The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-04-08
Chapter 35.
ANSW FRS.


For the next few days, Ruth had at
least physical rest. Mrs. O'Neil took
entire charge of the house, she made
herself particularly nice to the people
Ruth had put in, and promptly put the
place on a more efficient basis. In
small things, Mrs. O'Neil was most
efficient, too much SO, perhaps, for
other peoples comfort.
So she took over the house and the
meals. and Ruth sat out on the porch
with her father, reading aloud and en-
joying the new books he had brought
back with him. Her mother went back
and forth, dressed in one of tile ging-
ham house gowns she had made while
away--a huge figure with large hips
and broad shoulders, firm jaw large
brown eyes that were a little hard in
expression, and coarse iron-gray hair.
Her deep voice reached them from
various parts of the house.
Ruth had already started a garden,
on larger scale than usual, since she
planned to keep "boarders" the next
winter and wanted to cut costs as
much as possible. Sometimes she
worked in it, with her father giving a
little light help. He was not strong,
and could not do anything strenuous
without having a heart attack. But he
made the work interesting by his
knowledge Of plant life, so that Ruth
felt each hour in the garden was a
lesson IN biology.
Nevertheless, her days of compare
tive rest did not make her look better.
as her mother noted with concern.
"She needs a complete change" she
told Mr.. O'Niel, and they planned how
she might have one.
No use sending her to Sarah" they
agreed It's too hot there in the sum-
mer. and the town is dead when the
college is closed. She needs a COM
plete change
"Of course If she could only 90 and
visit her chum in the city"
Mrs. O'Niel determined that this
should happen. Meantime, she began
going over accounts, the house, the
tank, debts, receipts
One day she called Ruth in to the
library. Her face was white-as white
as it could be under the naturally
brownish tinge of her skin
81 hate to add this to your worries"
she said you've done so wonderfully
i believe your Father would have
died if we had not gotten him away
this winter. And you managed to
make the house earn enough to pay
for it all"
ut wasn't much. thanks to Aunt
Sarah" Ruth said.
Still it was wonderful for YOU to
have done it. think your Father
is nervously better-physically, of
course, he'll never improve
The girls face paled little at this.
But the thing that worries me i'm
madiately is this-there's lot of back
taxes owing on the place, I've been
hunting for receipts, and haven't found
them. But among your Fathers papers
did find several notices Of money due
he said he had paid them suppose
lie did not want to worry me-.
What does it mean Ruth was
quite ignorant of this sort of thing.
1T means that we'll have u mort
gage the place to pay the taxes.
A mortgage, Ruth felt faint for
moment A mortgage to her meant
some strange, strangling. financial
thing, something that, once it got on a
,,lace. sucked it until-until it was sold
into the hands of someone lucky en-
ou@h to have money and not to be
hurdened with mortga ges. To Ruth,
. mortgage was only known as she
bod read Of it in pathetic stories where
the dear old farm was always sold
to satisfy its creditors. She saw the
house up at auction INN ediately
Lets not do that! There must be
a way ont without that! Is it much o'
Mrs O'Neil named the sum. To
Ruth it seemed enormous.
But we are earning more now than
we really have 10 have" she said. by
the end of this year we can pay it off,
or most of it
1T has to be paid ut oncei"
And that was added to the girls
troubles for time. Then Mrs. O'Niel
took the matter into her hands and did
one Of the wisest things she could. She
went to the City Hall office, and ar
ranged with the tax collector that the
money should be paid in weekly in
stallments.
It was irregular. tie tax collector
Tn"N"