The vidette. (Iuka, Tishomingo County, Miss.) 1912-1967, 1922-12-14
FINItIJIIFvSTtEvsVttS ststStSvuItvStsSFV
A Question of
Degrees
By MORRIS SCHULTZ
! OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES


Harvey, l do love you, but It's no
use. I've just got to marry Elmer
Meredith" sighed Wanna Delane.
The young planter scowied. ITS
no better than slave-buying," he said
morosely.
II suppose it's what's going ON every
where" said Wanna. I'VE must be
satisfied just to be friends, Harvey"
Il shall not give up hope until you're
married. Wanna" said Harvey as he
turned away.
/ He rode back savagely. II was, as
he had said, simply slave-buying. Col
onel Delaine's orange orchard was all
he had In the world; the price of Or
anges had gone down with bang, and
Elmer Meredith was going to, foreclose
unless Wanna married him. And that
meant homelessness for the colonel,
who was lying desperately Ill.
No, nothing else was to be thought
of. The orange crop might have been
sold on the trees. but Grace, the buyer.
was hesitatlng about prices In face of
the sudden decline in prices. And,
even If Grace bought, 1t would only
stave off the inevitable for three
months.
And Colonel DelulDe was not likely
to get any better.
Harvey racked his brains, but there
was no way Of winning Wanna. He
had invested every penny OF his small
property in his land and young trees.
which adjoined the Delaine plantation,
and, moreover, he, too, was struggling
hmd to keep his property from passing
to Meredith. who held the mortgage.
1t would kill the colonel to lose
"Syren's Rest" The colonel had no idea
how much money was owing for the
expenses of his Illness.
A few days later Harvey rode round
to Vanna's.
II see they've had the worst blizzard
In twenty years at Medicine Hat" he
said. Suppose 1t comes south, Van.
mai"
"The meteorological bureau will no
tify us in time" said the girl.
Two days at most. Wanna, Pm GO
Ing to set my men, jim and Pete, to
work piling wood between all my rows
of trees, and between yours, Wanna.
This may be like the frost of '95 that
killed all the trees in this district"
Wanna demurred, but Harvey In.
sisted. "Pve just got sort of bunch,
Wanna" he said
Three days later, when the work
was completed, frost warnings ap-
peared In the local papers. There was
considerable hustle. Orange trees will
stand three or four degrees of frost;
not more. Three or four was the worst
that had been known In nearly thirty
years.
A few planters got some corncobs
smudge-most took no notice Of the
warning.
But the temperature was falling
steadily. 1t was going down two de-
grees an hour, and when It touched
freezing Harvey was over at Vannas
place.
1--WE told the boys to light up, van,"
he said. Come along and let's get
busy. We need all the hands we can
get"
Two hours later the thermometer
stood Mt q. An hour after that 1t was
at 25. 1t touched % at midnight.
But the fires on Harveys and Van
mas land were throwing out heat and
a cloud Of smudge to shelter The tender
trees. All night they and the blacks
labored. And at seven In the morning
1t was just 80, and going up steadily.
The danger was past. The golden
fruit hung ripe upon the trees. But all
around them lay ruined plantations and
dead trees.
Grace was up post haste that MORN
Ing. I'll take that four dollars you
offered, Miss Delalne," he said.
Harvey, standing by her, laughed.
We'll wait and see what news the
papers have" he answered.
"See here, I'll make It five-fifty,"
suffered Grace.
Il won't sell under seven," said Har.
vey firmly. YOU'D better hold out for
that too, Wanna"
You be DIR spluttered Grace, re-
mounting his horse and gaIloping away
in dudgeon.
Elmer Meredith was around little
later He glanced lnvidlously at the
crop. Some smart work, Miss Van.
ma he drawled. II jest came over about
that little matter Of the mortgage"
He glanced invidiously at Harvey.
Grace came galloping up. "Fll make
1t seven !" he shouted.
Fights our price now" said Harvey,
and Grace closed promptly. "All right,
Mr.. Meredith, we'll send you q check
this afternoon" he said.
what the devils it got to do with
your demanded Meredith.
"Oh, perhaps you didn't know that
Miss Delaine and are engaged to be
marripdv Harvov ancuaraJ