Show if I 1 so baj EDNAI illustrations BY CLARK AGNEW copyright by doubleday co TEN DOLLAR Sl SYNOPSIS introducing so blk big dirk dejong debone in hla his infancy and hla his mother selina dejong daughter of 0 c simeon peake gambler and gentleman ot of fortune her life to young womanhood in chicago in 1883 1888 has been unconventional somewhat seamy but generally enjoyable at school her chum Is julle julie hempel daughter of 0 august hempel butcher simeon to la killed in a quarrel that Is not his own and selina nineteen years old and practically destitute cocu secures res R position as teacher at the high prairie school in the outskirts of chicago chlcagno living at the home of 0 a truck farmer klass pool in roelf twelve years old son of 0 klass klaas selina perceives a kindred spirit a lover of beauty like herself selina hears bears gossip concerning the affection of af the widow Paar lenberg rich and good looking for pervus dejong poor truck farmer who la Is insensible to the widows attractions for a community sociable selina bellna prepares a lunch box dainty but not of ample proportions which Is to be auctioned auction ed according to custom the smallness smallness of the box excites derision and selina Is heartbroken CHAPTER IV continued 6 Se Sell linas nas cheeks matched her gown her eyes were wide and dark with the effort she was waa making to force back the hot haze threatening them why had she mounted tills this wretched soap boxi box I 1 why had she come to this bid bous party 1 why had she come to high prairie I 1 why I 1 miss selina peake who miss se il 11 na peake I 1 A hundred balloon faces pulled by a single cord turned toward her as she stood there on the box for all to see they swam toward her she put up a hand band to push them back Wh atal I 1 bedl I 1 bid I 1 chatra I 1 bid for this here lovely little gents I 1 start tier her cupl up I 1 five cents 1 piped up old johannes ambuul with a snicker the tittering crowd broke into a guffaw selina was conscious of a little sick feeling at the pit of her stomach through the haze she saw the widows face no longer sulky but smiling now she saw dear dark head bead ills face was set bet like a mans lie ile was coming toward her or trying to but the crowd wedged him in small as he was among those great bodies she lost sight of him how hot it was I 1 how hot an arm at her waist someone had mounted the little box and stood teetering there beside tier her pressed against her slightly reassuringly pervus dejong her head was on a level with the doorway on the soap box for all high prairie to see gee five cents im bid for this lovely little mouthful put up by the school teachers own fair hands bands five cents five one dol dollar larl 1 pervus dejong the balloon faces were suddenly punctured with holes high prairies jaw dropped with astonishment its mouth stood open there was nothing plain about selina now her dark head was held high and his fair one beside it made a avld foil oil the purchase of the wine colored cashmere was at last justified and ten cackled old johannes ambuul his rheumy eyes on selina art and human spitefulness struggled visibly for mastery in adam face ace and art won the auctioneer triumphed over the man the term crowd psychology was unk unknown noNn to him but he was artist enough to sense that some curious magic process working through this roum ful ul of people had transformed the little white box from a thing despised and ridiculed into an object of beauty of 0 value of infinite ability lie he now eyed it in a catalepsy of admiration on anc tun ten im bid for this box all tied with a ribbon to match the gown of 0 the girl who ho brought it gents you get the ribbon the lunch and the girl and only one ten bid tor for all that gents genial I 1 gents 1 remember Ile member it aint only a lunch its a picture it pleases the eye do I 1 hear one five blosl barend dellbo of low prairie in the lists A strapping young dutchman the brain bi om bones of the district lie ile drove to the haymarket with ills his load of produce and played cards all night on the wagon under the gas gag torches while the street girls of the neighborhood assailed him in vain six feet three aliree ills red face shone now like a harvest moon above the crowd A merry mischievous eye that laughed at pervus dejong and his dollar bid dollar and a lall A high clear voice a boys boya voice roelf oh no said hellna aloud but he be wait unheard in the gabble roelf had once confided to lier her that he had bad caved ved three dollars and fifty cents cent in vae c last years fan five dollars would purchase a set of tools that his mind had been fixed on for months past selina klaas pools look of astonishment changing to anger saw Al maartje aartje pools quick hand on his arm restraining him two bollara dollar sl 1 pervus dejong and ten johannes cautious bid two and a quarter barend deroo two fifty 1 pervus dejong three dollars I 1 1 the high voice of the boy it cracked a little on the last syllable and the crowd laughed three three three three three three three three once and a half pertus dejong three six sixty ty 1 four deroo and ten the boys voice was heard beard no more 1 I wish stop whispered selina fivel five I 1 pervus dejong six deroo hla his face very red and ten seven it its s only jelly sandwiches