The St. Mary banner., 1922-06-03
Mildred Looking
for Work
By JANE OSBORN


| e. 1922 by Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate
1t had never occurred to Prof. Lang
| don Moore that it required any par
ticular amount Of skill to handle ;
| hammer, chiSel and other carpenter:
| tools with sufficient deXterity to de
| the small repairs that were needed Il
make his newly purchased farmhouse
near Pleasant lake habitable anC
even attractive. Neither had it evel
occurred TO him that he could possibly
become weary of his own society OF
eager for companiOnship in passing
the month of July alone in this re.
treat. With the notes for the revision
to one of his popular textbooks
ready, it had seemed like an ideal ar
rangement to combine five or six hours
of writing each day with the diversion
of mending his rather tumble-down
house and preparing his own meals.
Just at present he was standing
cautiously on the top of ladder in
front of his house engaged in the
difficult feat Of tacking mosquito net
ting into one of the windows of his
living rooms. AS a university profess
sOr of mathematics it seemed incred-
ible that he had not been able to meas
ure the window and cut off the net
ting accurately, but as he lifted the
piece Of green net to the window he
saw that it lacked a few inches of
extending from top to bottom of the
window. He was just about to climb
down from his ladder when Ann Bates
came in on the path that led from the
road to the house. Ann was nineteen;
but her straight bobbed hair, her boy
ish MILDLY blouse worn over short,
full blue skirt made her look much
younger. AS the professor glanced
quickly at her she seemed like a
child.
Good morning." she began. as
there any work l can do for you?"
There Is work enough" the pro-
fessor returned, and as he removed
his bone-rimmed glasses and looked
at her Ann saw that he was much
younger and far less formidable than
he had seemed when she first spoke.
'The trouble is l don't know whether
there is anything for little girl like
you to do"
II can do lots of things. I just
moved a lawn up the road" She
looked doubtfully at the weed-tangled
patch before the house. Il don't sup
pose yours wants to be moved. But
I'm not a little girl. I'm twenty
most, and l can do hard work"
"Do you suppose you could finish
his job I've begun? There's more !
,etting in the house Suppose you
,egin all over. There must have been
the matter with the yard |
tick used"
Without any preliminary discussion
II terms Professor Moore dismounted
rom his ladder and Ann Bates started
o work. In two hours the task OF
'utting netting on the windows was
early accomplished and Ann an
ounced herself at the door Of the cabin
,ithin which Professor Moore was
eep at work.
Here am," she said. ''Pve worked
wo hours-that's fifty cents. It's only
leven o'clock so l could work half
our more before I start back. Or /
ould come back this afternoon-that
J, If you want me to-"
"Do you want to work some more"
sked Langdon Moore, i'll cOncealing
n amused smile.
II have to-" said Ann. II got $1.13
,r the lawn-and If you pay me so
ants I'll have $1.63-and I've still
OF to earn S5. But, of course, I can
0 on to some of the farmhouses.
sually they need some one to do the
ashing"
Professor Moore felt deep indigna-
on toward any farmers wife who
ould suggest that this light-hearted
lid should 60 to work as washer
oman He would prevent it before
could happen.
"If you would just as soon," he said,
-ou can go on working here. There
e a great many things TO do; only
cents an hour isn't much to pay"
So it was agreed that Ann should
END the half-hour that remained get .
1g ready something for the hungry ,
ofessor to eat.
"Since you are going to do more
ork for me-" said Professor Moore,
hose curiosity concerning the young
ok of f-all-tradeS was steadily in .
easing, would you mind telling me v
nat / can call you"
Call me Red Wing If you want" q
e said. That's not my real name,
ough." Il
| RI