, 1925-03-25

Maartje Pools quick hand on his arm,
restraining him.
1.-Two dollars !" Pervus DeJong.
"And ten" Johannes Ambuul's eau
tious bid.
1.-Two and a quarter" Barend De-
Roo.
"Two-ifty !" Pervus DeJong.
Three dollars" The high voice of
the boy. 1t cracked a little on the last
syllable, and the crowd laughed.
Observation-Disclosures = three
three. Three once-"
"And a half" Pervus DeIong.
"Three sixty"
"Four!" DeRoo.
And ten"
The boys voice was heard 10 more.
81 wish they'd stop" whispered
Selma.
Five" Pervus DeJong.
"Slx!" DeRoo, his face very red.
"And ten"
"Seven."
Its only jelly sandwiches" said
Selma to DeJong. in a panic.
Eight" Johannes Ambuul. gone
mad.
"Nine!" DeRoo.
Mine! Nine I'm bid! Nine-nine-
nine! Who'll make it"
LET him have it. The cup cakes
fell n little. Don't"
Ten - said Pervus DeJong.
Barend DeRoo shrugged his great
shoulders.
"Ten-ten-ten. Dc I hear eleven? Do
| hear ten-ffty. Ten-ten-ten tententen-
tentententenl Gents! Ten once. Ter
twice! Gone-for ten dollars to Per
vus DeJong. And a bargain" Adam
Ooms mopped his bald head and his
cheeks and the damp spot under his
chin.
Ten dollars. Adam Ooms knew, as
did nll the countryside, this was not
the sun Of ten dollars merely. No
basket Of food, though 1t contained
n~lghtingales' tongues, the golden apple
Of Atalanta. wines of rare vintage,
could have bee adequate recompense
for these ten dollars. They represented
sweat and blood; toll and hardship;
hours under the burning prairie sun at
midday; work doggedly carried on
through the drenching showers of
spring; nights of restless sleep snatched
an hour at a time under the sky In
the Chicago market place; miles of
weary travel down the rude corduroy
road between High Prairie and Chica-
go. now up TO the hubs in mud, now
blinded by dust and blowing sand.
A sale at Christle's, with a miniature
going for II million, could o have met
with a deeper hush, n more dramatic
bnbble following the hush.
They ate their lunch together in one
corner of Adam Ooms' hall. Selma
opened the box and took out the
devlled eggs, and the cup cakes that
had fallen a little, and the apples, and
the sandwiches sliced very, very thin.
The coldly a%ppraising eye Of all High
Prairie, Low Prairie, and New Haar-
lem watched this sparse provender
emerge from the ~ribbon-tied shoe box.
She offered him a sandwich. II looked
infinltesimal in his great paw. Sud
denly all Selina's agony OF embarrnss-
ment was swept away. and she was
laughing. not wildly or Historically,
but joyously and girllshly. She sank
her little white teeth Into one OF the
absurd sandwiches and looked at him,
expecting to find him laughing, too.
But he wasn't laughing. He looked
very earnest. and his blue eyes were
fixed hard on the bit OF bread in his
hand, n his ACE was very red and
Glenn shaven. He bit into the sand.
witch and chewed 1t solemnly. And
Selma thought: "why. the dear
thingl The great big dear thing! And
he might have been eating breast OF
duck. Ten dollars" Aloud she
said, "What made you do III"
He seemed not to hear her; bi,
ruminnntly into one of the Gun cakes.
Suddenly: 81 can't hardly write nj
nil, only to sign my name and like
that"
"Read7"
"only to spell ont the words, Any.
ways | don't get time for reading. But
figuring ! wish I knew. Rithmetlc.
| can figger some. but those fellows In
Haymarket they are too sharp for me.
They do numbers In their head-lIke
that. so quick"
Selma leaned toward him. "rll
teach you. I'll teach you"
How do you mean, teach meY-
Evenings"
lie looked down at his great cal
loused palms, then up Mt her. "What
would you take for pnyT"
"Pnyl don't want amy pay" She
was genuinely shocked.
His face lighted up with n sudden
thought. Tell you what. I could
start for you the FIRE, mornings, in the
school. And thnw the pump and bring
In a pail OF water. This month. fnd
January IN February and part OF