Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1923-12-21
Called Him
"Mr. Providence"
By MARTHA WILLIAMS

tSh 1873, py Mcclure newspaper Syhulcate)
Amy truck to sell? Green stuff,
fruit, flowers, anythingf I'm here to
buy. Yes, said it-b-u-y, buy"
Liston chanted, pausing at the gate
outside the locust-set yard. Locusts
meant old residents, generally with
fine gardens. Gardens he must dis
cover IL this fine adventure was not to
draw blank. His estate was dlsinher-
itance for rank disobedience, his main
asset lusty, hard-headed belief in
himself. Additionally he had Black
Hawk and the shabby training sulky,
an almost gift, in that no money had
passed, from the blacksmith some
miles back.
If the vehicle was to carry things,
riding was out of the question. Liston
did not mind BY the time his excel
lent walking boots were worn out who
knew he might be able to step In bet
ter ones. Lucky he had gone In for
walking in vacations; thus he knew
how to ease and spare himself; also
to feed right. Feeding bulked big In
the immediate future-a hearty fellow
with little cash soon eats up his cap
ital unless he minds his eye.
Liston plucked great handfuls Of
lush, tender grass, removed the bit
and fed his comrade as joyously as he
himself would have eaten, given the
chance. Therefore he did not hear
lightly tripping feet on the crumbling
brick pavement within the gate, and
started as a clear, girl voice said:
Man, you are Mr.. Providence. We've
got more to sell than ever you saw
or heard of, and have been avon
derln' and a-wonderin' however we'd
get the chance"
THAT sounds bad for me. I'm buy
ing to sell again." Liston flung back
"But l like so well being Mr.. Provi-
dence I'm glad I came. The name may
work both ways"
II hope it does, so you'll keep on
comm" the girl answered eagerly. ~
most reckon you can buy on credit
after you pay Miss 'Rlah this first
time. She'd credit you right off only
can't let her. Have to stand between
her and cheats and liars, like that fell
low who got a whole wagon-load Of
peaches, just on his say-so, and never
came back even to say Thanky,
marm.'"
AT least I'll not do that" Liston
laughed. Now pretty lady, what's
the most taking thing in stock this
morning?"
depends on where you're going
If it's the mill settlement, yoR need
cabbage. onions, beets, scallions, last
year cucumbers In brine, and bags Of
smoked sausage" the girl said. "But
for town-early peaches. Only a few
are real ripe yet. but beauties, 1 can
tell you. Such shame they can't be
shipped to Chicago. There they'd
bring ten dollars bushel; here we
can't much more than give them away
by pocketfuls."
Can | see them-please" Liston
asked eagerly. Following a beckoning
nod he was almost at once between
lOw-headed thrifty young trees whose
dotted with truly wonderful pink.
flushed, creamy-skinned peaches, big
ger than his fist. The trees were the
foreword to an orchard in high filth.
At Its farthest edge a white house,
weathered to soft gray, as though en-.
treating its comrade protection. AT
his admirlng exclamation the girl
laughed proudly: "All our own
work-mlne and Miss 'Riah's," she
said. Except the spray-we could
do that, toO-if only we had a ma
chine"
Looks like witch work to me-" LIS
ton flung back. why, our orchard"
checking suddenly and biting his lips.
He was forgetting that he had
nothing beyond what was In hand. II
would have been dlsgraceful to tell
this daughter Of the soil Of the gar
deners and underlings who kept the
big Liston grounds in ordsr-for
round price. The girl ran on: II
hope you want all the real ripe ones
hate to see them drop and smash
they do If we leave them. Just
abc1t peck--waltl I'll get a basket
VIII that be too many-more'n you
dare risk?"
Depends on the price," Liston re-
turned. "It's fifty cents-at the tree"
the girl said, dartlng away. In five
minutes between them they had the
new spllnt basket slightly heaped.
"All but two ripe ones" the girl
cried See 'em-up In the tiptop.
Shake that big limb, hard. I'll hold
my apron to catch them-and you may
eat one while eat the other"
Llston obeyed, but, peach In hand,
said:
"Thanky, ma'am, but I'll keep mine
for luncheon may be too busy to hunt
anything else"
The girl nodded, saying joyously:
"And I'll make you sandwich and
put in little cheesecake--if you like
1t; maybe you'll sell some for u.s."
Llston left In a daze after paying a
dollar for the peaches and putting all
but the price of feed and stabllng into
garden stuff. Fate must love adven-
turers. Inside of five hours he had |
sold out clean, and sat in roadside
shade reckoning triple gains. Also
he had laid the foundation Of new |
buslness-lald II true and square.
One woman had all but cried over not |
getting all the peaches. To pacIfy |
her he had promised next mornings |
basketful exclusively hers. Others
had asked him to come regularly. As
for the mill folk, they had all but
mobbed him. so joyous was their hun.
ger for green stuff.