, 1925-04-08
CHAPTER VI-Continued

Pervus drove into the Chicago mar
ket every other day. During July and
August he sometimes did not have his
clothes OFF for a week. Together he
and Jan Steen would load the wagon
with the days garnering. At four he
would start on the tedious trip into
The historic old Haymarket on
West Randolph street had become the
stand for market gardeners for miles
o Chicago. Here they stationed
their wagons in preparation for the
next days selling. The early conner
got the advantageous stand. There
was no regular allotment of space.
Pervus tried to reach the Haymarket
by nine at night. Often bad roads
made n detour necessary and he was
late. That usually meant VA business
next day. The men. for the most
parr, slept on their wagons curled up
on IN wagon seat or stretched out on
The sacks. Their horses were stabbed
and fed in nearby sheds, with more
actual comfort than the men them
selves. One could get n room for
twenty-five cents in one Of the ram
"''N' 'iiih h'uots NAlhl IuNtu lht
street. But the rooms were small.
stufiy, nom too clean the beds little
more comfortable than the wagons. Be
sides, twenty-five cents! You got TWEEN
ty-five cents for half a barrel OF toma-
toes. You got twenty-five cents for a
sack of potatoes. Onions brought
seventy-five cents a sack. Cabbnges
went n hundred heads for two dollars,
and they were five-pound heads. If you
drove home with ten dollars in your
pocket 1t represented a profit of ex-
nctly zero. The sum must 20 above
that. No; one did not pay out twenty
five cents for the mere privilege OF
sleeping in u bed.
One June day, a month or more after
their marriage, Selma drove into Chi
cago with Pervus, an incongruous little
ngure In her brides finery perched on
the seat of the vegetable WACO piled
high with early garden stuff. II was,
in n way, their wedding trip, for Selma
had not been away from the farm since
her marriage.
As they logged along now she re-
sealed magnificent plans that had been
forming in her Imagination during the
past four weeks. II had not taken her
four weeks-or dnys-to discover that
this great broad-shouldered man she
mad married was n kindly creature.
tender and good. but lacking any
vestige OF Initiative. of spirit. She
maryeled. sometimes. Mt the memory
OF his holiness In bidding for her lunch
- .has .vnwt.. ~ ~ AL. o..
seemed Incredible now. though he fire.
quently referred to II. wagging his
head doggishly and %grinnIng the broad
iy compliment grin OF the conquerlng
male. Blu he was, after all, a dull
fellow. and there was In Selma n dash
CT fire. OF wholesome w~ickedness, OF
adventure. that he never quite under
stood. For her flashes OF flame he
lad a mingled feeling OF u~neaslness
and pride.
In the manner OF all young brides.
Selma started bravely out to make her
husband over. He was handsome.
strong. gentle: slow. conservative, mo-
rose. She would make him keen. dur-
Ing, successful, buoynnt. Now. bump
ing down the Hnlsted road. she
sketched some OF her plans In large
dashlng strokes.
"Pervus. we nus paint the house in
October. before the frost sets In, aud
after the ummer work Is over. Then
that west sixteen. Wen drain IT,"
"Yeh, drnln." Pervus muttered. ITS
clay land. Drain and you have got yet
clay. Hard clay soil"
Selma Ind the answer TO TINT. 81
Nnow II. rou've got to use tile drain.