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4l.oo Vear, In Advance. .. FOR GOD, FOR COUNTRY, AND FOR TRUTH." Single Copy, s CenU.
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VOL. XIII. PLYMOUTH, N. C, FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 1903. NO. 4.y
0
-t4
.-Hi
HER
HOUR OF
A ROMANCE OF
BY MARGUERITE STABLER.
A.Y, Mollie,
said Nolan, in
,-' an off-hand
SX": tJ "what's that I'd
. ' The sua had passed the
maimer.
fellow iu th
up here?"
meridian,
and the shadows wore beginning to
: full on Nolan's side. The hop-Held code
of courtesy demands that, when a man
is picking with a "lady" he give her
always the shady side. Put Nolan, In
bis perturbation of nilud, forgot his
manners. !
"Nothin'," came indifferently from
MoiJio, feeling the rays pelting down
upon her bead, and remembering the
ihoughtfulucss of the fellow; in the
leggings in pulling the fullest vines
Iown on her side.
'"Kay, Mollie," asked-Nolan, persua
?nely, after a half-hour's silence, dur
ing "which time several couples had
changed sides so that the girl might
- have the benefit of t"ie shade, "what
was he hangiu' round you all mornin'
.for?"
'Nothin:" The black eyes were
stubbornly glued to their work, while
. brads of perspiration stood out on the
round, tanned cheeks.
Thereafter, viue after vine was
: reached and stripped- in oppressive
silence. At length, after baring de-
i cided. to adopt a course of moody
. Mence, -Avhich .should break the
. haughty spirit of this girl, and make
tier hang upon bis slightest word.
Nolan heard himself say, before he
" knew it, in tender, . coaxing tones:
.""Say, Mollie, what was he talkin' to
...you about, "anyway?"
"Nothin'!" Mollie' s chin went into
the nir and her lips snapped together
like iho blades of a' jack-knife.' The
beads of perspiration had grown into
rivulets that, trickled from nose to
-ch'm and splashed into the basket.
The foreman of the tield rode by sev
eral limes, and noticed gratefully there
was. less talking and more work being
done between the two than usual,"
and when at last the shadows grew so
long it did not matter which side of
tiie. row she was on, and the sun began
to redden behind a bank of smoke ami
-dust, the joyful sound of the quitting
bell pealed over the fields.
Arms just lifted to reach a vine,
hands in the. act of stripping a branch,
fingers just crocked to pick a last
Imp, .slopped ami fell empty - at the
ouud'of that fust tap. The unhappy
Nolan could not stop his thoughts so
quickly, nor resist a last appealing.
"'Say, Mollie, what's the matter with
..you, anyway':"
But the maid only threw- a defiant
"Nothin'!" over her shoulder as she
was joined at the end of the row by a
tall fellow in leggings. The black eyes
'lost their defiance,- the lips rippled into
smiles as tshe pushed her sun-bonnet
back and looked up into the laughing
face under the sombrero.
, v ;G real place, isn't it?" the tall fel
low, said; half to himself, as he
watched the pickers filing by China
men, Indians. Japs, and wldtes of ov-
iry brand, and all sorts of conditions.
"There was the .objectionable element
of "hobos.". e' .AK.rse. In plentithde.
but the lo'iority of the pickers wore
""V-TnT who, after harvesting their
iva meagre little bay crops, packed
i heir wagons, loaded in their families.
whistled io their dogs, and started off
for. n three or four weeks' camp in the
hop-fields. With these families it is
, .3i regular institution, and the one iu
4 cresting occasion of the year. Here
new acquaintances' tire made, foot-hill
.gossip exchanged for tule district sean-
--dnls, flirtations and romances spring
up. flourish, and die, with the hops,
r.nd most of the back country belles
i.Mlo their social debut from the Sat
urday night dances.
Mollie stole a. one-sided glance at
the fellow in the leggings, and took
in every detail as his eyes followed the
-crowd. She held her head just a trifle
higher than usual when familiar faces
looked up and saw her chatting with
this stylish looking fellow in the cor
duroy knickers. In fact, when some
of her Coon Creek friends came along,
she found it inconvenient to look their
way, for kIic felt that in refined society
tlsr-ir "Hello Moll" would not be con
sidered good form.
