Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1926-10-08
1t Was a Good
Turn
(Copyrlght,)
By MARTHA M. WILLIAMS

bA'No+Ahl hutW WGll lIe lllhcl Univ
tional settings and writings that
made. James Dawson SO inarticulate.
lie had yearned to propose now for all
but full year. Always she had
laughed away his carefully-planned
opportunities. This largely from
Geminne cussedness-until the err of
Los Duval. Deos Duval was so en-
tirely all he shouldn't be, naturally
half the girls In BerrybrOok fell for
him hard
Briefly he was all Jimmy Dawson
was not-valn, idle, Il waster, inclined
to boast, with a halr-trigger temper,
only partly made up for by quick CON
trltions, and lavish generosity. Add
that he was good to look at, and knew
how TO wear everything fit for Il gen
tleman. and 1t appears his captiva
lions were not wholly without reason.
Jimmy, contrariwise, wore the best OF
clothes, yet very ILL., He was tall, and
broad, yet inclined to the lanky To
| dance with him demanded courage bor-
dering on heroism. Rhythm had been
left wholly out of hlm-possibly to
leave room for excess courage, chiv-
airy and courtesy.
Jessnmy's mind was made up to
marry him, but not until she was good
and ready. Jimmy needed wife, al
most as badly as he wanted this par
tcular one. All alone on that big
| place with house so well stocked, 1t
simply cried aloud for hospitable
mistress. She would love queening 1t
thereafter awhile, but first she must
have her fill of dancing and flirting,
and making busybodles gossip over
her pretty, willful ways.
Ripe Indian peaches brought the
fruit season to It's climax. II followed
the hustle of marketing. Indian
peaches arg, in sort, orchard arls-
tocrats, utterly hopeless as market
propositions In that they will not ri
pen save upon the tree, and until dead
ripe, are wholly useless even to look
ut. Varying in size, sharply oval Of
form, with heavy roughlsh down, they
look sullenly unwhOlesOme, drabblsh
green as main color, with markings of
rusty sedate gray, hard AZ rocks, juice
less, flnvorless, until the appointed
time. Then--presto Magic Is no
word for the change. Drabbish green
turns to scarlet, slate-darkness to lines
Of ruby glow,
Overthrlfty Orchardlsts scanted In
dian planting even had set
none at all. Why should they2 jim
my Dawson always had enough Of ev-
erything for anybody lacking it-and
loved giving so we'll The Kings said
II would be right down mean to cross
good neIghbOr openly. They had
run the Duval place rising twenty
years. A good thing for Delos-if
they were "close as the bark to a
tree" They were also honest as day
| light, paying all dues to the last pen
| ny-but, where there was n fraction,
letting II fall I'm their own scale. SO
when Delos, tasting Indian peach
blood, demanded gallons on gallons
! OF such dninties, he was told he'd have
to pay extra for sugar and trouble
the fruit wouldn't cost "A thing.
Two days later he came upon Jes-
samy, peoples In her cheeks, lightning
In her eyes, berating poor Jimmy
Dawson, right In the middle OF the
big road. II ran straight from Ash
LEAFS plantation, past Sweet-Brier,
Jessamine's coy home, then on to
Bush his own place, lay farther along,
held in a sweeping bend OF the road.
Jessamy and her victim were mount
ed. Evidently ride had been In pros
pect. AZ evidently storm had
checked it not actual but emotional
Delos knew the signs.
whats up2 Who's In bad nowr'
he demanded gayly, checking his horse
at Jessamy's elbow. She wheeled up
on him, saying low and sayagely:
"You are-unless you send away those
robbers, the Kings. I've been bred to
believe n receiver ns bad az thief"
DeIos sat stralghter, saying low and
hard: Explain right off"
"She shant--I mean she mustn't"
Jimmy interposed.
But wlll-yOu cant stop me-" Jes-
samy cried Before either man could
speak she ran on: Nothing but
trlhe-one OF those that mean every
thing. Hear the first Of It. Five
years back / gave Jimmy two Indian
peach seedlings from under our best
tree-we planted them together-and
named them for each Other-all In fun.
All their fruit has been mine-they've
been bearing now three years. This
was the first full CROP was going
tomorrow to gather lt-with Jlmmy's
leave and help, Of course. When he
got home from town an hour ago, he
found both trees strlpped-by the
Kings, under your orders"
stop! Right there" Jimmy broke
In masterfully, trying to put his hand
over Jessmy's lips. She cut in sharp
ly with her whip, crying through It
brOkenly: Even that isn't the worst
they left word with Unc' Solomon, II
he wanted pay for his fruit to send
his bill to Mr. Duval-"
"Fair enough :" cried DelOs break
ing into wild laughter Lord Lord,
why wasn't there to hear. OF course,
I'll pay--any amount you name, Daw-
SON"
"Whatf? Jessamy cried: you dare
repeat their insult 10 a gentleman
Go! And never dare speak to me,
even to look at me again" Delos
would have rotested-Jlmmy's face
warned him against speech 50 he
galloped away, but paused ut the bend
Of the road to look back and see two
figures riding hand In hand into the
sunlit diaiatce.