Show Daily Short Fiction Story BACK TO THE SOIL By SUSAN E. E CLAGETT Copyright ID 1916 16 by the McClure McClur e Newspaper Syndicate It cannot be done The speaker was one of three young men and his tone was emphatic The girl in the group leaned forward regarding re regarding regarding re- re garding him with earnest eyes Why not not she asked Lack of ot money and experience he answered promptly We Ve are of office ice men We Ve know nothing of country life The office is our living Jiving We Ve canno cannot t give up an assured income for tor the promise of one especially when the promise requires expenditure The house is barely inhabitable To To make it livable would require more money than can be spared The girls girl's glance swept the tiny sitting sitting sitting sit sit- ting room rested for an instant upon the figure leaning against the doorway then came back to her elder brother I r think Jack that I could make ithome it ithome ithome home if the roof doesn't leak The place is ours The rent of this apartment apartment apartment apart apart- ment would help and we could have roses loses and clove clove pinks and violets Hear her Bob interrupted Can Canne we ne eat roses arid and clove pinks and violets violets vio vio- 10 lets Jets I confess to a desire for a more material diet The girl laughed They are only the frills Bob but I am always dreaming dreaming dreaming dream dream- ing of them and of green grass with white clover sprinkled through it an anthe and d the blessed sunshine coming through the leaves of the trees Grandfather r may not have made money there but he did make a comfortable living Why couldn't we Her brother stared That Jane Jan should say she dreamed of things thing showed a a. condition of mind unsuspected unsuspected unsuspected b by either She was always happy She made them comfortable made the best of a limited income an annever and d never dreamed of its limitations but both shook their heads It cant can't be done Jack reiterated Jane Jan is right came from a pleasant voice in the doorway if you two dunderheads dunderheads dun dun- would listen Usten to her You might not be able to make any amount of money but do you do more now You just about meet expenses with a little stowed slowed away fo fo emergencies Out there you would have no house rent You could have many things that are now luxuries There would be no inconveniences and commuting is not pleasant but try it for Janes Jane's sake She needs the sunshine and grass and clove pinks and roses if the roses ever bloom in her cheeks again S She e has never recovered her strength since that attack of pneumonia although al although al- al though she says nothing Jane had turned a smiling face to him as he began to speak but shook her head as he finished Honest Jane dont don't you OU feel tired out all of the time Sometimes she admitted reluctantly That should Pa should sh uld settle it John Gray said However if you still hesitate I should like to rent the land landof of you and see what I 1 can do with it it My car is at the door Pile in and we will run out opt to the place and see if ff the plan isn't feasible The two men scarcely heard They were looking at their sister through the eyes of their friend To their dismay dismay dis dis- may they realized that he had spoken the truth and with grave faces they followed him to the car An hour later they stood before the story and a half house viewing it critically critically crit crit- as a possible home It had been sadly neglected Tall weeds grew up to the doorway window blinds sagged and slats were gone from them the porch was in a tumbledown condition but to offset the general dilapidation were great clumps of lilacs and snowballs snowballs snowballs snow- snow balls and mock oran orange e just bursting burstin into bud that would be a mass of beauty beauty beauty beau beau- ty a few weeks later on The place had untold possibilities and John Gray glanced down at the girl beside him wondering if the thought in his mind could be in hers but the eyes she I raised to his were clear and he turned away rather than let her read what he felt was written upon his face They entered the large living room from the porch In it and the one on the opposite side of the house were huge fireplaces and as John Gra Gray looked about he said If you people will HI take mother and me for the summer we will both appreciate appreciate appreciate ap- ap ap ap- it Only this morning she said she wished she lived within an hours hour's ride from town She would be delighted de delighted delighted de- de lighted with the place Weeds and all Bob asked ased with a slight laugh I think you could find finda a more d desirable place to spend the summer months Of course it will require time to tomake tomake i make it look as it should Gray answered answered answered an- an an an- but Jane will make it home before then and you two will benefit I by such outdoor exercise as will put the yard in order I venture you will not know the place by the end of ot June I grant it is not desirable for you to give up your positions just yet and if you feel you cannot take tale care caie of the land I Ishall Ishall Ishall I shall be glad to lease it of you Jack Tack was looking frowningly through a back window at the evidences of anold an anold anold old fashioned garden lIe He turned now You can have the land of course if you wish Our living Jiving here heie is sible sibe Before you decide look well at Jane the other said quietly The girl is in desperate need of the very things she can get on this old farm You can take ta no risks with her Try it this summer at least Give herthe her herthe herthe the chance to get strong The three were watching the girl as she moved here and there among theold the theold theold old flower borders She looked up andI and called caned to them delightedly Lilies of the valley are blooming in inthis inthis inthis I this corner Jack Do come como quickly all an of you But before they Joined her herI they bad seen her as she really was a slip of a thing with eyes too large for fora I a face that held no vestige of ot color and moving with an inertness utterly unlike unlike un un- like her usual briskness Jack caught his breath sharply and John knew he I had won consent although no word was spoken This was in April the April the middle of it The first of May found the Barrels in their grandfathers grandfather's old home and none too soon Janes Jane's strength had suddenly sudden sudden- ly failed during the last days in fn the apartment and they carried her into the big living room she had so longed to make male into a home for her boys It was here John found her one evening and as he stood before the open fire necessary for comfort during the early June nights he felt he could no longer keep back the words that for months had been clamoring for utterance utter utter- ance The girl was almost herself hersel once more and she was telling him about her garden John she was sa saying ing it is a a. veritable veritable veritable ver ver- treasure trove Every day I 1 find something new coming out of the ground When your mother arrives the i late roses will be a blaze of color and so so many other plants are showing buds I 1 But he interrupted her Jane he said simply I love you dearly Have you a thought for me She answered as simply as he had spoken I 1 think John I have loved you all my life but I 1 was not sure until Until The day you won Jack over into making this our home |