The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1920-07-15
WHEN HEDGES
SPROUT
By VICTOR REDCLIFFE


feminine handwriting, the text of which
showed thought. intelligence and char
aCter. 1t was signed Adele Mercer, of
whom he had never heard before.
"Whoevcr the young lady is. she
writes like a true woman" commented
Mercer. Poor Brill! He must have
gone through dark days, indeed, with
family of six mOtherIeSs children, Ill
ness and poverty"
The closest friend of his youth. Nor
ton Brill, had married. and had gone
west fifteen years before the present
time. They had correspondent. and
then the business cares of each had
interviewed At the end of ten years
Wilton received a letter from Brill tell
ing of business struggle, the death Of
his wife and his own half blindness
and poverty with six little ones 10 care
for. He asked Wilton TO loan him
few hundred dollars. II was readily
sent. From that time Wilton had not
heard a word from him until the letter
signed Adele Mercer arrived.
Il u
ly coincidental freak of fate Wilton
had been forced to face ruin. Within
q few short months he went through
the experience of losing half his CAPT
tai through the embeZZlemcnt Of
trusted partner. Creditors forced liQui-
dalton. When the storm was over Dale
Wilton found himself free of debt. hut
with less than three hundred dollars
TO begin life all over again. When the
letter came ii added to his already
acute depression and diScOuraCemcnt.
The deepest chords of his being were
stirred with infinite pity, but he was
helpless To prOffer the aid which he
felt was incumbent upon him rs
sacred duty.
Miss Adele Mercer wrote briefly,
clearly, senSibly. She did not explain
how it was that she had become prac-
tically the guardian Of the children Of
Morton Brill. but such seemed TO he
the fact.
81 write TO you" her letter ran, DE
cause upon his dying bed Mr.. Brill
asked me TO do so. am striving to
keep his little group together until I
have your counsel as to what is best
to do. He has left nothing and the fu-
ture OF his little ones is a distressing
problem"
Somehow the situation Of the SIX
little Brill children interested Wilton
because he pitied them and felt a GER
tain responsibility he could not evade
When a few days later he reached
Appleton ii was to find Miss Mercer
and the little ones occupying a poor,
cheap cottage, sparsely furnished but
neatly kept.
At once Adele Mercer attracted him.
She was young woman of about
twenty-five, mature and sedate in her
ways, hut presenting a certain beauty
OF face that was preposseSSing When
Wilton learned her history he fully I'M
derStOOd how the life of an orphan
and later a sense of duty In behalf OF
the Brill children had bent her mind
TO a serious, practical phase OF life
She had come to Appleton from little
village with no business experience.
had been unable to find position and
was quite at the verge of deStitutiOn
when she learned that four of the little
Brill children were down with the
measles and the father was looking for
a nurse.
She came to stay. and when the dark.
struggling days Of Illness and poverty
came for the family remained Loyalty
to share their troubles. The bright.
happy children, with no true realiza-
ton Of their forlorn condition. at once
took TO Wilton as to a second father.
"The city Is no place for them" he
told Miss Mercer, nor for me. either.
have been thinking OF q single re-
source l have. 1t will take me day
or two to explore It's value or other
wise" and he rendered her some money
for family expenses until his return.
"Oh, / am able to provide for our
necessities" said Adele. "You see. !
devote the evenings to some garment
work for store near here" and VII
ton understood why this peerless self
sacrificing woman looked thin and pale
and wearied most Of the time.
The resource he had alluded to was
the one piece OF property Wilton had
ever owned. II was the spot where he
was born. The old home had long since
gone to decay, but barn in fair
state of preservation had been made
habitable by man and his wife who
had leased it and a two-acre plat Of
ground. raising Strawberries. Each year
they had paid a nominal rent until the
past one
1t was located two miles from a bus.
Ting town where the strawberry raiser
had found a ready market for his
fruit, but he had been unable TO Sc
cure pickers and had given up the bust
ness.
"And what with the two of us. Miss
Mercer and me. TO work and manage
and six little pickers ready at hand.
and cheap horse and wagon" solilo-
quiZed Wilton, why can we not make
comfortable living and gradually &C.
quire the dignity Of a modest little
farm?"
"Why not. indeed7" Adele Mercer re-
peated later. Just as the hedges be-
gan to sprOut they took possession OF
their rOOmy habitatlon. Through Nav
the little ones rollickpd and tbrora