said gald selina to dejong in a panic eight johannes ambuul gone mad nine I 1 derloo 11 nine nine im bedl itne nine itne ninel make it let him have it the cup cakes fell a little dont ten said cervus dejong barend deroo shrugged his great shoulders ten ten ten do I 1 hear eleven do I 1 hear ton ten fifty ten ten ten I 1 gents genial 1 ten once ten twice gone tor for ten dollars to pervus dejong and a bar bargain galm adam mopped his bald head and his cheeks and the damp spot under Ms ills chin ten dollars adam knew as did all the countryside this was not the sum of ten dollars merely no basket of food though it contained nightingales tongues the golden apple of atalanta wines of rare vintage could have been adequate recompense for these ten dollars they represented sweat and blood toll and hardship hours under the burning prairie sun at midday work doggedly carried on through the drenching showers of spring nights of restless steep sleep snatched an hour at a time under the sky in the chicago market place miles of weary travel down the rude corduroy road between nigh high prairie and chicago now up to the hubs in mud now blinded by dust and blowing sand A sale at Christ christlee Christle les 8 with a miniature going tor for a million could not have met with a deeper hush a more dramatic babble following the tha hush they ate their lunch together in one corner of adam hall selina bellna opened the box and took out the deviled eggs and the cup cakes that had fallen a little and the apples and the sandwiches sliced very very till thin it the coldly appraising eye of all nigh high prairie low prairie and new haar lem watched this sparse provender emerge from the ribbon tied shoe box she offered him a sandwich it looked infinitesimal in his great paw suddenly nil all Se linas agony of 0 embarrassment was swept away and she was laughing not wildly or hysterically but joyously and girlishly she sank her little white teeth into one of 0 the absurd sandwiches and looked at him expecting to find him laughing too but he be laughing lie ile looked very earnest and his blue eyes were fixed hard on the bit of bread in his land hand and his face was very red and clean shaven ile he bit into the sandwich and chewed it solemnly and selina thought why the deat thing 1 the great big dear thing I 1 and he might have been eating breast of duck ten dollars aloud she said what made you do it ile he seemed not to hear her bit into one of the cup cakes suddenly 1 I cant hardly write at till all only to sign my name and like that read reada only to spell out the words I 1 dont get time for reading but figuring I 1 wish alah I 1 knew I 1 can figger some but those fellows in haymarket Haymark pt they are too sharp for me they do numbers in their head like ilke that so quick selina leaned toward him til ill teach you ill teach you how do you mean teach met mer evenings he looked down at his hl great calloused palms then up at her what would you take for pay I 1 payl I 1 dont wan any pay she was genuinely shocked aln HI face lighted up with a sudden thought tell you what I 1 could start for you yoa the fire mornings in tile the school and thaw the pump and bring brine in a pall of water this month and january and february and part of 01 march even now I 1 dont go to burkot on account its winter I 1 could start you the fire till spring and I 1 could come maybe three times time a week evenings to pools place tor for lessons lie ile looked so BO helpless so humble so huge libee and the more pathetic for his hugeness she felt a little rush ruh of warmth toward him flint was at once impersonal and maternal she thought again why the dear tiling I 1 the great helpless big thing how serious he Is and funny she laughed suddenly a gay little laugh and he be after a puzzled pause joined lt her r companionably three evenings a week repeated selina then from the depths of her ignorance why id love to id love to chapter V the evenings turned out to be tuesdays thursdays and saturdays supper was over by six els thirty in tile the pool household pervus was there by seven very berj clean as to shirt his hair brushed till it shone shy and given to dropping pill ills his hat bat and bumping against chairs and looking sole solemn inn selina was torn between pity and mirth if only he had blustered A blustering big man puts the world on tile the defensive A gentle giant disarms it selina got out tier her mcbrides Mc Brides grammar and duffes arithmetic and together they started to parse verbs paper walls dig cisterns and extract square roots they found study ir impossible at the oilcloth covered kitchen table with the pool household eddying about it jakob built a ire fire la in the parlor stove and there they sat teacher tenc lier and pupil their feet resting costly cosily on the gleaming nickel railing that encircled the wood burner on the evening of the first lesson roelf had glowered throughout supper and had disappeared into the work shed whence hence issued a great sound of hammering sawing and general clatter ile he and selina had got into the way of spending much time together in or out of doors the boy worshiped her inarticulately she had early discovered that he had a feeling for beauty beauty of line texture color and grouping that was rare in one of ills years the feel of a