The Press., 1919-01-09
An Experiment in Orphans
1918, by the Mcclure Nswspa-
 per Syndicats0
By JANE OSBORNE

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- tepsively himself. Labor was scarce. where his ren acres was located to pay three dollars and a half day for a laborer. There would be no economy and no patriotism in that sort of gar tening. The only thing left to do was to send for orphans. He had heard ot other people doing 1t. 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 q summer fin 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 dens. But now as he sat one very sunshiny May morning in the railroad station nt Babcocks there waiting were to help in his war work. he was quite a normal looking ynlng man of thirty-five or six.
 Barbara Grayson, whose five acres adioined hlS. was also at the station She was knitting sock to save time and the fact that she wore a rather severely cut. fairly short suit of khaki with canvas gaiters and wide brimmed khaki hat proclaimed the fact that she had recently gone in for farming" as war measure. and that 1t was not her regular occupation. Not having a book to write and having d 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 stn- ton 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- ehugged out of the station and tive girls dressed in blue gingham, each carrying a cotton umbrella and cheap wicker suitcase, advanced toward Barbara.
 We're the orphans" one said In a monotone to Barbara, and another held out sealed letter, which, from the appearance of the envelope. had been held closely by warm hand all the way from the city. The ink had run, but Barbara saw it was addressed to 'lrofessor Osgood." Barbara, not having the slightest idea of Professor OSgoOd's plans, was entirely mystitied, but smiling on the two girls, handed the letter to the professor. He read 1t twice slowly and then handed 1t to Barbara. He knew her but slightly, but she was the only person In the sta tiOn. and assuredly he needed moral support.
 "Our boys have all been placed" said the note, signed by the matrOn of the city institution. 'I'm sending two sturdy, honest girls that are used to hard work. Don't be afraid to give them enough to do. If they have plenty to eat and enough sleep, work won't hurt them. Our visitor will be out in two weeks to make inspections and to zee how they are getting on."
 While Barbara was reading the let ter. Professor Osgood gazed mutely at the two sturdy girls over the top of his spectacles.
 Wont we do2" asked one,
 ''Nelther one of us wants to go back, ' faltered the other. Its nice here. .' This with an approving glance at the very green, very sunshiny country around them.
 Professor Osgood thought minute more, and then concluded that they would do. and while Barbara trudged back by one road, the professor, with his two orphans following him trudged through the dusty road to his old farmhouse.
 At one o'clock. as Barbara sat for 8 minute after her midday meal, map ping out on paper exactly how she would SOW the remainder of the seeds she had just received, there was 6 knock at the door of her shack-it was of the portable, put-up-and-t3ke-dowr variety with only two rooms and g species of kitchen-and Professor Os good appeared. Barbara invited hin to sit down with her and drink a cuI of coffee, quite as If they were olG friends, and this the professor accept ed with apparent gratitude.
 "Tve come to ask advice" he began You see I'm pretty ignorant about 8 good many things. It didn't occur to me at first that 1 oughtn't to keep those girls. They want to stay and they have worked like trojans all morning, and they cooked the dinner and are wash ing up the dishes now. They are a great help. I can do the heavy work and I'll give them short hours and I'll put away something from the proceeds of the garden for them every week They are nice girls-stupid rather and perhaps little dull-but splendid out door workers. They take to it like peasants. It occurred to me, however. that one conventional doesn't do that sort of thing. That is, wouldn't there be something out of the way