Newspaper Page Text
WWWWPW
out of the great dark swamp of mis
ery I've pulled you into, along with
myself."
Nellie kissed his quivering lips to
silence,
"Why," she cried, "where's the
misery? Because we have to cut and
trim pretty closely is the air any
heavier or the golden sunlight any
les bright? Does not the sweet, fresh
cornmeal taste better than ever be
cause there isn't so much of it, and
the dear old house it's our palace,
we love'lt!"
"Say, exclaimed old Abner, perk
ing up magicajly, "you're a house
hold angel, you are! How you stand
all my foolish speculations and the
hard life I can't understand."
"You naughty fibber!" chided Nel
lie fondly. "Once there was a poor
little orphan girL The village had
no use for her. A dear old man
named Abner Post saved her from the
poorhouse by adopting her. He taught
her to read and write, he gave her a
happy, happy life.' And as she stands
here today, she blesses him because
he has given her love! love! love,!
Oh, never care for the dark days,
dear so many are bright And be
sides besides," she flushed and was
embarrassed, "I think I am sure
things are going to mend."
The artless old man did not notice
her confusion. Her cheering words
alone impressed him and his soul was
comforted.
Nellie had a fond cherished secret,
but she did not reveal it to her adopt
ed father. Had he been less self-centered
he might have tried to find a
cause for her. more than happy face,
her frequent lonely walks away from
the old homestead evenings.
It was about two weeks later that
Abner came into the house in a great
state of excitement.
"Nellie, child, look there!" he ex
claimed, and held up so queer an ob
ject that she was quite startled and
puzzled. It was a squash, but such
a squash! It was a perfect present
ment, only in Tegetable form, or one
of the glass forms that had cost the
old man his spare capital
"Just happened to notice that one
of those thousand-and-one squash
vines had run an end into one of
those glass images, sprouting and
filled it up. I broke the glass and
there you are. I reckon never before
has the world produced a genuine
vegetable Chinese mandarin."
"But but " began Nellie.
"What of it?" jubilated the old
man. "Why, I'm going to run a vine,
into every one of the old molds. Don't
you see: Chinese gods: Hindoo di
vinities, distorted dwarfs, grotesque
harlequins why, Nellie, before fair
time I'll have such a collection as will
be the drawing card of the whole
show! There are freak gatherers
who will pay me a fortune for the dis
play. See if I ain't right!"
Alas! for two mouths old Abner
thought only of the culture of his odd
squasfles. He shipped them to the
state fair and followed them In per
son. Nellie met him at the train when
he returned, a week later. Abner was
slightly glum, for his freaks bad ex
cited only a passing notice and then
were forgotten.
"Reckon Fm an unlucky specula
tor!" he toughed, Nellie's cheery
smiles acting like a tonic on him. "All
right, but try, try again! I'm going
to pitch in to honest, humdrum, prac
tical farming and give up my wild
goose schemes."
"Home, father!" cried Nellie, as
they reached the old homestead.
"Jump down, dear."
But Abner only stared. The old
place had anew look. The house
had been painted, the fence mended,
a new wing had, been builtjonto the
house. a '
j "Why, Nellie!" gasped the old man
in a dubious stupified kind of a, way.
' "And who's that-why, Paul Worth-
ington!"
"Father," whispered Nellie In his
- ear and' all athrill with love, "he" la
my husband r
.. . ,Al.AxtAlLLUAtllil