'How long have you worked here?"
iihe tall .fellow asked her, shortening hb
BRIEF
TRIUMPH
THb' HOP-FIELDS.
stride to fall in with her little trip. "
Mollie, delighted to be called upon
for information, gurgled out everything
she knew about the hop-fields; the ad
vantage of being paid by the piece
instead of the 'day, the amount the
.average picker could make a day, the
weighing in the baskets, the processing
in the kiln, the pressing and baling,
and the joys of the dance given every
Saturday night. Adding, for she could
scarcely believe t his distinguished-looking
personage could le a common
picker, like Mike Nolan and Tinny
Smith, and the rest of them: "Are
you visiting at Iloptown?"
"No," the fellow laughed, "I'm a cit
izen, If I can stand these beastly
hours. For the next few weeks I'm
a son of the soil in order to till up my
coffers for the next semester." This
fellow relished the dilating power of
the black eyes beside him. and Mollie,
having studied Short Primer of Chem
istry, felt herself on an intellectual
level with this college senior.
As they heared the camp she was
conscious of a double row of curious
eyes peering
it her from under tent
flaps, but tucking
her chin up into
the air, she walked along as oblivious
of them, apparently, as if i-he and this
new friend were alone in a wilderness.
Before picking-time the next morn
ing it was thoroughly .understood by
all the tenters on Mollie's side of the
field that Nolan's race was run. and
that Mollie had a new "steady" from
"below," as the southern counties are
termed by the inhabitants of the north
ern. Nolan, his wrath cooled Iry a nights
repose, became aware of this fact wnen
he waited at the usual tryst mg place
by the' first row of poles, and saw tka
tan sombrero looming tip !n the wake
of the bine sun-bonnet. The rest of the
day he was pursued by the cheerful
jibes of his friends about being thrown
down for a city "guy." Poor Mike,
even his dauntless good humor went
down u"der their clumpy efforts at
consolation.
But Mike Nolan was not the only ovto
suddenly effaced from the girl's tickle
memory. There were Pinny, and Spike
and Big Terry, into whose young and
susceptiblo hearts her black eyes
burned big holes, now not even
had
'.en
when they passed her on the row.
The eyes under the sombrero lost
nothing of the situation. This little
girl was undoubtedly pretty after a
sort of wild-rose type, sin certainly
was the only one in the field who could
help- to. make the long hoi. days en
durable to him. Her eyes had a way of
widening when he talked to her, which
was highly agreeable to him. and he
spared no opportunity to produce that,
effect. Her cheeks, too. had a frank
little way of going pink sometimes
red when the allusion was direct
enough and altogether he;1 open admiration-put
a tine gilt edge on r.!s
self-esteem.
"Is it possible you have never been
to San Francisco?" he asked her, one
day.
"No. I've uever been there." she ad
mitted, apologetically, "but," she
hastened to add, in order to dispel any
idea of rusticity that admission might
have given. "I've been twice to Bed
Bluff, and we live only nine miles from
Coon Creek."
"Have you ever thought you might
like to live there?" he pursued, reach
ing up to pull down a cut vine from the.
pole. Ills glance was very direct this
time, and his tones full of meaning.
It was pretty to see her eyes and
cheeks glow with a deeper hue, so in
tent was he on noting the effect he
could produce with the slightest touch.
He did not wait for an answer, but
went on. "Wouldn't you like "
But just then the Sacramento train
thundered by "on the trestle, drowning
his words, but not the look in his eye?.
