Villanova Digital Library - The Girls' companion, v. VI, no. 35, August 31, 1907. :: Digital Library@Villanova University

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Full Title	The Girls' companion, v. VI, no. 35, August 31, 1907.
Contributor	Bamford, Mary E. (Mary Ellen).
Date Added	13 November 2021
Format	Journal
Language	English
Publish Date	1907-08-31
Publisher	Elgin, Ill. and Chicago : David C. Cook Publishing Co.
Source	Dime Novels and Popular Literature
Alternate Title	The rules of the berry-ranch / by Mary E. Bamford.
Topic	Children's literature > Periodicals.
About	More Details Permanent Link
Disclaimers	Disclaimer of Liability Disclaimer of Endorsement

OCR hie De. Copyright, 1907, by David ©. Cook Publishing Company. Vou. VI. No J PUBLISHED "OL. » No. EE: 85. iW. DAVID C. COOK PUBLISHING CO., Etern, ILLINOIS, AND 36 Wasuincton Sr., Curcaao. August 31, 1907. Ilundreds of blackberry vines, glistening with fruit, stood in long rows over many acres of the ranch. Tiles of boxes and “+ chests dotted the rows. Were and there were tents of families or girls, camped for the picking season. “At, the tally-place, where pickers came to have their boxes credited, were the sis- ters, Miss owners of the berry ranch. - Last year there had only been stern Miss Amelia, but this iss Rosemary had come: from. the Miss Amelia‘and Miss Rosemary were éach armed with’a hatpin, to spear red or bleeding berries ‘out of the boxes without injuring adjoining berries. stood before Miss Rose- looking distressed: at the boxes of berries the gir] had brought. “Why!” said Miss Rosemary, “I can -tally such: boxes! You don’t know the rules, do you? You mustn’t put hulls and stems into your boxes. And this box isn’t » full! Half. a berry above the sides and “the ends of the.box,.dear, and ‘rising to- ward the middle. Don’t -handle_ berries .» but once, and don’t grab them so hard you » s mash them. See that berry!’ Miss Rosemary daintily picked, out a “;mashed blackberry with the hatpin, A-gleam of fun lit the face of. the girl addressed. * Mischievously she seized the berry. from the hatpin.and ran_ off, laughing, leaving Miss Rosemary staring, astonished. Miss Amelia’s Rosemary’s ear: “Well, I declare! Rosemary, were you wasting time telling Lin Sonnichen. the rules? That girl! (Why, she knows the rules better’n you do! She was here last year all berry season. You don’t know her, because you weren’t here. She knew you’d think she was a new worker. She was .” just trying to see if you’d tally such boxes ~'as them.° She put those hulls in a-pur- pose! And there she stood solemn-like, let- _ ting her’ tell you the rules, and she laughing in her sleeve all the time!” The astonishment in Miss Rosemary’s face turned into a sudden smile, “Why, I liked her!” she said. Miss_Amelia groaned. . Meanwhile, fun-loving Lin Sounichen -* had-sped back to her berry row, and glee- fully told Deely IJansen what had hap- pened. -Deely was a new girl. She always kept rules, but she admired strong, funny, good- natured Lin, Lin herself was used to ad- miration.§ She liked ‘to have other girls say secretly, “ Lin Sonniche broken more berry patch rules than anybody ever~ did, without getting found out, either!” The next time Lin appeared at the tally- place, it. was with two full boxes irre- proachably picked, the berries rising: toward the center. N. “voice sounded in Miss -’ Miss Rosemary, tallying the boxes, smiled A little at the sudden improvement. “So you have picked blackberries be- fore, Lin?” she said. “Me?” said Lin. Then, seeing Miss Rosemary knew, Lin ran off, laughin here were other rules of. the great Amelia and Miss Rosemary, berry-patch, for its myriad workers. . No- body must break up berry-baskets or boxes for kindling for campfires. Everybody who wanted fires must get chips from the euca- lyptus, or “ gum-tree,” lot."/ Pickers might eat.all the blackberries they. wanted while they were picking, but they must not carry berries to their tents, to “ put up” as pre- serves or make into pies._ Otherwise, much of the crop would haye been missing. No- body must take eggs or chickens or orchard truit. On Sundays there was no picking. Lin Sonnichen always avowed to other girls that she never saw a “country rule” without. wondering if she could. break ‘it. t home, in the. city, Lin would never have taken anything from anybody, but in the country it seemed as if anything “ be- longed to anybody.” Lin never took eggs or chickens. That seemed too much like stealing. “But to come to one’s tent at night, tired, made berry-baskets for sup- per fire seem handy fuel, in- stead of going to the “ gum- tree ™". lot. oo 2 On the evening “of this day. : six girls gathered in Lin’s little tent. Lin had made a fire of berry-boxes, and had baked a blackberry pie in her handy camping stove. Lin was dividing the pie, and distributing some hot blackberry jam from a sauce- pan, “What ’d you make your fire of, Lin?” asked one girl, gayly. “What ’d Miss Amelia say if she saw this, black- berry pie?” laughed another. “Tt’s awfully good, Lin !” “Miss Amelia said to-day that she’s going to discharge anybody she finds burning berry-boxes,” .said another, “She lost’ a good many through the pickers last year. She has to pay sixty