Jasper County Democrat, Volume 4, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 January 1902 — THE STORY OF A STEW. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE STORY OF A STEW.

rr> L HARLOY works in a down/oV town 1)0015 *° ncern an<l ma,teß a £*** pretty fail salary weekly. The •rouble with Harlow has been that for something over a year past he spent more than the stipend which the big publishers’ bookkeeper poked into his envelope every Saturday night. A 1 was born with several generous streaks In him, and as he approached adolescence he developed an inclination to go generosity one better or worse, and actually to throw money away. Harlow is good-looking nnd there never was a generous man who lacked friends. The girls In young Harlow’s set all thought—lt's a question what they’re thinking now, though-that he was Just about right. They gauged him perhaps by the candy, flower and theater ticket standard. If it be not ungallant even to hint such a tiling it may be put down right here that the young women in A 1 Harlow’s set played the young fellow for literally more than the young fellow was worth.

It must not be supposed for a minute that there were not many matrons who were ready to declare that Al was going at too swift a pace, although not one of them was found ready to tell her daughter that it were wise that a hint be thrown out to young Harlow that American beauty roses in December were too costly a gift to be sent to one young woman twice a week. There was only one of Al's set, and she was only in the set on occasion-for the other girls declared her rather prim and finicky—who had the courage born of & conviction that Al was developing spendthrift habits, to tell him frankly one day that neither she nor her mother thought It right for him to send as he did occasionally the expensive hothouse blossoms and the equally expensive bonbons. Al took this in good part nnd way down In his heart lie thought that Mary Johnson was saying Just about the right thing, nnd that the saying of It was prompted by a delicate consideration for his own good, as well as by an equally delicate understanding of the propriety of tilings.

If Harlow did spend more than bis salary he stuck close to business in the book establishment, nnd one day he was promoted to a better position and to more pay. an advancement that gave him a very comfortable Income. Al sat down one night to figure it up. His debts scared him. He thought to himself that by rigid economy for a year he could square up, but lie was not of the kind to settle down of his own free will and accord to any economy, let alone thut of the rigid kind. All the girls In the set knew of Al’s advancement, and most of them thought of It as meaning Just so many more chrysanthemums nnd so many more chocolate caramels. There were many of them, too, It must be said, to whom this advancement gave to Al a new value. As a matter of fact, the majority of them began to set Its cup for Al. It must not be supposed, however, that a great burden of sense lay with the majority. It could not bring Itself to forego the pleasures of the sweets of candy and the scents of flowers simply because one of Its members hoped to lead the spendthrift to the altar. “Let him spend,” said the girls. “When he does get married he can save money, pay his debts and become a model for the community.”

Mary Johnson did not like It when A 1 showed a tendency to keep on running along the road which lias a big finger post marked “Ruin” standing all along the way. There wasn't n grain of selfishness In Mary Johnson’s nature. She liked the young fellow and she hated to see him go the way that leads to a great big precipice. All the set, A 1 and a lot of other young fellows Included, went to St. Dltss’ Church. Most of the members of St Dives were so rich that they could have each chipped in enough without missing It to make unnecessary the holding of n church fulr for the benefit of the poor of the outlying districts of the parish. They gave a church fair, however, and the young women propared to play, as sadly enough they always do at church fairs, the parts of harpies. The girls held a meeting before the fair and planned a campaign. Each one had a little book in which the victims were to put down their names, pay a quarter for the privilege and thus secure one chance In 4,000 of winning a tidy or an Impossible whisk broom holder. One of the girls said that It should be a matter of conscience with them all to make as much as they could, and then she added: "Every girl In this bunch must make A 1 Harlow pay 60 cents a chance, because he’ll do It and never wink. It’s In a good cause, you know, and he’s easy, and we must get all we can. The other boys will stand for quarters, but they are not in the easy class with Al.” In thnt meeting they laid plans that If carried out would come pretty near completing the financial undoing of Albert Harlow, book publishers’ man. Mary Johnson was there and she denounced the scheme as “a shame.” The other girls looked at each other as much as to say “O, but Isn’t she nrtful?” The fnir was on. Al Harlow had bought tickets for all sortsof things and he paid three prices therefor. He had paid $1 postage each on letters In the postoffloe and had paid 60 cents each for a dozen attempts to book a penny whistle frotu out the “fish pond." Now It happened that Al had been obliged to work late at the book shop and he bad gone to the fair without having taken as much as a bite of food. He was

young, active and healthy and he was as hungry as a bear. After he had parted with a large part of his financial substance he said within the hearing half a dozen of the girls and somewhat thoughtlessly: “I’d give $5 for something to eat’^ “You shall have it,” they said in chorus; “sit down.” They pushed him into a chair by a tnble which was close to the door of the fair kitchen. Al had seen his young men friends eating for an hour past, lie knew that they had paid only a dollar n head for their dinners and that they were having each a substantial meal. He hoped that his five dollars would bring him something soltfi, yet appetizing. The six girls to whom he had Imparted knowledge of his hunger disappeared into the kitchen. There they talked louder than they knew and Al heard every word. “We’ll Just give him the regulation church fair oyster stew," said one voice. “It’ll be a good Joke and he’s too easy to say anything, and there’ll be Just $4.1)5 clear profit.” “Splendid,” sang a chorus. Then Al heard another voice. He recognized it as that of Mary Johnson. It was a voice softer and with a better modulation than any he had heard. Perhaps it vvns what she said that made him think this, but he thought it nevertheless. “That's not only a shame, girls,” Haid Mary, “but it's mean. Because Al tries to be good-natured and does things for us all Is no reason why he should be imposed upon and made to go hungry.” “Mary,” said another voice, "you are ulwuys spoiling our fun.” Then there was silence. In a few minutes six young women escorted in a watery oyster stew and put it down

with not even so much as a cracker on the side. It was Indeed a regulation church fair stew. It had one oyster, a miserable, attenuated, pale little thing like all oysters that are sacrificed for charity. Mary Johnson was not among the onlookers as Al ate. When he rose from the table he said: “Good night,” and left. Not all the importunities to buy a carnation for only $4 succeeded in holding him longer. Two weeks later the young women met In the parish house to make the final accounting of the financial end of the fair. They had made a lot of money. As Mary Johnson held out her paper of accounts to the treasurer the girls saw something on her hand and with one accord they screamed: “Mary, where did you get It?” On the engagement finger of Mary’s hand was a heavy gold circle holding in a golden clasp a magnificent pearl. Mary blushed a moment and then with a glad look that betrayed something of triumph, replied: "“It’s my engage ment ring. Al Harlow gave it to me yesterday. The pearl is a beauty, is it not? Partridge Sc Co., to whom Al showed It, appraised Its value at $2,0C0. Al found the pearl in that plate of oyster stew, for which you charged him ss.”—Chicago Record-Herald.

THEY TALKED LOUDER THAN THEY KNEW.