Show td e ethic r I ha BY ACCORDING TO MARY man j CONTRACT MARSHALL 8 h I PARKS Pr he t BOUT the county fair visit said Mr 1ayson The beln A toys must go of course roan fl for Hen bas n colt to enter t at and Billy n pig Your Aunt dons Anna expects us UW He paused und looked from faco to fire screwing his own Into n whimsl Hi I knot Xow comes the tug of war I want jour mother to go und she wont go jrltliout me The girls looked rather blank Then fins eyes suddenly widened and her face took on a trancelike look that her sisters knew well Julie pinched Cora and whispered In Bettys ear Wont you say a word Sara Is plot dog something and It will he more fun than the fair Do go mother said Sara starting m cut of her reverie We girls went last MrOld Old Nero Is as good as a lion to pro tct us said Julie DE I Rather better said Ben dryly The lion might take a notion to eat i you If tramps were scarce I The tramps and other dlsreput j able characters will all be at the fair j retorted Julie It would be such fun sighed Corn Weve never kept house all alone It pour is only twenty miles and It will bo only a week and Aunt Anna has a I 111 telephone ply What does Betty kin say inquired pm Mr Payson I Ill say my say after Ive had a prl dth Tate conversation with Sara Betty tRl announced i This conversation took placo in the benyard and It was not strictly private 3 pri-vate for Cora and Julio were present to say nothing of the hens As Ben roD ro-D marked sarcastically the hens had 3 their mouths open for corn and the > girls for chunks of wisdom Sara scattered JD scat-tered several handfuls of corn and then er turned to the waiting sisters j I WoJl pick the apples she an nM Bounced The girls looked astonished aston-ished but not disappointed Saras schemes were usually worth far more than their face value Scattering more corn she unfolded her plan They were ready three weeks ago but father has been too busy to think about them Well pile them In the appleshed and you can Imagine r fathers surprise when he sees them lie wont believe wo did itl cried I Cora taking fire But do you rally J think we can d Weve helped father always There j are three longhandled apple pickers j one apiece for you and Julle and me h Bettys lower lip dropped but Sara pretended not to see It Well take the two little handcarts and fill one she went on quickly then while we are tilling the other Betty can wheel the first to the shed and empty It Sara paused and looked doubtfully at Betty It requires great care she said artfully They have to be handled like eggs and graded Betty swelled like the frog In the fable I helped father year before last and he said I could grade as well as he she cried nodding vigorously What do you suppose the children are up to Mrs Payson asked uneasily un-easily as the wagon rattled down the road through the dim light of early dawn dawnWe We can trust Sara I think said Mr PajBon equably In the house they had left Sara was marshalling her forces There wont be much housework for mother has left rations for a regiment regi-ment in the pantry Ill take the dishes Cora and Julie the beds Betty the hens Then ho for the orchard I When the little procession of carts and applepickers clattered cut of the barnyard the misty morning had blossomed blos-somed into a perfect golden day The fair committee congratulated themselves them-selves on the line weather with an air of proprietorship Old Uncle Billy Peters the only fullgrown man left in Denton township stretched his rheumatic rheu-matic limbs and thanked the Lord for his share of sunshine The Payson girls said nothing but they knew that the very heart of that glorious day throbbed in the dear old orchard where the fragrant breath of dying grass and clover was spiced with apples ap-ples and Hocks of birds bid a noisy farewell to a favorite summer resort It was hard work but they were strong young creatures accustomed to toll And the October air was Inspiriting inspirit-Ing Mrs Paysons fears for Betty proved groundless for the weary child nodded over her plate and before the others had finished supper dropped In a sound slumber on the kitchen lounge to be haled thenco by her sleepy sisters and dragged struggling and protesting upstairs It was Sara who awoke before day light and relentlessly hounded the drowsy girls from their warm beds The days In the orchard were delightful delight-ful but oh the discomfort of rising and dressing and chorlug In the frosty October dawn the torment of milking and suppergetting In the chill October twilight and the crowning weariness of hoisting plump squirming squirm-ing Betty up the long dark stairs At such times the game did not seem worth the candle and It took all Saras unquenchable enthusiasm to keep her mutinous forces at work until the last cart was full and laughing and slug Ing they ran with it to the shoj Father will bo so pleased Sara sighed delightedly beaming Kith satisfaction sat-isfaction as she surveyed tho