Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 May 1908 — As It Happened [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

As It Happened

By TROY ALLISON.

Chesterton, first honor man, captain of the football team and all around favorite, walked down the elm avenue leading to the college, lost tn meditation. He never even chose the best spots on the slippery, sleety path, and. beyond rubbing bis ears and nose occasionally in the most absentminded way he seemed not to know that the Winter was getting in its very worst blizzard.

He kicked a piece of ice out of his path viciously, all the fervor of bis heart concentrating itself in the wish that it could have been Johnson of the junior class who had obstructed his path in the same manner. The mere thought of it caused him to walk out of his way to find another larger and more kickable obstacle. The night before at the senior prom Esther Dillon had danced six times with the insufferable Johnson—and

had steadfastly pleaded a full card every time Chesterton approached her. Chesterton didn’t know what was tffe matter. Her coolness had been first perceptible on Christmas day, and the thermometer had dropped steadily until it had, he realized, reached absolute freezing point. In bls steadily growing- desire to see the image of Johnson tn every kickable object he finally overreached himself and sat down on the ground with a badly sprained ankle.

Esther Dillon, whose father was a teacher of mathematics and lived within the college grounds, on her way home from an afternoon’s shopping came upon him suddenly as he was frying his foot to see if he could mancage to hobble to the dormitory. “You develop new traits daily, Mr. Chesterton,’’ she said in the politely frigid tone she had used for six weeks. "I never dreamed any one could find pleasure in sitting on the ice covered edge of a carriage drive. Does the approaching twilight seem mote soulful from such standpoint?” He stood up hastily on his one sound foot and smiled grimly. “Standpoint seems an Inaccuracy of speech, Miss Esther, and really I have become so acclimated to chilliness in the last few weeks that I didn’t notice the temperature of the pavement being anything but normal. Perhaps you wouldn’t mind being friendly long enough to help a fellow reach the dormitory. You see, I’ve sprained my ankle’’— “Oh,” she said, quickly sympathetic, “let me run to the gymnasium and send some of the boys! Does it hurt much?” “Pretty bad, but I don’t mind the pain so much if I can manage to hobble on. , I was just taking a long breath to shout for one of the fellows, but I would rather have you help me if you don’t mind. I’ll put my hand on your shoulder to steady myself, and I think I can manage some kind of a halting gait” The girl in her sympathy forgot the grievance she had against him, and with every lumping step Chesterton

grew more firmly convinced that being a cripple for life might have It* compensations. “What made you do it 7’ he asked abruptly. The shoulder be was leaning on twitched violently. “Do what 7’ she asked, with perverse feminine ignorance. “Freeze me, ignore me, cut me, slight me, neglect me”— ■ s “Perhaps if you wait until you reach the library you might consult the dictionary and find a few more transitive verbs,” she suggested, with a gurgle of amusement. Chesterton beard the note of laughter and came down on hjs lame foot with so buoyant a step that he grimaced with pain. “Why did you do it, Esther?’ he asked pleadingly. “Why didn’t you even thank me the tiniest little bit for the Christmas present I sent you 7’ she faltered. Chesterton stopped and, balancing on one foot, faced her in unfeigned astonishment. “Why—my dear girl, this is the first I have heard of It!" “Really! Didn’t you even get lt7* with a joy that scarcely seemed an appropriate show of feeling for the loss of an article that she had spent so much time in selecting. “I’m so glad!" she said impulsively. He was filled with compunction for having cherished such malicious feelings toward Johnson—Johnson wasn’t half a bad fellow. He remembered that he had once liked him immensely. “That’s the reason you were not nice to me at the Chirstmas night reception?” he hazarded hopefully.

“Of course that was the reason. When I thanked you for the roses and you didn’t say a word—not even a tiny word about the package I sent you—l thought that—men were so queer,” dolefully. “Of sourse I seemed a downright brute and barbarian,” beratkig himself manfully. “And I went tiffhat reception with my courage screwed to the highest notch. I wanted to ask you if you wouldn’t miss me enough at the end of the term to—er—you know this is my last year, Esther,” he finished awkwardly. “Y-e-s—it’s your last year,” she repeated softly. “Esther, suppose that package hadn’t gone astray—and I had let you see how overjoyed I was to have you think tc send me anything—anything on earth, from a pale blue necktie to a white elephant—anything on earth that you had thought to send of your own accord,” magnanimously, “do you think that you would have been nice enough to me to have given me courage to tell you what I wanted to say?” He tried to see her face in the fast gathering darkness. “It wasn’t pale blue nor so large as an elephant” she parried. “My dear girl, I find I can’t possibly walk without supporting myself more.” He put his arm across her shoulders and then scAvled to see they were nearing the electric light on the driveway. “I think it was the prettiest poster I ever saw,” she said. And Chegterton’s heart leaped when she reached up and patted the hand on her shoulder. “I am coming over the first minute I can hobble with a stick and ask Professor Dillon if he wouldn’t like a son-in-law,” joyfully.” The innocent Mr. Johnson, who had been utterly condemned and afterward pardoned, came near falling to his former estate by appearing suddenly on the scene.

“Hello, old chap; anything serious? I’ll lend a hand,” he said with the misplaced cheerfulness of a life saving hero. The girl, surrendering her charge, hurried down a bypath to their cottage. That night Chesterton, in bath robe and slippers and absolute happiness, put down his pipe to take the note and the package that were handed him. “Wasn’t I stupid?” he read. “I did this package up carefully, the first of all my presents. I put It in the music cabinet.for safe keeping and thought I had mailed it. Mother found it this afternoon. I don’t know if you would really like to have such an absentminded wife —she might forget to have your dinner on time—but I asked father myself, and he was almost as pleased as”— Chestqrton stood on his feet in his ebullition of spirits and sat down jast as suddenly. “But I don’t mind a sprained ankle at all.” He stroked the swollen foot contentedly. “It's a blamed good Invest•Mßt"

It is well for the owner of the milk cow or cows to remember that, while the grass for the first few weeks may be sweet and succulent and much enjoyed by the stock, yet it possesses very little substance and a low per cent of nutritive elements and hence should be re-enforced by a generous allowance of grain and. as much clover hay at night as will be eaten. Care in this regard will keep up the flow of milk and means a largely increased season’s production.

A machine that is coming into quite general use this season in many portions of the west is the disk drill, which, as its name indicates, performs the work of the ordinary seed drill apd to a less extent the work of the disk. In operation as fast as the grain passes through the drills to the ground it is covered with fresh earth by a corresponding disk. The chief merit in the implement lies in the fact that the seed is placed in the ground at a uniform depth and is covered at once with moist earth, which insures the best possible germination, an even stand and a uniform maturing of the grain crop. The old method of broadcast seeding was all right in its time perhaps on cheap land, but present day conditions require the adoption of a more careful and economical method of seeding.

“YOU SEE, I’VE SPRAINED MY ANKLE.”