The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1921-08-11
ABERRY SURPLUS
BY ADDIE GRAVES.

you do beat the band picking blue
berries, Dorothy. You've been gone
only two hours, and there are 10
quarts, if not more in those pals
they look as big as the swamp berries,
though; it must be dandy picking.
shall have all my jars filled with Dlue-
berries, if you keep on, and have TO Duy
more-and they are awfully dear tllis
year"
Dorothy's heart was humping ike
the big drum in the band-ragtime, al
that. She had turned her back to hlde
her confusion and was searching the
pantry for pans for picking over the
berries. When she returned, her MOTH
er continued:
81 heard today-Jane Butterteld told
me-that Jim Bamforth is home. She
said he is in the insurance business In
BostOn-is superintendent of some Of
flee of the Plymouth Rock company.
She said he is doing fine, and was
dressed up TO kill when he arrived.
suppose he hates farming worse than
ever"
Dorothy made no reply to her moth
/ er's remarks and changed the subject
/ by demanding some fruit jars. Jim
and she had been sweethearts, but her
! father had sent Jim away because he
| refused to stay with his father on the
farm, insisting on going to the city to
work.
If Dorothys mother had followed her
on her BURBERRY trips, she would have
discovered the cause Of the full pals
that reached the kitchen each day. Ii
was old Rex who was the instigator
of the whole thing. He was with his
master who was picking blueberries in
the edge of the swamp which bOrdered
DorOthy's fathers burberry pasture.
That he was there with premeditated
result of almost a years endeavOrs and
hope.
But old Rex discovered her first. His
nose was sharper than his masters
eyes, for didn't he love Dorothy too?
Maybe she surmised the nearness OF
Jim.
With questioning eyes they searched
each others faces.
The years space Of absence was
spanned by a few seconds. At last,
after the flooded greeting subsidized, Jim
invited Dorothy into the swamp. where
the berries were bigger and hung In
great punches from tall trees in the
shade of young pines. The BURBERRY
bushes were SO high Jim had TO jump
10 catch hold of the lower limbs. He
had to hold them down while they both
rapidly scoOped off the berries, quickly
filling the pals.
II Dorothy had gone home at once,
her mother would have been more mys-
did arrive. But the couple sat down
on a fallen log entirely forgetting the
berries. Rex was glad to see Dorothy
in his masters arms-to know they
were both happy. He could tell when
things were all right.
Dorothy was very silent about her
daily work. Her mother watched her
with anxious heart. She remembered
the time when she and Pa picked blue
berries together in gill dipper-he in
knee Overalls-she in "a long sleeved
tire"-both with bare feet.
A few years later came the husxSng
bee, when she found the red ear, and
they dared the bashful eiehteen-year.
old boy to kiss her. Then the shy
counting, broken by the horrible yer.
dict of Grandfather Downing, forbid
ding the marriage.
Pa was too slow and stupid tc
amount to anything. Lazy" grand
father said. How, after two years OF
misery, they accidentally met in an
other town and returned man ant
wife. And now pa had $4,000 in the
bank.
She sighed and studied Dorothy. Blu
Dorothy did not sigh. If wretchet
she kept up brave 'front.'" and hel
mother made no comment. When Dor
othy asked her to go blueberrying will
her one morning ma was surprised.
ave don't need any more blueber
ries, Dorothy" she insisted. But Dor
othy, with an inscrutable smile, got tn,
pals and coaxed her mother to GO
Mrs. Meredith resisted DOrothy's ap
peals to enter the swamp, but finall,
yielded when she perceived there wa
a reason for the request. When the.
came to the log they found 1t occupie,
by three peOple-Jim, his brother an,
a stranger. Jim rose and at once In
troduced a man.
Mrs. Meredith, this is my friend
Rev. Henry Flanders. Dorothy ha
consented to marry me without he
{ fathers permission. AS he set an ex
ample for us she does not think h
can have much of case against us
But she wished very much to hav
her mother present at her wedding.
"Old Rex brought us together dow
here. We found our happiness on thi
. old log, and, as clergyman was stoI
( ping at my home. we thought it a mic
place to be married. without any fus
or bother"
Mrs. Meredith was too confOunde
to speak. and no one else ventured t
} make remarks so the minister proceed
ed with the marriage service. Rel
Mi cot A.