Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Lexington wheatfield. (Lexington, Or.) 1905-19?? | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 1905)
rm.il rirS -?. "in- -""f . .1 T'-T T "AndLih&n-tiievilnmnQ school-boy, wrtt his satchel And shining face, creeping like snail Unwilling "to school SAikespe&re. -Denver Sun. The factory foreman HT was just such an American vil lage as you see In pictures. A background of superb bold moun tain, all clothed in blue-green cedars, with a torrent thundering down a deep gorge, and falling in billows of foam; a river reflecting the azure of the sky, and a" knot of houses, with a church spire at one end and a thicket of fac tory chimneys at the . other, whose black : smoke wrote . ever-changing hieroglyphics against the brilliancy of the sky. This was Dapplevale. And In the rosy sunset of this . blossomy June day, the girls were all pouring out of the broad doorway, while Ger ald Blake, the foreman, sat behind the desk, a pen behind his ear and his small, beady-black eyes drawn back, as It were, In the shelter of a precipice of shaggy eyebrows. One by one the girls stopped and re ceived their pay for one week's work, for this was Saturday night. One by "a fee! fob what?" one they filed out, with fretful, dis contented faces, until the last one passed In t"mt of the desk. she was slight and tall, with large velvety-blue eyes, and a complexion as delicately grained and transparent as rose-colored wax, and an abundance of glossy hair of so dark a brown that the casual observer would have pro nounced it black; and there was some thing In the way tlu ribbon at her throat was tied and the manner In which the simple details of her dress were arranged that bespoke her of for eign birth. "Well, Mile. Annette," said Mr. Blake, "and how do you like factory life?" "It is not disagreeable," she answer ed, a slight accent clinging to her tones, like fragrance to a flower, as she ex tended her hand for the money the foreman was counting out. "You have given me but four dol lars," she said. "It was to be eight dollars by the contract." "Humph!" he grunted; "you ain't much accustomed to our way of doing things, are you, mademoiselle? Eight of course; but we deduct two for a fee " "A fee! For what?" Annette de manded, with flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes. "For getting you the situation, mad emoiselle to be sure," said Mr. Blake, In a superior sort of way. "Such places don't grow on every bush. And folks naturally expect to pay something for the privilege." . "I did not !''. flashed put Annette Du velle.' "Oh well all right"- Because- you know, you, ain't obliged to stay- unless you choose'.'", , ',.".... '. "Do you mean," hesitated Annette, "that if I don't pay you this money " "You can't expect to stay in the works,", said Mr,( Blake, hitching up his collar.' ' V."Vrt" ,, "But the other two dollars?"' - "Oh,'! salu Mr Blake, "that's, a per centage the girls all pay." f', ;.. . "But what Is It for?" " . . . "Well, it helps out jny salary." Of course, you know, the girls all expect to pay something every week for keep ing their situations in a place where there's' so many anxious to get in." - "And Mr, Elderslie?" "Oh, Mr. Elderslie," repeated Blake. "He hasn't-much to da with it I am master . at the .. Dapplevale. . Calico Works." "Mr. Elderslie owns it, I believe?" "Well, yes, he owns It But I man age everything. Mr. Elderslie reposes the utmost confidence in my capacity, ability and and responsibility. Mr. Elderslie is a good business man. He understands his own Interest And now if you've any more questions to ask " "I have none," said Annette,' quietly. "But I want this money myself. I work hard for It I earn it righteously. How can "I afford, and how can the others among these poor laboring girls, to pay it to your greed?" "Eh?" ejaculated Mr. Blake, Jump ing from his seat as If some Insect had stung him. ( "I will not pay it," calmly concluded Mile. Annette. "Very well very well. Just as you like, mademoiselle," cried the foreman, turning red In the face. "Only if you won't conform to the rules of the Dap plevale works " "Are these the rules?" scornfully de manded Annette. 'Tray consider your name crossed off the books," went on Mr. Blake. "You are no longer In my employ. Good-evening, Mademoiselle Whatever-you-may-call-yourself." And Mr. Blake slammed down the cover of his desk as if It were a patent guillotine and poor Annette Duvelle's neck were under it Two or three of the factory girls, who had hovered around the open door to hear the discussion, looked with awe-stricken faces at Annette as she came out with the four dollars which she bad received from the cashier in her hand. "You've lost your place, ma'mselle," wjiispered Jenny Furton, a pale, dark eyed little thing who supported a crip pled mother and two little sisters out of her mulcted earnings. "And he'll never let you In again," added Mary Rice. "He's as vindictive as possible!" "It matters not," said Annete. "He Is a' rogue, and rogues sometimes out general themselves." . "But you can't starve," said Jenny. "Look here, ma'amsello, come home with me. It's a poor place, but we'll make you welcome till till you can write to your friends. Annette turned and Impulsively kissed Jenny on her Hps. "I thank you," she said, "but I do not need your kindness. My friends are nearer than you thluk." And Annette Duvelle went back to the little red brick cottage, all thatch ed with the growth of the woodbine, where she lodged with the wife of the man who tended the engines In the Dapplevale works. "Does he. cheat you, too, of your money?" she asked, when Simon Pet tengill came home,-smoke-stained and grimy, to eat his supper.