The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1925-04-17
Chapter TX

thing for Dirk. 1t was the phrase that
repeated itself over and over in Sc
lina's speech during the days that fol-
lowed In this period Of bewilderment
and fatigue Julie had attempted to
take charge of Selma much as she had
done a dozen years before at the time
of Simeon Peake's dramatic death. And
now, as then, she pressed into service
her wonder-working father and bound
en- slave. August Hempel.
"Pa'll be out tomorrow and I'll prob
ably come with him. I've got q COM
mittee meeting, but l can easily"
you said-did you say your father
would be out tomorrow! Out where2"
ITO your place. Farm"
but why should he? It's little
| twenty-five-acre truck farm, and half
Of it under water good deal of the
| time"
"Pall find use for it. never fear.
He won't say much, but he'll think Of
things And then everything will be
all right
A species of ugly pride now pos
sessed Selma. II don't need help.
Really 1 don't, Julie, dear. It's never
been like today Never before. We
were getting on very well, Pervus and
I. Then after Pervus' death so sud-
denly like that was frightened. Ter
ribly frightened About Dirk. wanted
him to have everything. Beautiful
things. l wanted his life to be beauti-
full Life cam be so ugly, Julie. You
don't know. You don't know"
"Well, now, that's why say. Wen
be out tomorrow, pa and l. Dirk's 60
ing to have everything beautiful. Wen
see to that"
| 1t was then that Selma had said,
But that's just it. l want to do 1t
myself, for him. l can. l want to
give him all these things myself"
But that's selfish"
II don't mean to be. just want, to
do the best thing for Dirk"
| 1t was shortly after noon that High
Prairie, hearing the unaccustomed chug
| of motor, rushed to its windows or
porches to behold Selma DeJong in her
mashed black felt hat and Dirk wav-
ing his battered straw wildly, riding up
| the Halsted road toward the DeJong
farm in a bright red automobile that
| had shattered the nerves of every
farmers team it had met on the way.
OF the DeJong team and the DeJong
dog Pom. and the DeJong vegetable
wagon there was absolutely no sign.
| High Prairie was rendered unfit for
work throughout the next twenty-four
hours.
In the twelve years transition from
butcher to packer Aug Hempel had
taken on a certain authority and dis
tinction. Now. at fifty-five, his hair
was gray, relieving the too-ruddy color
of his face. In the last few years he
had grown very deaf in one ear. so that
when you spoke to him he looked at
you intently. This had given him q
character insight, when it was merely
the protective trick of man who does
not want to confess that he is hard OF
hearing.
Selina's domain he surveyed with a
keen and comprehensive eye.
"You want to sell?'
"No."
"That's good. Few years from now
this land will be worth money" lie
had spent bare fifteen minutes TAX
ing shrewd valuation of the property
from fields to barn, from barn to
house. "Well, what do you want to
do. heb, Selina?'
| They were seated in the cool and
Unexpectedly pleasing little parlor
with its old Dutch luster set cleaning
softly in the cabinet, its three rows
of books. its air of comfort and usage
Selma clasped her hands tightly in
her lap-those HANDS that from much
grubbing in the soil, had taken on
something of the look of the gnarled
things they tended. The nails were
short, discolored, broken. The palms
rough, calloused. The whole story OF
the last twelve years of Selinas life
was written in her two hands.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)