The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1921-05-23

hgbIpl aVAb teAs thoAH'-S
d looked interestedly over
ence into the apple orchard
iRden trees glowed with their
fden 81 red and golden fruit In the
AFTERNOON sunlight. Here aud there
i the trees the forms Of men, bas-
ST. .adet,, showed amid the branch
ess But the dusty stranger was not
Watching the men, What had caught
his eye was a slim figure clad IN
,Eeralls and o great straw hat tnaI
lilttel about the orchard. dIrecttng
ifsfng, overseeing the work and
now and then taking a hand at the
piekins. The baggy garments MADE
he gender OF this figure lndeterml-
mate; but the clear voice VITA
! which ahe exhorted the pickers leit
3 no doubt that 1t was q girl, and,
Thought the dusty stranger, II ths
/ Jloice was any criterion a remark.
ABLY pretty girl, too. He continued
10 watch. hoping that she would
ttirn his way.
Presently sAe did and he was con
scIous 81 i pretty, plquant face,
spmewhat tanned, with suacy
nose and dark, shining eyes-the
whole making an ensemble that the
Informal costume only set off to
better advantage. lie regarded her
rom his distance with trans lopk
of admiration; but he was greatly
stfpfisdd when she made y ges-
,tlire In Ills direction and called 10
him.
'taethlg Tho. voice was imper-
.ons :s,Do you want work."
,,Yesr' replied the dusty stranger
though pn9 minute ago work had
been faftlsst from his thoughts.
}tfhen come on and get basket
aud HELM pick, she said. "A dollaF
a day and your board"
The dusty stranger climbed the
senceswith alacrity, looked about till
he found basket and singing II
ON his shoulders proceeded 10 climb
the nearest tree where he was i'm
inediately buslly occupied in<allinG
lis basket with the luscious fruit
saat hung ali around him. Below the
giff heaYed "a sigh Of relief as she
watched his efforts. "That's Just
about all the men we'll need TO
get the crop III in time for the mar
ket,s she thought. What a bless
ing that that tramp came along Just
lieni 1Btope he stays"
She might have set her mind at
rest on tho last point, though shG
might well have been disturbed on
other grounds had she known what
the dusty stranger was thinking us
l.efiiicd his basket.
I, Shes the prettlest thing Two
2 eeen Ia years" he was Illuminating
And the way she bosses this job
Is q miracle! Will | stay? Well,
should rather think SO! A dollar
Il day and board! That's good! Wait
iiisigtell the boys that!" Aud he
rhlckled to himself as he swung
downst 20 empty his basket and as
cend again.
As covering fell the apple.pickers
came down from their trees, emptied
qheir baskets on the piles of fruit
that lay about The orchard and re-
turned,t to the farmhouse. There, af-
tor d supper such as the dusty
Granger had not eaten in years,
they turned In for the night. Most
fthetpIckers their days work done
felifat once into the deep sleep OF
thoroughly wearied men; but the
dusty stranger lay awake for a
while and watched the moon which
hescould See from his window, slow.
~ climb the sky. Finally he, too
fell asleep with the face of the
ruler ot tho orchard before his
mind,s eye and her voice in his
ear.
In$the morning they were at It
again and all that hot day they
toiled. The work was hardly begun
for the orchard was large one. A
week OF hard work, however, and
the end was in sight. The dust!
strange was sitting in the fork o.
:, gpArled old tree OF sheepnoses
meditated regretfully on this fact
which would necessitate his leaving
or getting other work on the place
stwent into this thing for lari
he though. "And Ill be hanged Il
! haven't gone and, fallen in love
With her. And she thinks I'm q
ramp. There's nothing to do but
make her employ me around here
some more
But, Fate, who keeps watchtu
eye over her favored sons interferet
al this point. AS the stranger
leaned far out along branch tc
pick an especially fine pippln thai
hung Just out Of his reach his watct
} slipped out OF the little pocket where
he kept it and fell to the ground
Fortunately 1t landed on a thick
tuft Of grass and SO saved itself
from destruction; but the silence o.
It's fall made It's owner unconscious
of It's loss. He picked on unaware
that his problem was within sec
cnds OF its solution.
10 his tree came the girl, linen
on giving a word of commentator
to5this hobo who worked SO indus
triously. The glitter OF gold on thu
ground caused her to stoop and pioI
iip the watch. Its back had flowr
open from the shock OF the fall, ant
she was about TO call to the maj
inStAe tree when her eye was caugh
by an inscription engraved on thI
inside OF the case.
ITO
WILLIAM GEORGE FAHNEsToCE
From