- "One-sixth I have to .'pay him;'.' said Simon, with an involuntary groan, as he looked at the five little ones jaround his board. ' Yes, miss, he's a villain; but the world s full, of , such, f And I find it a pretty hard world to -get on with. Mr. Elderslie never comes here, or maybe things would be a bit differ ent. Mr. Elderslie lives abroad; In Paris, they say." "He is in this country now,", said Annette. "I Intend to' write to him." "'Twon'fdo no good, miss." ''' "Yes, it will," said Annette, quietly. .,. The petals of the June roses had fallen, a pink carpet all along the edge of the woods, and the Dapplevale works wore their holiday guise, even down" to Simon Pettingill's newly brightened engine, for . Mr. Elderslie and his bride were to visit the works on their wedding tour. , "It's a pity Ma'amselle Annette went away so soon," said Simon to his as sistant; " 'cause they say the master's kind-hearted in the main, and she might have spoken up for herself." Gerald Blake, In his best broadcloth suit, anu mustache newly dyed, stood pmillng In the broad doorway as the carriage drove up to the entrance, and Mr. Elderslie, a handsome, blonde haired man, sprang out and assisted a young lady, .n a dove-colored traveling suit, to allgut. "Blake, how are you?" he said, with the carelessness of conscious superi ority. "Annette, my love, this is Blake, my foreman." "Mademoiselle Annette!" And Mr. uerald Blake found himself cringing before the slight French girl whom he had turned from the factory door a month before. "I must beg to look at the books, Blake," said Elderslie, authoritatively. "My wife tolls me some strange stories about the way things are managed mere. It became so notorious that the rumors reached her even at Blythes dale Springs, and she chose to come and see for herself. Annette, my dar ling, the best wedding gift we can make to these poor working girls is a new foreman. Blake, you may con sider yourself dismissed." 'But, sir " "Not another word," cried Mr. El derslie, with a lowering brow, and Gerald Blake crept away, with an un comfortable consciousness of Annette's scornful blue eyes following him. ' Elderslie turned to his wife. "You were right, my love," said he. "The man's face is sufficient evidence against him." And a new reign began for poor Jenny Burton and the working girls, as well as for Simon Pettenglll. Annette never regretted her week's apprenticeship at the Dapplevale Cal ico Works. Waverley Magazine. Proposed In Record Tim. "Blinks has a perfect mania for con denslng everything. Did you hear how he proposed?" "No." "He held up an engagement ring be fore the girl's eyes anO said 'Eh? " ' "And what did she say?" "She just nodded." Tit-Bits. If we were a railroad conductor we would like to haul the pay car around and meet happy peoplb all the time. They are always happy for a few min utes after they draw their pay. Posts for Wire Fences. There Is probably a greater mileage of wire fence in Texas than any other three States, and Texas people ought therefore, to be the best judges of how to make them permanent. About "strain posts" a Texas stockman in Farm and Ranch says: Numerous plans have been given for making secure corner posts for wire fences. I have tried many plans, and have found every plan to make a corner post bear the strain of a long fence to be a failure. The strain con tinues without intermission, and final ly the corner post gives way. With short fences the difficulty is not so great. I have built some hundreds of miles of .wire fencing. My plan now Is to use what I call a strain post, Instead of putting the strain on the corner post I put down a good comer post; and at least twenty feet from this put down another good post, large and deep Into the ground. COBR POVT STRAIN P031 POSTS FOB WIRE FENCES At the ground, I run wires to the top of the strain post, and ' stretch these wires tight. This puts most of the strain on the strain post, and all the strain placed on the corner post comes at Its bottom; Again, the strain post is not put. into the ground straight, but lenns to the corner. The effect of this is that the strain tends to force it deeper into the ground, in stead of drawing it out. It will be found easier to put In a good "corner post and two strain posts than to put in one corner post in the way often directed. I show the plan in .sketch sent herewith. It will be best first to stretch the wires around the strain post, making them secure to it, and then to complete the fence by building a short fence at the corner. Of course, such care is not needed for short lines of fencing. Wagon for Fruit Barrels. Professor Waugh, of Massachu setts, says in a report: In handling the fruit in. the orchard, between the trees and tho storage-room, or later between the storage and the shipping station, some suitable wagon ought to be provided. A stone boat Is some times used and is not the worst thing that could be found, especially for short