Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1926-12-02
THE STORY

Lydla feeltng that her trust IN God Ii
She, finds comforts In the loving Kind
ness of John Levine. Lydia learns that
e note Of Amos, backed by Levine and
met. The child pleads with Marshall,
the note. j
(Continued from last weekly
! Miss Towne had the reputation of
an unfeeling disciplinarian among the
pupils, but Lydia did not know this
She only knew that by some miracle
Of kindness she came to understand
the classroom system Of recitations,
that. she was introduced to different
teachers, that she learned how to de-
cipher the hours of her Rotations
from the complicated chart on the as
sembly room blackboard, and that at
noon she started for home with a list
of textbooks to be purchased, and
perfectly clear idea Of what to do
when she returned on the morrow.
Lydia walked along slowly, thinking
deeply. She knew that her list of
books came to something over five
dollars. She knew that this sum of
|
knew that she would rather beg on
the streets than start Amos on one Of
his TRADES on his poverty. :.
When she turned into the dirt road,
Billy Norton overlook her. He was
wearing very high starched collar and
a new suit of clothes. Billy was q
senior and felt his superiority. New
ertheless, he wanted to tell his trou-
bles-even to a first-year pupil.
"Gee, don't l have the luckl' he
groaned. 81 could get on the school
football team, 1 know it, If I didn't
have to come home right after school
to deliver milk. Hang It'll"
Lydia looked at him quickly. "How
much milk do you have to deliver?"
saw, just a snag. Two quarts up
the road to Essers' and two to Stones.
Think of putting me off the school
team for four quarts of milk !"
"Oh, Billy" gasped Lydia, "I1l do
it for you-if-BflIy, have you got
your freshman textbooks still?"
"Sure," answered the boy. They're
awful banged up, but guess all the
pages are there" =
Lydia was GREATNESS with excite
ment. "Billy, If you'll let me have
your books, I'll carry the milk for
you, all winter"
The big boy looked at the little girl,
cu-iOusly.~
Hanged If I'll do 1t. Let your dad
get you new ones"
He'd like to as we'll as any one,
but he can't right now and I'm going
to look out for my-.owna Oh, Billy,
let me do it
"Ycu can have 'em all and well
COME" exclaimed Billy, with a sudden
huskiness in his voice. "Gosh, you're
awful little, LYDIA
Lydia stamped her foot. II won't
take anything for nothing And I'm
not little. Pm as strong as horse"
well" conceded Billy, "just till
rfter Thanksgiving is all I want.
Come on along horne now and Wen
fix it up with ma"
Ma Norton twisted Lydia around
and retied her hair ribbon while she
listened. They all knew Lydia's pride,
so she quenched the impulse to give
the child the books and said, "Till
Thanksgiving is plenty of pay, Billy,
and when the snow comes, the two
mile extra walking will be too much.
Get the books out of the .parlor chest.
You got a-a-ink on the back of your
neck, Lydia. Wait till I get 1t or for
you"
She wet corner of towel 4at the
tea kettle and proceeded to sc6ur the
unsuspecting Lydia's neck and ears.
Children in the high school are apt
to get ink In the back Of their necks
and ears" she said. always scrub
there, Lydia! Remember
Eyes, ma'am! Oh, gosh, what big
pile! Thank you ever so much, Billy.
I'll be here right after school tomor-
row, Mrs. Norton"
Lydia spent blissful evening mend
ing and cleaning Billy's textbooks.
The delivering Of the milk was no
task at all, though had it not been
for Adam trudging beside her with
his rolling bulldog gait and his slav-
ering ugly jaw, she would have been
afraid in the early dusk Of the au-
tumn evenings.
It took several months for Lydia to
become. aware Of the complicated So
cial life going on about her. She was
so absorbed while in school In adjust
ing herself to the new type Of school
life that the Christmas holidays came
before she realized that except In her
classroom work, she had nothing
whatever In common with her class
mates.
Saturday was a busy: day for Lydia
at home. Old Lizzie who was nearly
sixty, was much troubled with rheu-
matism and even careless Lydia felt
vaguely that the house needed a GER
tain amount of cleaning once a week.