Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1925-06-24

Good morning" said Selma. would
you like some fresh country vege-
tableST
NO" She half shut the door. open
Ing 1t again to ask, SCOT any fresh
eggs or butter?" At Selina's negative
she closed the door, bolted it. Well,
that was all right. Nothing so terrible
about that, Selma told herself. Simply
hadn't wanted any vegetables. The
next house, and the next, and the next.
Up one side of the street, and down
the other. Four times she refilled her
basket. At one house she sold a quar-
terS worth Fifteen at another. Tween
ty cents here. Almost fifty there.
Twenty-first street-Twenty-fi fifth
Twenty-eighth. She had over four dol
lars in her purse. Dirk was weary
now and hungry to the point of tears
"The last house." Selma promised him,
"the very last one. After this one
We'll go home"
The last house. She had almost five
dollars, earned in the last hour. "Just
five minutes" she said to Dirk, trying
to make her tone bright, her voice gay
Her arms full of vegetables which she
was about to place in the basket at
her feet she heard at her elbow:
'Now, then, where's your licenseY
She turned. A policeman at her side.
'LicenSe?
"Yeh, you heard me. License.
Where's your peddler's license? You
got one, s'pose."
"Why, no. No." She stared at
him, still.
well, say, where dye think you
are, peddlin' without license! A good
mind to run you in. Get along out of
here, you and the kid. Leave me ketch
you around here again."
"What's the trouble, officer?" said
woman's voice. A smart open carriage
of the type known as a victoria, with
two chestnut horses whose harness
shone with metal. whats the trouble,
Reilly?" The woman stepped out of
the victoria.
Woman peddling without a license
Mrs. Arnold. You got to watch 'em
like hawk. Get along wild
you, then" He put hand on Selina's
shoulder and gave her a gentle push.
There shook Selma from head to foot
such a passion, such a storm of out
ragged sensibilities, as to cause street,
victoria, silk-clad woman, horses, and
policeman to swim and SILVER in haze
before her eyes. The rage Of a fas-
| tidious woman who had had an alien
male hand put upon her. Her face
was white. Her eyes glowed black,
enormous She seemed tall, majestic
even.
"Take your hand off mel" Her
| speech was clipped, vibrant. ''How
| dare you touch mel How dare you
| Take your hand !" The blazing ewes
| in the white mask. He took his hand
from her shoulder. The red surged
into her face. A tanned weather.
beaten toil-worn woman her abundant
hair skewered into a knob and held by
long gray-black hairpin, her full skirt
| grimed with the mud of the wagon
wheel, pair of old side boots on het
slim feet, grotesquely battered old
| felt hat Cher huSband's) on her head,
her arms full of ears of sweet corn,
and carrots, and radishes and punches
of beets; woman with bad teeth, fiat
breasts-even then Julie had known
her by her eyes. And she had stared
| and then run to her in her silk dress
and her plumed hat, crying, "Oh, Sc
lima! My dear! Ny dear!" with a
sob of horror and pity. my dear ="
And had taken Selma, carrots, beets,
corn, and radishes in her arms. The
vegetables lay scattered all about them
on the sidewalk in front of Julie Hem
pei Arnold's great stone house on
Prairie avenue. But strangely enough
1t had been Selma who had done the
comforting, patting jules plump silkeE
shoulder and saying, over and over,
soothingly, as to a child, There.
there! It's all right, Julie. It's all
right. Don't cry. What's there to cry
for Sh-sh! It's all right"
Julie lifted her head in it's modish
black plumed hat, wiped her eyes, blew
her nose. "Get along with you, do
she said to Reilly, the policeman, using
his very words to Selma "I'm going
to report you to Mr.. Arnold, see If l
don't. And you know what that
means"
"Well. now. Mrs. Arnold, ma'am, 1
was only doing my duty. How cud l
know the lady was friend of yours
Sure, +" He surveyed Selma, cart,
jaded horses, wilted vegetables.
"And why not !" demanded Julie
with superb unreasonableness. "Why
not, I'd like to know. Do get along
with you"
He got along, defeated officer OF
the law, and bitter And now it was
Julie who surveyed Selma, cart, Dirk
jaded horses, wilted leftover vege-
tables Selma, whatever in the world |!
What are you doing with" She
caught sight of Selina's absurd boots
then and she began to cry again. At
| that Selina's overweight nerves
snapped and she began to laugh, hys-