The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1930-01-03
Holding Their
Claim
BY FREDERICK HART

~ NE never eaten Sucn Qeilcl0uS
waffies !" exclaimed Stephen Hart
ridge as he gazed regretfully at
clean-swept plate. "Do tell me, Mrs.
Ward, how you get them so crisp" ]"
Mrs. Ward beamed on her prize
bOarder. Stephen Hartridge was
young mining engineer, and there had
been some competition among the
keepers Of boarding houses for the
honor-and profit-of his trade. Ste
phen had tried them all, and after
one trial at Mrs. Wards had remained
as a permanent guest. He lived down
at his little shack, where he spent his
time making out reports and testing
soils and unpromising looking rocks;
but for his meals he never failed to
report to Mrs. Ward promptly on the
dot
"Bless you. Mr.. Hartridge, don't
make them waffies. I'm no hand to
cook. l just run the place and see
that everybody gets served. It's my
daughter Mary that's the cook. She
can take little flour and some milk
you're sittin' right at your mothers
own tablet"
"Really? Why haven't / met this
paragon of the kitchen?"
"You just set where you are, sir,
and I'll ask her to come in," she re-
piled genially. Then, calling to the
back of the house:
MARY! Oh, Mary! Come here
SPELL"
"Yes, mother" replied voice. In
moment the door swung open and
Mary entered. Stephen rose from his
seat and waited expectantly.
"Mary, this Is Mr.. Hartridge, the
engineer down at the river shack"
beamed Mrs Ward. AN this Is my
daughter, Mr.. Hartridge-the one that
makes them waffies you like so much"
Mary blushed and laughed delight
fully. Stephen Hartridge looked at
her more closely and said:
II liked your waffles so much that
1 couldn't resist the temptation to cry,
Author! Author ,"
"Just so you don't ask me to make
4 curtain speech" she laughed. "Tm
sure don't mind appearing and bow
ing" And she suited the action to
the word
Stephen was delighted. He would
have said more, but that she fled to
something or other that was in the
oven.
'Mrs. Ward" he said, "you must let
me call some evening"
'Td love to have you," replied the
mother. "And I'm sure Mary'd like
1T, too. You come right along any
time you feel like It,"
That was the beginning Of their
acQuaintance-an acquaintance that
quickly ripened into warm friendship.
Stephen found Mary delightful in
every way, and she in turn learned to
think often OF the bronzed young en-
gineer who spoke SO quietly and moved
30 gracefully.
Then one day Stephen failed to ap-
pear at mealtime. The day passed,
and another, and still no Stephen.
Mrs. Ward, anxious, made inquiry and
discovered from some grizzled miners
that Stephen was holding claim he
had located for his company-a job
that necessitated his staying on the
land night and day till the proper pa
pers could be made out
"But he hasn't anything to eat !"
cried Mary In dismay.
"Oh, he'll git along somehow er
other" replied one miner. II see him
cookin' onct er twict as / passed his
shanty. Got any more O. them griddle
cakes, Mis- Ward?"
That night-the fourth of Stephens
absence-a cold rain set In. After
clearing the supper table Mary stood
looking out at the gray swirls Of wa
ter that swept across the valley. She
thought of Stephen In his cheerless
little shack, eating food he had cooked
himself-he hated cooking, he had
said once. She looked and saw no
light In the shack. She darted into
the kitchen and returned with we'll
stocked basket Throwing q shawl
over her head she began the slippery
descent to the cabin in the valley.
She was drenched when she got
there. Her rap was answered by
Stephens voice, Unexpectedly harsh.
who's thereT
"It's only Mary" she replied. In
stantly the door opened.
"Come in; you must be soaked! l
haven't any fire; used my last match
yesterday. Why are you here?"
Il knew you couldn't get away,
and so I brought you something to
eat-and / have match" In mo-
ment the fire on the hearth was blaz-
Ing. and Mary dried herself as best
she could while she watched him at
tack the food.
"Ye gods, but that was good" he
! exclaimed, as he finished the last bite
"But you, why did you risk your neck
coming down here?
-why-because / knew you
were hungry" faltered Mary, hardly
knowing what she said. Stephen Hart
ridge rose and came to her and took
her in his arms.
"Wasn't 1t because you love me-
and you know / love you," he asked.
Mary could only nod her head.
Outside the step of horse was
neard, and there entered the man with
the papers that freed Stephen from
his imprisonment
well, Steve, the company's proud