fragrant mounds of crimson and gold I They slept late tint Friday morning Then Sara finding that the rations for a regiment had disappeared before the appetites they hiH brought from the orchard spent the rest of the forenoon In the kitchen with Betty while Cora and Julie swept aired and dusted the neglected house By noon everything was side and span and after dinner the overwrought over-wrought young creatures slept again wherever they happened to fall Sara on the kitchen couch and Betty on the rug In front of the stove Late in the afternoon Sara was awakened awak-ened by Neros tremendous voice As she sat up staring and palpitating he broke off with a yelp and ran whining toward the burn Then came a thundering thun-dering knock at the rarely used front door Turning the reluctant key in the rusty lock Sara wrenched the door open and found herself face to face with the blackest frown she had overseen over-seen Mr Payson here asked the stranger strang-er curtly He is not Sara replied haughtily resenting his tone lIe will not be home until late Saturday night Perhaps you can tell me what has become of my apples said Black Brow acidly Your apples said Sara with an indescribable in-describable accent Yes my apples retorted the stranger sharply I bought them on the faces two months ago Indicating with his thumb the stripped orchard Saras righteous Indignation collapsed so suddenly that she felt weak She turned dazed eyes to tho puzzled scared faces behind her We picked them she explained feebly Picked em Well youve made a mess of it young woman I bought en on the trees I tell you and Ive got your fathers signature to an ironclad contract Ive been counting on em to fill important contracts of my own I expected to put men in here Monday Mon-day I shall hold your pa responsible for all damages I cater to tho fancy trade And I prefer to do my own picking pick-ing What do ye reckon I pay big wages to a gang of expert pickers and packers for Where are those apples With proud face but trembling knees Sara brought the big key and led the way to the shed Jonathans by Jingo shouted the man Id forgot lie stooped and examined a pile with anxious eye and finger Howd you pick em Shook em oft nnd dumped em Into the shed I reckon We did not I cried Sara with a sudden burst of anger We handled them like eggs and they are graded as you seeThe see-The man twitched out his watch Got a phono No but the Wheelers Ke was gone Springing on a big black horse that stood at the gate he rode straight across the meadows sailing over fences and gates like a bird As ho disappeared round the Wheeler barn Saras knees gave way under her and she dropped limply in the shed door Im worried to pieces she wailed Goodness gracious Sara cried Julie Impatiently There are the apples ap-ples Let him come and take them A contract Is a contract moaned Sara and weve broken it I dont know much about contracts but 1 know it is an awful thing to break one All these apple men have their own ways of picking and grading and we cant tell how much mischief weve done And if he is a mean man he can make out that we have done a great deal more than we navy lie has a villainous face said CoraAnd And he kicked at Nero added Betty hugging the huge head that nestled lovingly under her arm And a man that will kick at a dogIf I dont know demurred sensible Julie If a dog came at me with its mouth open I think Id kick tooIf 1 dared Father counts so on the apple money I lamented Sara It takes a lot of money to run this place and this family There are so many of usl Interject od Cora looking accusingly at her sisters sis-ters And last year when the apples failed we had a very slim Thanksgiving Thanksgiv-ing And no Christmas at all to speak of I chimed in Betty Ill go right over and ttelephone to ffather Bobbed Cora You will do nothing of the kind said Sara rising and resolutely dashIng dash-Ing away her tears Father and mother havent had a real holiday together since they were married Ind we wont spoil it There was to lie no sound sleep for Sara that night for when just before dawn she fell Into a troubled doze she was again awakened by a ferocious barking She hmrriod to the window and saw a huge shameless mass of something just stopping at the barnyard barn-yard gate Straining her eyes she discovered that the mass was composed com-posed of barrels piled high In an enormous enor-mous rack She sped across the hall to the room where Cora und Julie were rubbing their eyes open Girls there arc barrels and barrels at the gate lie has come for the apples she cried He knows father Isnt here and he menus to get the apples and then settle on his own terms Ill co rluht over to Wheelers and telephone said Cora springing out of bed and beginning to dress hurriedly In half an hour she was back with tragedy in her face The line is down I she said dramatically dra-matically Ill show them I snapped Sara with fire In her eyes Ill saddle old Billy HYou You cant do It