, 1925-05-06

NaA@A aAAo NOalb
make his mark. This, surprisingly
enough, after a conversation to which
he had contributed not a word other
than YES" or NO" or, perhaps
you're right. sir" in the proper places.
1t was during those careless years
of Dirk's boyhood between nine and
fifteen that Selma changed the DeJOng
acres from a WORKOUT and down-at-
heel truck farm whose scant products
brought a second-rate price In a sec
ond-rate market to a prosperous and
blooming vegetable garden whose out
put was sought a year in advance by
the South Water street commission
merchants.
These SIX or seven years of relent-
less labor had beer no snowy success
with Selma posing grandly as the New
Woman In Business. No, 1t had been
a painful, g%rubbing. heart-breaking
process as is any project that depends
on the actual soil for its realization.
She drove herself pitilessly. She lit
orally tore a living out of the earth
with her two bare hands. Yet there
was nothing pitiable about this small
energetic woman of thirty-five or forty
with her fine soft lark eyes, her clean
cut 1aw-line, her shabby decent clothes
that were so likely to be spattered
with the mud of the Dad or fields. her
exquisite noe with the funny little
wrinkle across the bridge when she
laughed. Rather, there was something
splendid about her! something rich,
prophetic. 1t was the splendor and
richness that achievement imparts.
1t Is doubtful that she ever could
have succeeded without the money
borrowed from August Hempel with
out his shrewd counsel. She told him
this, sometimes. He denied it. easier,
yes. But you would have found a
way. Selma. Some way. Julie, no.
But you. yes. You are like that. Me,
toe. Say. plenty fellers that was butch.
ers with me twenty years ago over on
North Clark street are butchers yet.
cutting off a steak or a chop"
Dirk had his tasks on the farm. Sc
lima saw to that. But they were not
heavy. By the time he returned from
school the rough work of the day was
over. His food was always hot, ap-
pctizing, plentiful. The house was
neat, comfortable. Selma had installed
a bathroOm-one of the two bathrooms
in High Prairie. The n~eighborhood
was still rocking with the shock of this
when it was informed by Jan tina
Selma and Dirk ate with candles light.
ed on the supper table. High Prairie
slapped its thigh and howled with
mirth.
"Cabbages is beautiful" said old
Klaas Pool when he heard this. Cab
bages is beautiful l betcha."
Selma. during the years of the boys
adolescence. had never urged him to
a decision about his future. That, she
decided, would come. As the farm
sity lifted she tried. In various in
genious ways. to extract from him
some unconscious sign Of definite
preference for this calling, that pro-
fession.
Until Dirk was sixteen she had been
content to let him develop as naturally
as possible, and to absorb impressions
unconsciously from the traps size so
guileruiiy left about him. There was a
shed which he was free to use as a
workshop. fitted up with all sorts of
tools. He did not use II much. after
the first few weeks. He was pleasantly
and mildly Interested In all things;
held by none. Selma had thought of
Roelf when they were fitting up the
workshop. The Pools had heard from
Roelf just once since his flight from
the farm. A letter had come from
France. Selma had never heard from
him. But n day years later she had
come running to Dirk with an Illus
trated magazine in her hand.
Look r. she cried, and pointed to a
picture. He had rarely seen her so ex-
cited, so stirred. The Illustration
showed n Photographic reproduction Of
a piece of sculpture-a woman's fig
ure. II was called The Seine. A
figure %slnuous. s~nake-like. graceful, re-
voting. beautiful. terrible. The face
alluring. Unsuitable. generous. treach-
erous, all at once. 1t was the Seine
that fed the fertile valley land the
Seine that claimed a thousand bloated
lifeless floating Things; the red-eyed
hag OF 1913; the dimpllng coquerte OF
1850. Beneath the illustration a line
or two-Roelf Pool. . /. Salon.
.. . . American. . future. D..
ITS Roelfl !" Selma had cried.
"Roelf. Little Roelf Pool" Tears In
I her eyes. Dirk had been politely inter
! ested. But then he had never known
him. really. He had heard his mother
speak Of him. but =
At seventeen Dirk md Selma talked
Of the yenr to come. He was going to
h university. But to what university
And what did he want to study
we-e-li. hard to say. Kind of u general
course. wasn't there?
"Oh." Selma had said. "Yes Gen.
ernl. Or course, II u person wanted to
be nm architect. why. I suppose Cor