Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1928-03-15

room. reveling in its conveniences and
comforts (there was no bathroom at
AbSalOm PuntzO he wondered how
Miss Schwenckton, who looked so
dainty and seemed so faStidiouS, en-
dured the crude life at Schwenckton's
farm. She didn't fit into the picture.
He knew the party must break up
soon, for it was nearly dinner time
and most of these people had several
miles to drive; and few empty cups
and saucers about the hall which the
servants had overlooked told him they
had already had tea.
How did his mother, comparatively
intelligent, stand that crowd? And
yet, how else would she fill her life,
emptied. through her great wealth, of
the wholesome necessity to work? SUI
perfluOus wealth was a jOy-killer as
surely as poverty.
The visitors were gone at last and
Marvin went downstairs to take his
mother in his arms.
1t was coy having his dinner alone
with his mother; and the taste and
comforts of his home, after his dose
of Absalom Puntz' menage, were GER
tainly soothing.
"Father thinks dose of plain living
will cure mel" Marvin smiled as he
helped himself to fillet of steak and
mushrooms the butler was passing
"On the contrary, living at Absalom
Puntz' has made me realize, as never
did before, how much unnecessary lux
ury we have here, which always took
for granted, not knowing any other
way of life. So this throwing me out
on my own is just having the opposite
effect of what he intended it to have"
81 don't like to think Of your living
in such discomfort, DEAR" his mother
answered, though you're not looking
any the worse for it But how in the
world do you stand their foOd?'
"It's good. 1 walk about the coun-
try so much that anything tastes good.
I'm getting to like sauerkraut and
boiled beef and cabbage! Bully! And
fried ponhaus! And even smearcase ~
Imagine st. Croix eating at the
table with those Puntzes!" Mrs.
Creighton smiled. "Sauerkraut and
smearcase and pOnhaus!'
"It's not their food so much as the
way they eat it that 'kreistles' me.
Know what 'kreistles' means? OF
course you don't. Means disgust, rubs
me the wrong way, gets my goat. l
can't watch them eat; they are too
darned industrious about it."
Marvin, want to ask you some
thing-Tm worried. st. Croix is phi
laundering, I'm afraid, with very COM
mon girl and I do dread what can
come Of such entanglements. It's so
imprudent! You get about the coun-
try so much I thought perhaps you
had heard or seen something Of it,
have you? Do you know who the
girl is?"
NO." Marvin responded gloomily,
his heart sinking; that car of his
brothers near the William Penn
school and Miss Schwenckton pretend
ing she had remained in school to
work when she had been out on the
road-and that weird business of her
changing her clothes-"How did you
hear of it, Mother?"
"The girl sent a box Of fudge here
to the house for him, with verse
written on the wrapping paper-the
poetry being as homemade as the
candy! I gave it to him when he
came home and he was so embar-
raised and angry I knew he must be
involved rather deeply-and I've been
worried"
"What makes you conclude, Mother,
that she's common girl?"
"Her poetry!
when you receive this box Of futch
You'll mebby think 1t amt so mulch.
But in one piece I put kiss
You'll know which one-the sweetest
it's"
Marvin laughed joyfully-the author
of that was not Miss Schwenckton
"St. Croix certainly takes his
chances, playing round with one of
these Pennsylvania Dutch girls First
thing he knows he'll have lawsuit
on his hands. But I think" he tried
to comfort his mother, "'we may al
ways bank on st. Croix' playing safe.
Philandering is of course always dam
gerous where a suit for damages offers
a big haul-but in st. Croix' philos-
ophy of life, Prudence and Respect
ability are such influential factors l
think we needn't be anxious"
swell, hope So" she sighed. "An-
other thing I wanted to ask you-do
you know, I'm beginning to think,
Marvin, that there's more to this af-
fair with our English cousins than
meets the eye?"
"Aha! You are? Well, so am 1!
Go on-what's yours?"
"You know that for months st.
Croix has been planning to 60 to Eng
land to see Lady Sylvia-and, Mar
vim, they keep holding him off Their
latest letter says Lady Sylvia has gone
abroad Now, of course they've no
money to let her travel about the con-
tinent, so Pm sure she must have
taken a nOSitiOn az travelling cOmnan.