Sara answered Cora with mournful conviction I came past the appleshed Ho has a man at each pile and Its a sight to seeThe I see-The apples are hopping into the barrels as It they were alive And there Is another man putting In heads and another an-other loading What is he doing demanded Sara Stenciling the barrels You might know he would pick out a nice easy job for himself sneered Betty Then they all stole out and peeped into the shed It was a lively scene but the apple mans red waving beard was the banner that compelled their unwilling gaze He stalked back and forth among tho tolling men nourishing nourish-ing his marking brush reproving hero and commending there the living embodiment em-bodiment of swift and tireless industry Presently the loader dropped a barrel vlth such force that the head burst out and tho stream of objurgation that flowed from the apple mans ready tongue sent the girls flying to the house lies exactly my idea of Belzebubl gasped Cora Sara perched on the corner of the lounge and with her chin in her hand I gazed moodily at the tloor It was all in vain that Cora patted her back Julie smiled encouragingly and Betty rubbed a comforting check against her shoulder Sara knew herself for a do throned queen They would never follow fol-low her so blindly again There were long silences but at intervals inter-vals they canvassed the situation with increasing gloom and by the time tho apple man had hustled the last wagon out of the yard and dismissed his menthe men-the girls had worked themselves into a I frenzy of fear suspicion and dislike He strode into the kitchen and throwing his hat into a corner drew a chair to the table with au air that enraged en-raged Sara Father will be here Monday she said frigidly Well I shant snapped the apple mat Ive sent my men back to Spooners and Ive got to go over there and keep em on the jump Now as 1 said before I bought those apples on the trees and according to contract He fumbled in his pocket for notebook note-book and pencil and began figuring I rapidly speaking jerkily at intervals Saras face sharpened pltcously and Betty stopped breathing Dont mind telling you I made n mighty good thing out of this orchard line orchard and I underestimated reckon your pa did toothen Eastern crops didnt pan out and prices have risen but of course a contract Is a contract con-tract He twitched the band from n fat pocketbook and took out a roll of hills Now I pay my men by the day but I know to a dot how many barls they can pick in a day so I know to a dot what the plckln Is worth Did me a mighty good turn plckln those apples Times money these days and Im a month behind Id had an cxtry force on long ago but hands aint to be had Helped me 1111 some Important contracts con-tracts especially those Jonathans my reputation for keeptn my word Is I dollars and cents to me Mighty line job too My men wouldnt have done so well for theyre obliged to hurry He rose and caught up his hat leaving leav-ing a little pile of bills on the table With eyes like a ulecpwulkers Sara looked from one bewildered face to another an-other Of course you understand I aint obliged to do this he said proudly A contracts a contract but I aint a man to take a mean advantage and Ive add some consldable extra on account ac-count of its being such a favor an the orchard turning out so well Tell your pa Ive deposited the contract money to his credit In the Farmers Bank as I per agreement lie was gone The slam Of tile door awoke Sara out of her doze and she flew after him Thank you so much she gasped But do you think we ought to takeit We picked the apples for father They want your pas apples they were my apples answered the man testily swiftly untying his horse Sara clutched the fence pickets quivering quiv-ering all over with the sudden revulsion revul-sion of feeling She was overflowing with gratitude and admiration for the man who might have taken advantage of their Ignorance and helplessness and had forborne to do so Before she could collect her scattered wits he sprang on his horse und was off Then she turned nnd sped up the path with winged feet Restored self respect makes an elastic pavement The kitchen wus deserted In the front hall the other girls were watclilrur with fasclnntnJ etz Ct centaurlike 1 figure u that was flying across the Wheeler meadows and out of theft lives for they never saw him again They scurried back to the kitchen just as Sara caught up the neglected bills Ten twenty thirty forty dollars ten apiece gasped SaraIncredulously What on earth shall we do with it twittered Cora as her limp fingers closed over the bill Sara thrust Into her hand I shant sleep a wink for fear of burglars Cora Payson dont you say another word commanded Sara sternly gathering gath-ering up the bills with all her old authority au-thority Well lock them up In fathers fath-ers desk and go to bed Were not goIng go-Ing to cross any more bridges before Wit ttt to themYouths Communion |