| Show plucked inthe hop fields I 1 11 by A M PECK copyright by joseph joeph 13 leow dowlea ae one disaster followed another our b beautiful home was sold faith and I 1 w were ere left fatherless motherless and almost penniless as well as friendless to all intents and purposes for our friends called upon us in our little apartment once and nonee none came ame again our cousins the lers and van tassels cassels Tas sels came twice each time with for our future fluture occupation the buoyancy of my youthful spirit its lead me to believe that we could ea easily 51 ily win our way to earning a new home so we advertised but vainly we cooled look ed herol heroically cilly tor for situations only to find that there were more teachers than pupils this will never do 1 declared one morning the little money we have will soon be gone then what starvation let us go to some smaller I 1 city some manufacturing place then perhaps we can get work and it if the worst comes and we are towns town poor ft will be among strangers mrs schuyler and mrs van tassel will not stand by and see us eat our mush and milk faith approved ot of my fily suggestion and by disposing ot of a few of the articles we had left obtained money enough for or our journey the kind hind german woman with whom we had rooms gave us a litter to an acquaintance who lived in the town where we had decided to go reaching there we found we could hire two small rooms of her and she directed us where to look tor for employment we found plenty of shirt making to do and the good soul taught us how to put the garments together faith basted them I 1 sewed them on the machine we rented and she finished the work after we became accustomed to our oar em employment by working steadily we managed to pay our rent and get sufficient food but the hard work soon began to tell upon faith who was not strong then we needed something bes besides idies food our black dresses were becoming sadly worn and we had no money with which to replace them everything went fairly well with us until the hard times commenced and work became scarce while we only received starvation prices tor for the little litile we succeeded in securing then in spite of our efforts we became in arrears with our rent with but slight prospects of being able to pay or ot at being able to earn enough to purchase necessary clothing tor for the winter I 1 welt ell remember one hot august day the 81 sun un shone and the there r was not a tree or arub to shade th the house every vehicle that passed raised a cloud ot of dust thit that poured in our windows and stifled us faith had bad a severe headache induced by the heat and too steady application to her work I 1 was finishing garments that were promised that night and thinking busily while a handorgan hand organ player ground out the air of a popular love song in the hot dusty streets street fai followed by a dozen dirty urchins faith what Is love I 1 asked wey wh y berry she exclaimed wearily raising her head to look at me what put that question into your mind no matter I 1 replied but tell me what it Is it Is a myth an evanescent bubble a frail flower that perishes at the first tou nouh h ot of adversity it enough enough cried I 1 it if it Is such a flimsy thing as all that I 1 dont care to know any mom moie about it IL oh berry she said your head Is too full of romance you are too young to talk or even thing of love at b qt it will only bring you misery and she laid her aching head back on the pillow while I 1 stitched away and thought about handsome richmond gary who was forever taking faith somewhere and was always at our house but who had not been near us since our misfortunes neither had bad he written to faith my work finished I 1 laid the cloth for supper come faith and eat a bit ot at bread I 1 said but she replied that she was not hungry neither was I 1 for bread and tea so putt lre away our morsel I 1 went downstairs to sit on the doorstep and get a breath of air it if possible mrs decker becker our landlady was leaning over the fence holding animated conversation with a fine look ing though dusty and travel stained young man I 1 caught the words hops 30 cents last of august and asked her in pantomime what it all meant he wants me to go hops it he wants you why he be want me I 1 asked on the impulse of 0 the moment 1 I do he replied in a pleasant olce lifting hla his hat bat we want e everybody y ery body we must have a hundred and fifty pickers from some quarter how much do you pay a pound tor for picking them I 1 eagerly asked ile he laughed showing his fine white te teeth eth we have them picked by the box the boxes hold seven bushels and we pay 30 centi cent sand and board thirty cents a bushel oh no a lox box then he laughed lau again how many can one pick in a day two easily and three or tour four after experience when do iou ou commence the lut last week in this month then I 1 asked him to walt valt until I 1 consulted my sister bitter faith said wf ncr flatly then I 1 coaxed her to let me say my that we would go urging the advantage of fresh air of 60 cents cent a day certainly and more perhaps then I 1 flew down to ask how we could get there he referred me to mrs becker who was to take charge of us d I 1 one thing more I 1 said to her at after ter he had gone are the people who go all nice met are they people we would like to know her answer was evasive that I 1 did not tell faith so it was waa settled that we were to go hop bop picking an experience which I 1 looked forward to as ai something novel and different while faith only apprehended all sorts aorta of evil our first days experience was discouraging cou raging we could not pick two boxes even eren wath the utmost exertion then there were all sorts of ej creeping and flying things on our face and neck and in our eyes while to our unaccustomed ears there e was I 1 a babel of sounds hops and haack Ho hop ack cried in all keys with tarlo various eions and with the accent of many na Butas the days went by we became used to the novelty of our situation and became expert enough at picking to fill three boxe th the e fresh air wholesome odor of the hops hopa and bountiful food brought a ange of color to faiths pale bale face and I 1 began to feel hopeful and b happy appy then young farmer allyn as I 1 called the proprietors only son was wa a courteous and pleasant yo young man and often came to our boxes to chat with me faith playing duenna to perfection fec tion and hiding me for being so willing to talk and and laugh with him the one thing that annoyed faith was the fre frequency quincy of visitors in the yard some came out of curiosity others were speculators and brewers but the approach of a stranger was the signal for her to tilt her broad hal bal low over her eyes and to become deeply engrossed with her work 1 I wonder who this Is with young aming mr allyn I 1 carelessly remarked one day as I 1 saw him coming towards our box with a gentleman faith looked up then grew very pale why faith are you ill I 1 exclaimed hastening around to the other side of the box before I 1 could have reached her she reeled and would have fallen had not the stranger caught her in his ra r e became used to the novelty arms when I 1 saw that it mond gary and saw the look of test der concern and of adoration which he he bent upon my poor shabby faiths beautiful face I 1 began to believe that there was something in love after all I 1 think she became less skeptical too 12 every one rushed up to see w what hat the trouble was but young mr air allyn aud and mr decker who was caring tor for faith sent them about their business and when faith reco recovered verea her strength we assisted her to the house mr air allyns allans Al lyns mathei and sister who I 1 have hale neglected to say had been very and k nd to us were greatly interested in ia clr our story stor and in the romantic fact that bat richmond gary who lu europe when our troubles came searcha searched far and near tor for faith when he returned to find her at last in a hop field richmond would have haver married narried her the next day lest as he said that he should lose her again but faith made a humble speech about the beggar maid and the king looking up lato her tall lovers face very sweetly but at the same time firmly and declaring that she would not have the ballad enacted over so he consented to wait until wd we could return to the city and make a few preparations the van tassels cassels and lers when they found that faith was about to marry the wealthy richmond Rl 1 l gary offered to give a grand wedding and to provide a subs substantial trousseau but faith declined with that air of cold dignity she knew so well how to assume and was quietly married in a simple gray traveling dress one blight october morning by our old in the presence of richmonds nearest friends and tho the allyns allans tio ho were his distant relatives old mr alyn give gave the bride away and young mr allah was best man Is yet as far as I 1 am concerti d for when ralth faith gets back from europe I 1 ani am to become mrs allyn |