cents a hundred for having boxes made, besides lumber. You’d better look out, Lin!” Lin laughed carelessly. Deely watched Lin admir- ingly. Deely love her. Only—did Lin ever think that—well, was it. stealing to.. take Miss . Amelia’s baskets for . fires? - And blackberries for pies? Deely had never taken’ either. Day after day after this, Deely worked in the berry hard day’s berry-picking, Deely came home to her tent very: tired. Her shoulders ached unmercifully, with reaching ~ and stooping to pick blackberries. She had for- gotten to get any chips, and-had nothing to start her supper fire. She wanted a warm supp It was such a long way to the gum-tree lot. On one of the berry rows there was a pile of berry-boxess Deely hesitated. Was it so wicked? “Lin does it,” thought Deely, “and I’m so tired!” She walked toward the pile, hesitating. One or two boxes were a little cracked. Perhaps Miss Amelia wouldn’t care for those boxes, anyhow, so very much, Deely seized them and ran back to her tent. She whittled the thin wood into chips. Iler fire shot up. Suddenly there was a voice: “So you, are the one. who makes fires of; berry-boxes, are. you?” said Miss Amelia sternly, “I’m glad I’ve found you out at last! You pack your things and leave this ranch to-morrow, Deely!” “T never took a box to burn before!” cried Deely. ** Oh, truly I haven’t!” “That’s. likely !”: said. Miss’ Amelia eurtly. “I’ve lost too many. boxes and Baskets altogether! You're discharged !” All night long Deely lay crying, a crum- pled little heap, in her tent. Next morning Lin Sonnichen ‘missed Deely from the berry rows. “J wonder what’s the matter,’ thought Lin. She hurried to Deely’s tent Deely sat, her face in her han “TI was going to earn so much for my folks in the city!” sobbed. Deely. © ‘‘ They Within, need it so! Mother—poor mother !—I was going to. earn her things—mother’s gone without so many things! And grandma— I promised. her. some spectacles! She hasn’t had any spectacles for ever so long. We couldn’t afford any, and grandma has to sit there without reading, and the days are so long! And the schoolbooks for the children, and their Shoes, ;And now I’ m discharged—and I’ve got to go home withe out anything—and mother’ll feel so bad!’ Deely sobbed convulsively. “TI wouldn’t. have done it if it hadn’t been for you, Lin Sonnichen!” Deely wept.” “You always break-every rule you please, and nobody ever finds out. You said you didn’t believe in living by rules!” Lin Sonnichen did not answer. went away. “She deesn’t care!” wept Decly. But Lin Sonnichen was stalking through the berry rows toward the farmhouse. There she met Miss Amelia, “T’ve come to be discharged,” said Lin Sonnichen grimly, looking Miss Amelia in the face. “ You discharged the wrong per- son last night. . What Deely said was true. She’s always kept rules before. That was her first fire of boxes. I’m the one! I’ve broken rules over and over, — Deely thought she could because I did. . Deely— oh, Miss Amelia, her. folks need her. pay so! Won’t you take Deely back and dis- charge me?’ Miss Amelia stared in despair. “Yin Sonnichen,” she said, “ I hayen’t time to talk to you. ‘I’ve got to go straight to the tally-place.. You go inside here and talk to my _ sister Rosemary. Whatever she says is all right.” Five: minutes later Lin Sonnichen: had dropped beside Miss Tose- mary’s knees and Miss’ Rose- » mary’s . hand ; “was smoothing her hair, « » Lee “Deely’s got a mother to feel bad, and I hayen’t,” said Lin. “TI never meant to make any mothers feel bad. Dis- charge me, Miss Rosemary.” “No,” said Miss. Rosemary. “T’m going to keep you and Deely both. Only, Lin, we never know whom we shall hurt if we don’t keep rules. Most rules in this world have She reasons behind them. Did you ever think of that?” never looked for: the reasons,” said Lin. | “I. just thought it was fun to break Another thing,” » said Miss Rosemary, gently; “if we set ourselyes blindly’ to disobey rules ‘for fun,’ some- we suddenly find that we've been disobeying, God’s rules, ' too. boxes. yours, dear? . Doesn't - the Bible say. anything about taking other folks’ things?” Lin Sonnichen flushed, her lips tremulous. “Miss Rosemary,” she said, “T’m sorry, and [jl pay for the boxes, and I’ll try to. think of the reasons behind rules after this,” “That’s right,” . said “Miss Rosemary, smiling. “Now you run along and tell Deely ‘field.’ She had alittle tent she isn’t discharged after all!” at a distance from Lin, next ee . to a-family. Deely usually CHOICE LANGUAGE, kept a quantity of “ gum- “ pon’ “pr ” Tenn heart tree” chips on hand to make N’T GRAB THE BERRIES SO-HARD YOU .MASIT TIITEM. mat yson, tive exprescon her fires. One night, after a : “ awfully nice,” is said to have inquired what writers would do if people per- ~ - sisted is misusing words in that way. . Bishop Potter of New York has given some good ad- vice to the young women of ser College "| regarding the use of slang. Said 7 “Slang is one of the cintest aangors ‘to which our tongue is subjected. -Just’as coin. is. debased, so .is.a language. The dialect story, with all its tenderness and pathos, is of | ~ doubtful .value. There isn’t a‘woman who Were the berry: °'

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