The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1946-07-26

gan ulScOVereQ, as week IOlloWeu
week, that the memory of those
dark, evil days when Alicia Steven
sons malicious tongue had wagged
so freely, was growing fainter.
And she realized that Pleasant
Grove, as community, was also
recovering from the darkness when
Alicia's tongue had set old friends
to cycling each other with more or
less yelled suspicion. Other farm
families were finding release from
dark memories in the ever new, yet
age-old miracle of the dark earth,
the tiny seeds, the new, tender green
sprouts that meant life and hope and
the future.
She was touched and grateful to
Jim for his honest, if bungling at
tempts to help her. She tried not
to let him know that his hands were
clumsy with the delicate, fragile
plants that he tried to pack. She
knew he was bored, and that he
resented the hard, back-breaking la
Dor that it takes to run a farm eff
fectively.
He came back from Meadersville
late one afternoon, his eyes shining
with excitement, obviously with
news that he considered of great
Importance.
1t was already dusk, and the dark
ness had driven Megan in from the
fields. She had shed her earth
stained dungarees, had a shower and
was dressed for supper, busy in the
kitchen helping Annie with the last
duties of getting the meal on the
table, when Jim came hurrying in.
"The most marvellous thing has
happened, Meggie-rve been offered
a splendid opportunity"
"Tell me-" said Megan, eager and
interested, loving him for the under
standing she mad acquired of him
since his moment of self-revelation
after Alicia's death.
'Well, you know the county news
paper in Meadersville? The Senti-
nel?" demanded Jim, as eager and
excited as boy. 'Dick Morgan pub
fishes it. Well, Dicks been drafted
and he wants me to take over until
he comes back!"
He beamed at her happily and
Megan said quickly, ''It is wonder
full, Dad-but-well, you've never
had any newspaper experience-do
you think"
Jim looked little sulky.
ooh, know that, but after all
Dick feels that I have other qualifi-
Cations" he pointed out. "And Mrs.
Morgan will stay on as business
manager and write the woman's
page and all that. What I'll have
to do is write the editorials, and
what news I can pick up. Mostly,
right now, it comes from a wire
service, because about the only two
things people are interested in are
the war and politics. And there's
fellow in Washington who acts as
correspondent for a lot of county
newspapers, Dicks paper among
them. And Dicks got three weeks
before he reports for induction and
he feels that in that length of time he
can get me settled in, help me to
learn the ropes and all that. Of
course, the salary is really laugh
able-but I get share of the prof.
its and all that"
''It is wonderful, Dad, and of
course you can do It'll" Megan as
sured him, sincerely. "I'm terribly
proud of you"
Jim looked at her oddly and then
he asked, almost curiously:
"Are you, Megan? Funny-I can't
remember when anybody ever said
they were proud of me-"
Megan felt a little quick mist of
tears in her eyes, but she knew this
was no time for the display of pity
that she felt for his humility-his
tatlt admission that he had always
hungered for appreciation, even
while he had admitted to himself
that he deserved no such apprecia-
ton.
But OF course I'm proud of you,
Dad-now you'll get to make use Of
all that study and research you have
done these last few years!" she told
him happily. ''I'll bet there isn't an
other man in the whole county who
has read as much, or studied as
much, of current events as you
have"
Then he said hesitantly, "Of
course, Meggie, ! know I promised
to help you with the farm this year
but hate to turn down a chance
like this. A chance lowell, to be
somebody important, and to have
people listen to my views"
'Now don't you worry about the
farm, or me-" Megan assured him
firmly.
Jim beamed at her happily, OBJ
viously relieved. He would ride to
and from Meadersville each day
with three men from Pleasant Grove
who "comnnuted'' to Meadersville
offices. The paper came off the
press every Friday. 1t might be
necessary for him to stay over in