And on the the heels of that, the noon
bell fang, at which everybody quit
work--, and they walked up to the set
tlement together in silence little Mol
lie's feet touching the ground only in
high places, her foolish little head
'way v.p in the clouds, the man's
thoughts miles away from the scene
about him, and the hope of his heart
centred on getting on the 'varsity foot
ball team.' . - . v
By the end of tlte season Miss Mol
lie's social circle had narrowed down
to few more than her own family, and
one tall man. She had discovered her
tastes to be of the climbing variety,
and had reached the fatal conclusion
that not one of her old friends at Coon
Creek possessed a particle of culture
or style. And when, before dispersing
for another year, the pickers prepared
to give a grand ball in honor of the
wind-up of the hop-season, Mollie de
termined to show them the size of the
gulf that now yawned between her
self and them.
These hop-pickers' dances are open
io every one. so there are not many
lines of social distinction drawn. The
men exchange their bandana neck
'kerchiefs for stiff celluloid collars, and
the girls wash out a sprigged lawn
frock, and are radiant, and ready for
the frolic, lint Mollie, with a .reck
less slash into her summer's earnings,
burst, upon the scene, on the eventful
evening, an nuimated billow of frills,
and tlounees. and furbelows.
As the frolic progressed, the tali
fellow with his sombrero under his
arm, watched the scene from the door
way with an amused, wondering smile.
The big dining room that seated oOO
hungry pickers three times a day had
been transformed in less than an hour
into a dancing hall. The tables had
been hoisted to the ceiling by stout
bale ropes, when; they were secured to
the rafters, while the shelf that, ran
the length of the room on both sides,
was studded at regular Intervals with
empty bottles, into each of which was
stuck a tallow candle.
After the good old-fashioned custom.
Pinny Smith, with a girl in a yellow
frock, led otf the grand march, after
which there were polkas, quadrilles,
schottisekes, and dauo'es ids town-bred
feet had forgotten, or never learned.
When his eye caught Mollie's, he
crossed the room to ask her for a
dance. From the opposite doorway
Spike had started toward her at the
same time. She held her fana gauzy,
flimsy thing that represented the price
of several long de.ys' picking.- so she
might not seem to notice Spike and
her breath in fear lest he should reach
her first. The fellow in the leggings
was act Interested in his surroundings
lie walked slowly, and Spike, she saw,
was gaining. In a second he would be
within speaking rauge and all would
be lost. The next instant she rose to
her feet, turned her back on the crest
fallen Spike, and reached her baud
toward the tall fellow, approaching in
his leisurely, indifferent manner.
When' the accordion began to Avail
out "The Blue and the Cray," the man
found to his surprise this little back
woods beauty could dance. She-didn't
hop, nor "scrape marches," nor stiffen
like a poker iu his arms; she danced
with that lithe free grace with which
a bird flies, or a fish swims, because it
was the natural expression of her
bubbling, lightsome spirits.
But, all too soon thy music wa
stopped, and there was a mad stam
pede for the counter, over which pink
lemonade and cookies were sold. The
leggined fellow, however, led the ra
diant: little girl out into the moonlight,
which had transformed the denuded
redwood hop-poles iuto endless colon
nades. Regardless of her slippers and
tlounees, everything but. the dominat
ing presence of the man beside her, she
strolled down the row on the rough
bare ground. When they regained the
ball room pro ten)., the music had
struck into the long, swinging strains
of "Creole Belles," Again they circled
'round and 'round, never pausing for a
breath until the music stopped.
Happy little Mollie! This was her
brief hour of triumph, and she carried
it off with a high hand. Her Coou
(.'reek friends, who were not too
dazzled by her airs and graces', came
up as usual and asked her for a dance,
but the. next one was always engaged.
Nolan looked a moment longingly in
her direction when he caught the first
bar of "The Honeysuckle and the Bee,"
but having heard of the treatment ac
corded the other fellows, he turned
and consoled himself with the Heu
essy girls.
When at last the dance was over,
when the accordion had wheezed out
the plaintive strains of "Home, Sweet
Home," and the happy dancers paired
off in twos for the best part of the
evening's fun the walk home in the
moonlight Mollie wondered, in her
simple 'little soul, if heaven could be
any better than this.