hauls and small loads. It Is better, however, to have one of he low-down wagons made especially for handling fruit. In the Illustration one is shown as it was actually iunde up at home. Some sills were hung by strap irons from the front and rear axles of a common wagon frame, and on these some boards were laid, nink lng a floor for carrying the barrels. Handling barrels of apples in and out of the common high wagon Is hard and expensive labor, and It la apt to damage the fruit. The Dairy Barn. The dairy barn, as built in the near future, may not have so much loft room, but instead a number of struc tures in the form of silos, but not air tight or so solid. Into these several months' or the entire winter's supply of roughage maV be cut Inland Farmer, "Worming" the Peach Tress. "Worming" the trees to destroy the peach borer Is In the routine of the peach grower, and the present is the Beason for it, provided precautions have not yet been tafcen earlier to make It unnecessary. But with every precaution examination is needed to find out if the vigilance was to no Dur- pose. Whether the one or the other, now Is the season for it The external evidence of the presence of the peach borer is the gum exuded by the tree ind the sawdust. 8 WAGON FOB HANDLING FRUIT. Increasing the Corn Crop, P. G. Holdon, Professor of Agricul ture ntvtho Illinois Agricultural Col lege at Chainplttln, Is a man whoso name and memory should bo much re spected, not only by farmers, but by all who are consumers of American grown corn. When a college student lie was teaching school in Michigan. He asked his students to each bring him an ear of corn from the crib at home. Thoy did so, and he showed them the different grades, from very good to very poor. Then ho asked each one to plant three seeds from the best ear In a box, and water It. Tho result was an excellent crop of large, well-filled ears. The parents beeamo Interested, and soon began . to plant only the best corn for seed, much to the advantage of their crop. After ho went . to Illinois, he began to talk tho benefits of selected corn for seed to the farmers, and soon not only were most of them converted to his Ideas, but the farmers of Iowa and Missouri were looking for better seed. Later on he became director of a farm near Bloomlngton, wJiere they usually planted twenty thousand acres of corn, with an average yield up to that time of forty to fifty bushels per acre. The first year Jie Increased tho yield by ten thousand bushels above the best previous season. On some acres he brought the products up to seventy bushels per acre. This year ho had a special train from which to talk about corn to the farmers of Iowa, and if we have this year the largest crop of corn ever grown In the United States, Professor Holdon I i - it. 1IA . . . . m enuiiKu u uiu cretin or imving aim ed millions of those , bushels to the crop by his advocacy of the doctrine of uilng only the best seed. Home-Modt Corn Cutter. This Idea of a corn cutter comes from Australia where the mnchine ,is used In harvesting sugar cane , and sorghum, as well as corn. The imple ment has been tried by a number of farmers in this country and pro nounced a success. It is made' by bolting the blade of a strong heavy Bcythe to a sledge or sled, as shown In the illustration. A rod of wrought iron about one inch lnN diameter" Is HOME-MADE CORN CUTTER. bent to former follower, as shown. One of these machines is expected to cut about 2Va acres per day. After cutting, the crop is less easily handled than when cut by hand, but the total saving in labor is considerable. Wire Chicken-Catcher. A chicken-catcher Is needed on many farms which can be made from No. 8 wire. Five feet of wire will be long enough. Bend a loop at one end for a handle, with a shepherd's crook at the other end, bending the crook small enough, of course, to hook around the leg of a chicken while it is eating. If the hook Is made the least bit flaring, but closed up about a half inch, it will hold the chicken securely by the foot. This is the best way to catch a chicken when wanted on short notice. Many farmers train a dog to catch chickens, but this causes a com motion among the fowls and is one way to make them wild. Uneasy, frightened fowls are not thrifty, like quiet, contented birds. Pulverizing the Soil. Considering the pulverizing of tho clods that turn, up in the most heavy land after plowing, prevention is the best method. If the field is well drained and not plowed when wet, there may be no clods. It will, how ever, take two or three seasons to thor oughly fine the soil that has been in jured by previous mismanagement. Fall or winter plowing, turning the land In ridges and leaving it as rough as possible, so as to expose the moist surface to the frost, will do the work, but unless there are underdralns ' to carry off the water the plowing may do as much harm as good. Large Requirements of Celery. Celery grows best In a soil of high humus content, fs a great user of wa ter and a large consumer of plant food. Quality suffers when there Is a lack of ample food and drink, the crisp and sweet qualities giving way to stringi ness and bitterness. Half the secret of keeping a pleas ure garden in proper - condition con sists in duly regarding he Httle things that ought to be done , and doing all I Work at the right time.