satin ribbon in ills his fingers the ora orange and rose of a sunset the folds of the wine red cashmere dress the cadence of a spoken line brought a look to ills face that startled her since the gathering at hall he had been moody and sullen had refuted refused to answer when she spoke to RI I 1 hii gonel for ten dollars dollan to pervus pervin dejong him of ills bid for or her basket urged he would only say oh it was just fun to make old mad now with the adent of pervus dejong roelf presented that most touching aud miserable of 0 spectacles a small boy jealous and helpless in ills his jealousy selina had asked him to join the tri trl weekly evening lessons had bad indeed insisted that he be a pupil in the class round the parlor stove roelf would not ile he disappeared into hla his work shed after supper did not emerge until after dejongs departure there was something about the sight of this great creature bent laboriously over a slate the pencil held clumsily in his huge fingers that moved selina strangely pity wracked cracked her it if she had known to what emotion tills this pity was alila akin she might have taken away the slate and given him a tablet und and the whole course ot of her life would have been different poor lad she thought poor lad chided herself for being amused at his childlike earnestness he did not make an apt pupil though painstaking selina would go eo over a problem or a sentence again and again patiently patiently then suddenly like ike a hand passed over his face his smile would come transforming it lie he would smile like a child and selina should have been warned by the warm rush of joy that hla his smile gave tier lier sho she would smile too ile he was as pleased as though he had made a fresh and wonderful discovery its easy he would say when you know it once like a boy ile he usually went home by eight thir ty or nine often the pools went to bed ed before he left after he had gone selina was nas wakeful she would heat beat water and wath wash brush her half hair vigorously rou sly feeling at once buoyant and le pressed sometimes they tell fell to talking HU ELLs wife had died in the second year of 0 their marriage when the child was born the child too had died A girl ile he was unlucky like that it was the same with nith the farm Se Sell linas nas heart melted in pit pity he te would look down at tile the greci great c calloused al hands up at her one of 0 the charnis charms of pervus dejong lay lai in the things that ills eyes said and his tongue did not women always imagined he was about to say what nhat lie he looked but lie he neer did it made otherwise dull conversation with him most exciting ills was in no way a shrewd mind ills respect for selina was almost reverence but bul lie had this advantage lie he lad had married a woman had lived with tier her for two years she sha had home borne him a child selina was a girl in experience per peri lence ence she was nas a woman capable of a great deal ot of passion but she did not know that passion was a thing no woman possessed much less talked about it simply did not exist except in men and then it was as something to be ashamed of like a violent temper or a weak by the first farst of march lie he could speak a slow careful and fairly grammatical english lie ile could master simple sums by the middle of march the lessons would cease there was too much work to do about the farm night work as well as day she found herself trying not to think about the time when the lessons should cease she refused to look ahead to april one night late in february selina was conscious that she was trying to control something she was waa trying to keep her eyes away from something she realized that she was trying not to look at hla his hands she wanted crazily craz lly to nouh them she wanted to feel them about tier her throat she wanted to put tier her lips on ills his hands brush the backs of them slowly mols tIly with her mouth lingeringly she was terribly frightened she thought to herself 1 I am going crazy I 1 am losing toy my mind there Is something the matter with me I 1 wonder how I 1 look I 1 must look queer at half past eight she closed her book suddenly im tired I 1 think its the spring coming on she smiled a little wavering smile lie he rose and stretched himself ids his great arms high above ills hla head selina shivered two more weeks lie said gald Is the last lesson well do you think I 1 have done pretty good wear well very well selina replied evenly she felt very tired the first week in march he was III and did not come A rheumatic affliction to which he was subject it wa wag the curse of the truck farmer selina Sell nas evenings were free to devote to roelf who glowed again she sewed too read helped mrs pool with the housework in a gust of sympathy and found strange relief therein made over an old dress studied wrote all tier her letters few eu enough ough even one to the dried apple aunts in vermont she no longer wrote to julle julie hempel she had heard hear d that julle julie was to be married to a kansas man named arnold julle julie herself had not written the first week in march passed ile he did not come nor did lie he come the following tuesday or thursday she was bewildered frightened all that week she had a curious feeling or succession of feelings |