The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-08-26
The Daily Short Story

ening and resetting all the plants
which were not broken. The horses
hoofs had hardly left the road, but
the wheels had described a huge
! W deep in the newly-turned soil.
The tender little plants were hope
lessly cut and broken.
| Hot words rushed through Hopes
/ mind-words with which she hoped
to scar the very soul of Lucian Cal
! lous, but suddenly her fathers tired,
| patieLI voice recalled her. She
rose from the ground and walking
toward the house, a brave smile,
not at all forced, came to her lips.
Never mind, daddy was pretty
cross at first; but l have thought
! just what I'll do won't give Lush
Callous the rating he deserves. But
just watch me; I'll say it Win
fiowersI'"
Into the house she dashed, and
brought out wooden box of earth
with hundreds of little green plants.
1t was all she could carry, and she
wasted no breath in words.
Once more beside her pansy plot,
she began to separate the slender
stalks with loving, patient fingers.
These Were to have formed the Dor
der if her dooryard flower bed had
not been forbidden.
She smiled as she set them at
regular intervals along the cruel
wheel tracks, pressing the warm
earth around the tiny roots, and
whimsically telling them to hurry
and grow fast for her.
An impish thought struck her as
she set the last plant
Il guess I'll fool dad, too, just for
good measure
So she ran back up the walk
with the empty box in her hand and
said carelessly: Some other plants
that I'd planned to use another way
You don't think the old Tartar will
do that trick again, do you? II
know I'm too uppish to suit him;
he's trying to humble me, that s
ALL"
But her faher's eyes were taking
in her glowing young beauty with
new realization and new serious
ness.
Hope, girl, you've growed like
weed this year. Heavens, how
wish 1 could get to work and help
We go to the college where We want
SO to be-"
Now, daddy"
Hope was all contrition, as al |
ways when her fathers courage |
tagged. She stopped and stroked |
his hair gently.
Now, daddy, you know it won't |
hurt me or my plans to teach for /
a year, first. And if l can't man |
age it by then, III teach two years,
or three. I won't have you fretting /
when your leg is knitting so we'll |
Why, it won't be any time now be-
fore you can be at work again. and |
then l Just want to be around TO
tell Lucius Callous to keep his nose
at home and let US plan our own
crops, tool"
The rains fell-soft, pattery rains,
and the sun shone, not f1ercely, to
shrtvel the young plantlets, but just
right to make them reach for
heaven through the long white days
and nestle sleepily in the dew at
night
And one day the first pansy bios
somed, and looked around and liked
Us little three-cornered home, and
mat night 1t must have whispered
10 the others, for the next morning
hearty half the fat, lazy buds open
ed up, and they, too, nodded and
smiled and made the world and
Hope very much happier. But the
best was to come. |,
On hazy day, after a smart little
shower, the miracle began, and on
ne second and third days it de-
Ieioped SO that even an old dreamer
Ike Sam Warren could not be fool +,
ID longer.
The heater-piece was talkingf,
'eiling all whom that selectman i,
lad neglected to tell OF Lucius CAL ,
GUS detestable act in trying to
freak the good old New England