Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-11-11

bit of a farm would open the way.
There would be money needed of
course, n where was it to come
from But he could work. He was
strong. He would give his young life
for his peaple-save them from their
Ignorance and despair. AT least he
could save some; ever one would be
worth while. %,sa .x.tatn
. So he unused as he hurried on++eyes
and mind open to all he saw s.
There was 10 fence in front OF Old
Orchard farm. A white road border
ed with golden rod and wild asters
met the scraggly grass that matted
and tangled itself beneath the gnarled
apple trees. a grassy rutted wagon
track curved itself in vistas between
the trees up to the house which was
set far back from the road. A man
passing identified the place for Mi
chael, and looked him over appriz-
ingly, wondering as did all who saw
him, at the power and strength Of his
beauty.
The house was weather-beaten I'M
painted clapboards, its root of curled
apd NOISY Shingles. possessing !. un
doubted leakable qualities. patched
here and there. A crazy veranda
ambled across the front. 1t contained
a long low with a queer dc
fashioned chimney place wide enough
to sit In, a square south room that
must have been a dining room be-
cause of the painted cupboard whose
en'pty shelves gazed CHASTITY between
half-open doors, n a small kitchen,
not much more than a shed. In the
long low room a staircase twisted lit
self up oddly to the -four rooms under
the leakf roof. 1t was all empty and
desolate. save for an old cot bed and
a broken chair. The floors had a
isaggeds shaky appearance. saaehe doora
-Huakedsswheh they were opefkd. ThS
windows were cobwebbf anas drearfs:
yet it looked to the eyes of. the new
householder like a palace. He saw II
in the light of future possibilities and
gloried in it. That chimney place
now. How would it look with a great
log burning in it, and a rug and rock
ing chair before it. What would
Aunt Sally-perhaps-say to it when
he got it fixed up? Gould he ever
coax her to leave her dirty doorstep
and her drink and come out here to
live? And how would he manage it
all If he could? There would have to
be something to iced her with, and to
buy the rug and the rocking chair.
And first Of all there would have to be
bath tub. sStty W~puldaneed I'd
sbeS purifed befote she onld enter the
portals offxHfs Me&i tfagsgesss@h he
had made it as he wanted it to be.
Paint and paper would make won
derful transformations he knew, for
he had often helped at remodelling
the rooms, at college during summer
vacations. He had watched and been
with the worknen and finally taken a
hand. This habit Of watching and
helping had taught him many things.
But where were paper and paint and
time to use it coming from? All,
we'll, leave that to the future. He
would find a way. Yesterday he did
mot have the house nor the land for
1T Ito stand upon. It had come tand
the rest would follow IN their time.
He went happily about planning for
a bath ROOM. There would have to be
water power. He had seen windmills
on other places as he passed. That
was perhaps the solution of this prob
lem, but windmills cost n,oney of
course. Still-all in good time.
There was a tumbled-down barn
and chicken house, and a frowzy at
tempt at asgarden. A strawberry bed
overgrown with weeds. al asickly' cab
bage lifting its head bravely: a. eaunt
row OF, currant bushes: another. wan
deringa outreaching row OF. raspber.
RES: broken fence; a stretch Of
sqopy bog land to the right, and the
farm trailed off into desolate neglect
ending in a charming grove of thick
trees that stood close down to the
rivers bank. $3.50
= Michael went over it all carefully.
noted b exposure Of the land. kick.
2 sandy soil to examine it's un-
promising state, walked all around
the bog and tried to remember what