way
out of a dilemma. Probably that was
why she succeeded so well in business
The only way out of her present one
she decided, was over bridge farthe.
up the cove.
This bridge had been started with q
flourish by some bunko amusement
company and finished In a fizzle. II
land in the center of the cove. But
on that island were clams-that coulC
be gotten mt without the aid of boots
So on the following day, no boots
having arrived and low tide coincid
ing with her. mothers rest hour, Doris
got into the obnoxious Knockers and
rrmed with short-hand!ed hoe and ,
bag, walked over the rnfinished bridge
took flying downward leap-and
| there she was!
The clans were plentiful. This wa,
place the laborers had not hit upon
| Doris dug and dug and the tide crep
up and up. Clam digging is time
! consuming work so when the bag wa
nearly filed the strenuous young lad.
| was relieved TO find by glance Mt he
watch that II was not quite time 70
her mothers nap TO be over. But a
the bridge she found. somewhat to he
dismay. ten feet of water, shallow t
be sure, hut growing deeper every mo
ment between the low shore and tn
much higher end Of the bridge.
Time and tide" quoted Doris, rue
| fully. as she started bravely through
II. The water was knee deep wheI
she managed TO throw the bag up ont
the bridge; but getting herself up wa
quite another proposition. The SAN
was soft and her feet sank into 1t.
nnrsS Iffn'f riya nm pnSilV once Sn