The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1925-03-13

restraining him.
1.-TWO dollars - Pervus DeJong.
"And ten" Johannes Ambuurs eau
tious bid.
"Two and quarter" Barend De-
Roo.
"Two-fifty!" Pervus DeJong.
"Three dollars!' The high voice Of
the boy. 1t cracked little on the last
syllable, and the crowd laughed.
Three three-three-th ree-three three
three. Three once"
"And half" Pervus DeJong.
'.Three sixty
I "Four!'' DeRoo.
"And ten.'
The boys voice was heard no more.
81 wish they'd STOP whispered
Selma.
'Fiye!" Pervus DeJong.
"Six!' DeRoo, his face very red.
"And ten
Seven 70
Its only jelly sandwiches" said
Selma to DeJong, in panic.
| Eighth Johannes Ambuul, gone
mad
Miner DeRoo.
Nine! Nine I'm bid! Nine-nine
nine! Who'll make it"
"Let him have it. The cup cakes
fell a little. DON'T
"Ten!' said Pervus DeJong.
Barend DeRoo shrugged his great
shoulders.
"Ten-ten-ten. Do hear eleven? Do
l hear ten-fifty. Ten-ter-ten tententen-
tentententen Gents! Ten once. Ten
twice! Gone-for ten dollars to Per
vus DeJong. And bargain" Adam
Ooms mopped his bald head and his
cheeks and the damp spot under his
chin
Ten dollars. Adam Ooms knew, as
did all the countryside, this was not
the sum of ten dollars merely. No
basket of food. though it contained
nightingales' tongues, the golden apple
of Atalanta. wines of rare vintage.
could have been 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 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
hI;n6a1 hxy duct on1 ynJov,,;,,o Cord
A sale at Christie's, with miniature
going for million, could not have met
withNa deeper hush, a more dramatic
babble following the hush.
They ate their lunch together in one
corner of Adam Ooms' hall. Selma
opened the box and took out the
deviled eggs, and the cup cakes that
had fallen a little, and the apples, and
the sandwiches sliced very, very thin.
The coldly appraising 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 sandwich. 1t looked
infinitesimal in his great paw. Sud
denly all Selina's agony of embarrass-
ment was swept away, and she was
| laughing, not wildly or Historically,
but joyously and girlishly. She sank
her little white teeth into one of the
lNabsurd 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, and his face was very red and
clean-shaven. He bit into the sand
witch and chewed it solemnly. And
| Selma thought: "Why. the dear
thing The great big dear thing And
he might have been eating breast of
duck. Ten dollars !" Aloud she
said, what made you do it?"
He seemed not to hear her; bit
ruminantly into one of the cup cakes.
Suddenly: II can't hardly write at
all. only to sign my name and like
that"
"Read?"
"Only to spell ont the words. Any
ways don't get time for reading. But
| figuring I wish / knew. 'Rithmetic.
can niger soile, put tnoSe Fellows In
Haymarket they are too sharp for me.
They do numbers in their head-like
that, so quick"
Selma leaned toward him.. "rn
teach you. I'll teach you"
How do you mean, teach me?"
Evenings"
| He looked down at his great cal
loused palms, then up at her. "What
would you take for pay?"
"Pay! don't want any pay" She
was genuinely shocked
His face lighted up with a sudden
thought. 'Tell you what could
start for you the fire. mornings, in the
school. And thaw the pump and bring
in pail of water. This month. and
January and February and part OF