Show A ROSE IN THE HAYFIELD I II Time shouted Farmer Mease from the farthest corner of the hayfield i The men dropped their forks and retired I I re-tired to the shade of the trees along I the hedge I Jessie Mease and Joe the lout of a I choreboy had brought down from the farmhouse tea bread butter and hard boiled eggs in quantities to feed a regiment regi-ment When the bigchested hollow stomached laborers had gulped down this simple fare they lolled for a spell I smoking their pipes and commenting Ion I ion i-on their work which lay in great clusters clus-ters of gold threads over the field But Dave Torrey Farmer Mease I I righthand man had more ambitious thoughts As was his custom he stole i away with Jessie to a spot shady and remote Here Jessie would give him I his paint and canvas as regularly as she had brought him his luncheon and I he made her stand off from him in a I deathlystill pose while I I ho sought tot r imprison on canvas her graceful outline out-line of figure her large clearcut I healthy features The big trusting I blue eyes like the sky above were the I hardest task Jessie seemed more than fractious in posing today At the precise instant when he felt the real life appearing in his portrait Jessie gave utterance to I a pontish grunt and squatted on the I grass Drat you Jess Wot dye mean I Dave cried in very artists frenzy Dave Im mad Im sinful I dont want you to droie me any more Then she laid her rosy chubby ace in her hands and wept most copiously and foolishly I Dave stepped up to her and took down her hands holding them tight in his own What is it Jess he asked fearsomely fear-somely What dye do to make you sinful less only sobbed Tell me Jess said Dave sternly as an awful suspicion clouded his fancy Oh Dave Dave she groaned Im jealous Jealous Of me Of you and Sarah Brett You little ool Whats wrong with me and Saiah Nothing Davethe sobs were breaking faster nowonly you said she made such a picture in church yesterday I yes-terday with her new bonnet an I thought maybe youd want to drore her instead of me and then and then 1 Time roared Farmer Mease in the distance Dave leaned over the hedge and ran down to the group of workers in the field Jess gathered up his materials slowly and with infinite care went quietly for a moment and then hastened hasten-ed to help Joe carry back the lunch tins to the house There was a champagne breakfast In Perch als studio that morning The > 1 gang including all who knew Perci val and liked his wine was gathered to honor David Torrey the farmer artist art-ist who after sb months in New York had leaped suddenly Into celebrity celeb-rity 1 i Dave and his friends had had lama I lam-a laugh over the ridiculous words that got into print about him The latest and i i wildest of all had reached him this morning and when the coffee and cigarettes cig-arettes began to grow Hat after the L > dinner Dave gave it forth with exces I siv e grav ity It Is said that Mr David Tore whilom farmer and now famous artist the creator of A Rose In the Hay field Is engaged to marry one of New Yorks swagger women I aDpears that the picture which made for the fortunate artist his name is a life likeness of his affianced although he had never laid eyes on her until after it was exhibited I exhib-ited FO social reasons the name of the young lady Is at present withheld Ha ha ha roared Dave In his I tremendous basso Thats the best I I yet The whole assembly roared with mirth and attacked the chamuasne I with renewed zest At this moment the elevator boy stuck his head Inside te I door and jelled Lady downstairs at 27 to see 1 Torrey I Oh blast the lady tell her he s en gaged grunted one I To one of New Yorks swagger woven IDed I Percival See here fellows Dave interposed I must leave you but only for a minute min-ute Its Miss Curtis She wants me to engage her to pose for my next but she wont do So I wrote her I had made other arrangements Ill get rid of her in short order and be right with you again And Dave tore out of the studio Miss Curtis it was and she looked wicked as Medea Dave asked her to be seated while he opened a letter which he found In the letterbox at his door The handwriting was familiar but untraceablE My Dear Mr TorreyI send a piece of newspaper which Sarah Brett kindly kind-ly cut out and sent to me Sarah Is In Cincinnati I want to tell you now that I I think youre a coward and if ever I see you again Ill tell you so to your I face I remain sir yours respectfully JESSIE MEASE P SDac y ouv e broken my i heart I The piece of newspaper was Identical with the one he had just read and laughed over upstairs There was no laugh in Daves eyes now He gazed out gloomily on the composite of sow rain and sleet beating down vixemshly on the street below He became quite lost in the mood Mr Torn snapped Miss Curtis after a while hI presume you know how much I m said per hour Dave came back to reality with a jump Oh excuse me Miss Curtis you see Ive just got some bad news from home and I m sorry Mr Torrey Your letter I was bad news to me Perhaps But to tell the truth ya know I didn definitely engage you Air Torrey said Miss Curtis flaming ing into wrath I am a woman of my word I believed you a man of your word wor Dave thought the screen which hid the door o the studio was going to fall Watt i from the shock of her stamped foot I swayed a moment and then rented firm Dave was thinking of little lit-tle Jess Miss Curtis he said with angry determination de-termination you were not engaged by me and a not engaged I have business bus-iness to attend to at once s please excuse ex-cuse me for asking you to consider our conversation at an end Dave turned and retired into his bedroom room closing the door deliberately b hind him His mind was full of a letter of explanation solace which he pre an SlacC pxe pared to senu to Jessie Immediately Full of venom Miss Curtis stared at the door for a few minutes Then she stood up with a deep drawn sigh and swung around on her heels showing her back to i A most unusual figure loomed on her sight A splendidly formed rosv cheeked pert lass clad in the most countrified gown and bonnet was to spring eyeing her like a tigress rearing So you think j ou re engaged to him said the stranger in a ominous whIsper my swagger New York lady ladyI I know X am retorted Miss Crts tic tsYou You know you gasped the stranger stran-ger then bursting from rage into sobs she moaned Oh please forgive me mis3 I didnt mean to be sinful But do go away Do go away and leave him to me Youre pretty and rich and elegant ele-gant butbutII With a final despairing sob of pleading plead-ing Jessie lease fell before Miss Curtis Cur-tis in a heap Help Help shrieked Miss Curtis in affright Dave pulled back the door of his bedroom bed-room and strode out all unnerved The sight of him rather restored the equilibrium brium of Miss Curts Mr Torrey she said Icily I 11 Tory sad suppose sup-pose this is the young woman you engaged en-gaged in my place Shes fainted perhaps from hunger I m sure she needs work more than I do Take care of her Miss Curtis strode away haughty and yet tender Dave seemed paralyzed until the door slammed hard on her retreat Then he seized the limp oddly clad and wet form In his thoroughly arms Jess Jess My heavens tie Jess he cried frantic between joy and fear But Jess only I moaned He laid heron her-on the divan beside the window seized a glass of water and bathed her face briskly Presently the heavy lids lifted I and the big blue eyes gazed at him swimming in Joy and doubt and hope Dave Dave she whispered has she gone and left left yju to me Yes my pet And you will love DaA fd really wi only me Dave r Only you and forever Jess I She reached out her hand took his I arms met and drew him down till their lips |