Her companion did not tell her that
he was going away the next morniug
until they had reached her oavii tent
door. lie had fancied she might be
sorry, but had not imagined she would
care so much. He was perry tin moon
was not brighter, for he knew he was
missing much of the tell-tale play of
expression in her eyes and cheeks. And
when, after repeated protestations of
remembering her until his dying day,
and promises of coming tip to Coon
Creek to visit Uncle Sy's dairy ranch
the very first chance he got, he took
her band to say "good-by" and bent so
low her cheeks flamed up as red as
her lips. But ?he could not have been
so angry as she pretended to be. be
cause, after the lights were out all up
and down the line, they were still
saying "good-by."
It was not a long walk to Iloptown
station, and next' day the tall yonng
fellow, again in tweeds and a Panama
hat, tramped up and down the plat
form, impatient to be back into the stir
and bustle of the life he had left, and
recounting to himself for the hun
dredth time his chances of getting on
the 'varsity team as half-back.
"Hello, old man!" he shouted, as he
jumped on the step, wondering at thi?
gathering of the clans.
"Hello! Hello!" a volley of voices
echoed as he entered the car. "Just
coming down from Shasta," one of the
fellows explained: "my sister and some
friends of hers in the car. Come on!"
The train moved slowly when it
crossed the trestle. Mollie had counted
on that, and hurried to- the end of the
bop-field so she might get a last smiling
adieu from the- car window. Four, five,
six windows slipped by,, and her heart
began to fail, but at the eighth, there
be was. looking toward her, too. The
black eyes widened a the window
came abreast of her fence-post. Yesr
his head was turned in her direction,
but why, oli why. did he not see her
handkerchief waving wildMy at him?
Tiie next moment brought into view a
fair-haired girl in the seat behind him.
and the same look; the same smile she
had lived upon all these weeks were
bent upon the new face. It could not
be possible that he had forgotten bet
already! Still, trusting little Mollie
waved her handkerchief, and then her
honnet. His head was turned iu her
direction, but he had eyes for no one
but i his trim-looking girl with the
dotted veil. A moment more and the
train was gone, the rear end of the
baggage car grew smaller and dimmer,
till it was out of sight.
When the forlorn little figure turned
back to the hop-field, a great, dry sob
in her throat and an mipiy ache in her
heart, the one or two Coon Creek peo
ple she met let her see they had learned
they were not expected to speak to her.
At a turn iu the road she passed a
hilarious group of pickers exchanging
tin-types with hearty promises of meet
ing again next year. Pinny was there,
lavishing peanuts and gum on the
crowd, and though he saw her, lie -lid
not look up. She drew her bonnet
down over her eyes and told herself
she didn't can-. But as she walked up
the long, hot avenue alone, she met
Nolan, his high spirits restored, walk
ing home witli the red-haired Ilruessy
gir!. San Fr.-incisco Argonaut.
How Ife Saved Uimuclf.
A prominent clergyman used to tell
of one of his parishioners who had
been very sick: A physician had given
him some medicine and told him he
could got out, but under no circum
stances was he to get wet. The man
went out on the farm and a shower of
rain came up suddenly. There was no
shelter near, and to save" himself lie
crawled into a hollow log. The action
of the rain caused the log to shrink so
as to endanger his life.
He could not move, and being
brought face to face with death the
whole of his past life came before him
as in a panorama. He remembered the
days of his childhood, his entrance
upon life, bis successes and his sins,
then he remembered, last of all, that
when he p'ft homo that morning he re-f-.'.sed
his wife, when she asked him for
fifty -cents for the church, and the
thought made him feel so small that he
had no dnTicuhy in getting out of the
ig.draee Church Bells. r
A Changed Man.
A Scotchman had reached the sum
mit of his ambitions, says Everybody's
Magazine, in attaining to the magiste
rial bench. The honor seemed to him u
great one, and he tried to live up to it.
With his head high in the air be
swaggered along till he went bolt up
against a cow which had not the man
ners to get out of the way, but contin
ued to browse by the roadside in mild
unconcern.
"Men," cried the indignant owner,
"mind my coo!"
