The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1921-06-18
Apples in the Gar
den of Eden
By FREDERICK HAIR

|
| t9, 1921. by Mcclure Newspaper syndicate
The dusty stranger paused i'll his
+ stroll along the highway and looked
/ interestedly over the fence into the
1 apple orchard. The laden trees giowed
/ with their burden of red and golden
fruit in the afternoon sunlight. Here
/ and there in the trees the forms of
men, basket-laden, showed amid the
branches. But the dusty stranger was
not watching the men. What had
caught his eye was a slim figure clad
! In oVeralis and great straw hat that
| fitted about the orchard, directing.
urging, overseeing the work and now
and then taking hand at the picking.
! The baggy garments made the gender
! or this figure indeterminate but the
| clear voice with which she exhorted
| the pickers left no doubt that II was
q girl, and thought the dusty stranger,
If the voice was any criterion, re-
marakably pretty girl, too. He con
| tinued to watch, hoping that she would
| turn his way.
| Presently she did and he was CON
scious Of pretty, piquant face, some
what tanned, with saucy nose and
! dark, shining eyeS-the whole making
an ensemble that the informal cos
| tune only set off TO better advantage.
| He regarded her from his distance
with a frank look of admiration; but
he was greatly surprised when she
made a gesture in his direction and
called to him.
"Here." The voice was imperious.
DO you want work."
"Yes'' replied the dusty stranger,
though one minute ago work had been
farthest from his thoughts.
Then come on and get a basket and
help pick" she said. "A dollar a day
and your board"
The dusty stranger climbed the fence
with alacrity, looked about till he
found a basket and singing it on his
shoulders, proceeded TO climb the near
est tree, where he was Immediately
busily occupied In filling his basket
with the luscious fruit that hung all
around him. Below, the girl heaved a
sigh Of relief as she watched his eff
forts. That's Just about all the men
Wen need to get the crop IN in time for
the market" she thought. what a
blessing that that tramp came along
just then l hope he staysw
She might have set her mind at rest
on the last point. though she might
well have been disturbed on other
grounds had she known what the dusty
stranger was thinking as he filed his
basket
"She's the prettiest thing I've seen
In years." he was Illuminating. And
the way she bosses this Job is a
miracle! VIII stay? Well,
should rather think SO! A dollar a
day and board That's good Wait
till tell the boys that!" And he
chuckled to himself as he swung down
to empty his basket and ascend again.
AS evening fell the apple pickers
came down from their trees, emptied
their baskets on the piles Of fruit that
lay about the orchard, and returned to
the farmhouse. There, after a supper
such as the dusty stranger had not
eaten In years, they turned In for the
night. Most Of the pickers, their days
work done. fell at once into the deep
sleep of thoroughly wearied men; but
the dusty stranger lay awake for
awhile and watched the moon, which
he could see from his window, slowly
climb the sky. Finally he, too, fell
asleep. with the face Of the ruler of
the orchard before his minds eye and
her voice in his ear.
In the morning they were at IL
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 dusty stranger,
sitting In the fork of gnared old
tree of sheepnoses, meditated regret
fully on this fact, which would neces-
state his leaving or getting other work
on the place.
II went into this thing for lark"
he thought. "And I'll be hanged II l
haven't gone and fallen In love with
her. And she thinks I'm a tramp !
There's nothing to do but make her
employ me around here some more"
But Fate, who keeps watchful
eye over her favored ones, interfered
at this point. As the stranger leaned
far out along branch to pick an
especially fine pippin that hung just
out Of his reach, his watch slipped
from the little pocket where he kept
1t and fell to the ground below. For
tunately it landed on thick tuft OF
grass, and so saved itself from de-
structiOn; but the silence Of it's fall
made its owner unconscious Of its
loss. He picked on. unaware that his
problem was within seconds Of its So
luton.
To his tree came the girl, intent
| on giving a word of commentator to
| this hobo who worked so industri-
ously The glitter of gold on the
ground caused her to stoop and pick