Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-03-15
Chapter XXI.

chapter AAhi.
Now as il happened, something had
taken place the very afternoon upon which
Lois rode out To see David, Of which Lois
herself was ignorant.
David had moved out to the Model
Farm about week before--in fact, right
after Alice had broken the engagement.
Most of his personal belongings he had
taken with him, but he had left n large
box of books behind at his old boarding
house in Pennington. And the box was
addressed TO Alice.
So, by chance, half an hour after Lois
had ridden off to the country, wagon
drew up at the door, and the box was car
ried UP To the little living room. Alice was
surprised, indeed; she did not even know
what the box contained, and she certainly
had not expected IL. She found a hatchet
and opened it, and on top OF the pile of
books lay note addressed to her. IL
read:
Dearest girl: I'm moving out to the
farm today, and I'm sending you my books
because you once told me you wanted 10
read them. You remember we We're talk
ing of agriculture, and you said you want
ed to take the college course III It. Well, all
nv college books are here. You'll have
no trouble knowing which ones were
studied first, because they'r re marked,
Freshman year, Soph, etc If you want
to do any Independent studying, here is
the material.
"I'm giving orders that these aren't
10 be delivered until q week after | move,
because j think that by that time you
may change your mind, and decide that,
after all, | do love you.
II won't try to convince you IN this
letter. told you all that the night we
parted. IL YOU do change your mind, my
dear, let me know in the quickest way YOU
can.
"As ever yours
David
The quick tears of happiness sprang to
her eyes Alice dropped down on the foor
by the wooden box, and read and re-rcad
the note. Her eyes sought out little
phrases eagerly-"1 do love you, and
dear. st girl, let me know in the quick
est way YOU can Impulsively she kissed
his signature, then bIushing at what she
considered foolish act.
Then, holding the letter in her lap che
started pulling out the books.
For a long time she sat there, un-
conscious of everything but the relief and
joy st this expression of David's love, and
X
this box OF books. She pulled them out and
read their titles blissfully-trcatises on
irrigation, books on what to grow in
sandy soil, methods OF pruning trees,
volumes on intensive market gardening, a
slim one of mushroom growing, articles on
how 10 cultivate the waste spots of q farm,
a history of agricultural development, a
book on berry growing-titles that might
seem prosy enough to most people, but to
Alice, thirsting for this very sort OF
knowledge, the most delightful reading in
the world.
She wss 20 pages along in a book about
poultry diseases when a step on the stairs
caused her TO look up. Her mother was
coming down.
You feel well enough to get up?"
Alice said, jumping to her feet.
Il feel stronger than | have for weeks,
Mrs Fairbanks assured her. Il shall help
with supper tonight, and we won't need
DR.. Blaney any more"
Alice settled her in her armchair, then
turned again to her box. "Did you ever
see anything SO wonderful" she exclaimed
with enthusiasm. Look here, mother
here's whole agricultural course, just as
they teach it in college. David sent them
to me"
''And the note, too? Well that's very
nice. hope he comes around soon" Mrs.
Fairbanks smiled down at her daughter.
Together they went on through the
books, the older woman sharing her
daughters pleasure in them, if not her
enthusiasm. Mrs Fairbanks had had but
little education, her store of knowledge
had been learned from experience, and
not from books. A few winters at dis
trict school had taught her the rudiments
of reading and writing and simple history
and geography. A youth of hard work
had taught her a hundred ways TO save the
penny. She had grown old and frail prac-
tising the well-learned lesson of economy.
But as to the new ways of making barren
soil produce fertile crops-of dong hard
work quickly and easily-of these things
she knew nothing. Alice, with her ac-
quisitive mind and her natural efficiency,
her instinct for labor saving, was revela-
tion TO Mrs. Fairbanks.
an work hard and read all these, Alice
remarked, piling the books up methodic-
ally, according to subject. "And when
David and / are married and | go out on
that lovely farm, I'll JOIN their classes and
learn a lot more about it.
A step on the porch made them look up.
Lois, In her smart riding habit, caNe into
the room. On her pretty mouth was a
smile Of triumph and only half concealed
i n her eyes WAS q look of I...,lice.