"Woman," he replied, with fine dig
nity, "lm lio longer a won. I'm a bail-lie.'
THE DESK SLAVE'S SONG. ,
. -i
O this i the song of tits man who'i
chained
All day to a roll top desk; -. . ' '
Who, sweltering over a type-machine,
Assumeth a shape grotesque,
The breeze and the sunshine arc not lof
him.
The sky is- a mere hearsay ; ,
He sits and grind 'mid tin? rustling
'sheets
Through all of the dull, dull day.
He thinks of the years when hw hand
were hard,
His arms like tlie best of steel;
He thinks of the day when his lithe hmb
made
Good time on a racing wheel;
He thinks of the day when he held lins own
In harvesting hay or grain
Then emiles at the thought that a croquet
game
Can give him a next-day pain.
Hp sighs to remember the mighty brawn
lie showed on the college track;
He thinks of the davs when her played bae
oall. And wishes those days were back;
He thinks of himself in a- football suiC
Well padded and picturesque,
Then weeps o'er recalling the flabby form
That's chained to the roll top desk.
O man in the field, with the hoe or plow,
Oman with the ditching spade!
Yeirn nnt for tiie "easy, white-handed
job"
Instead of your sturdy trade..
There's money sometimes in the oOiee
grind .
There's life in the work you do!
You are fanned and warmed by the breew
and sun
And arched with a roof of blue..
Your food is the food of a hungry man,.
You sleep like the dead at night;
Your muscles are firm, and your heart i
good,.
Your cause is the cause of right;
We slaves of the desk would renounce-our
hope .
Of wealth or a "raise" in pay
If we could but feel as we used to feci
F.ack there in our "husky" day.
S. W.. Gillilan, in the Los Atigele3 Hefi
aid. . 1
"There's only one trouble a bout that
new author." "And what's that?"
"Why, every time a book of his Is'suc
cessful ho whirls right in and writer
another I" Atlanta Constitution..
The chap who says he.loves a girl .
Far more than tongue can tell
His pur-Te might show, for he should kne-wr.
That money talks as well.
Philadelphia Record
Judge "Of course, I might let yoir
off, Casey, if you had an alibi." Casey
"Shure, yt-r Honor. Oi haven't wan
about me, but here's nie lasth quarter,
if that'll timpt ye." Philadelphia Bul
letin. "You sell ladies' hats here?" began
the sour looking man. "Certainly'
replied the milliner, repressing a smile.
"You want to buy one for your wife?"
"No, I don't, but it looks as if Pd have
to." Philadelphia Press..
The Wife "Really, my dear, yoti are
awfully extravagant. Our neighbor.
Mr. Flint, is just twice as self-denying
as you are." The Husband "But he
has just twice as much money to be
self-denying with." Brooklyn Life. j
"Our magazines," complains the dis
satified person, "show a decided falling;
off in the inventiveness of our writers
of fiction." "Why," responds the up-to-date
reader, "you do not seem to
keep up with the advertisements."
Let us then be up and doing?
"All or nothing's'" wut of date; '
Those achieving srnd pursuing
Arc the ones who. arbitrate.
Chicago Record-IIeralu.
Financier (tenant of our forest, after .
a week's unsuccessful stalking) "Now.1
look here, my man. I bought and paid
for ten stags. If the brutes can't be
shot you'll have to trap them! I've
promised the venison and I mean to
have it!" Punch.
Orpheus had just been boasting fo
lds wife of his ability to move inani
mate things by mnsie. "So cau our
cat," teplied Eurydice; "I saw your,
brush and bootjack going his way last
night." Angered beyond measure by;
this suggestion he went forth and slew
his rival. Brooklyn Life.
CIiIuh'b Confession.
The action of the Chinese Govern
ment in sending a number of young
Mongolians to different universities in
America would seem to imply ;that
some things may be learned . in, this
country which have not been known in
Chiua C0O0 years. Kansas City Star.
Mushrooms generally consist of nine,
ty per cent, water, but the remaining;
ten per cent, is more nutritious tban
bread.
4.