Villanova Digital Library - The Girls' companion, v. VI, no. 38, September 21, 1907. :: Digital Library@Villanova University

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Full Title	The Girls' companion, v. VI, no. 38, September 21, 1907.
Contributor	Bamford, Mary E. (Mary Ellen).
Date Added	13 November 2021
Format	Journal
Language	English
Publish Date	1907-09-21
Publisher	Elgin, Ill. and Chicago : David C. Cook Publishing Co.
Source	Dime Novels and Popular Literature
Alternate Title	When she condescended / by Mary E. Bamford.
Topic	Children's literature > Periodicals.
About	More Details Permanent Link
Disclaimers	Disclaimer of Liability Disclaimer of Endorsement

OCR = try. “ahead to camp. - working all day. ~such good times, so near Tlannah and her -- mother, without their “father before I‘Jeft. home that’ I “going to look them up. - . she had not .paid good attention. “T “hurriedly past the place,- 1997, ‘copyright, by David C. Cook Publishing Company. Vou, VI. No. 388. J PUBLISHED | WEEKLY. DAVID C. COOK PUBLISHING CO., Excin, ILLINOIS, AND 86 Wasuincton Sr., Ciicaco. September 21, 1907. WHEN JI HE “ Everybods’s. outdoors to- “mato: picking,” said Maxie. “Yes,” said Clinny, shortly. The two girls were riding their bicycles up the road. Maxie and linny, with twenty other city friends, had come to this country region a week ago. They were camping among the willows a mile away. “All the farms were covered with tomatoes. The crop was just. ripening. Daily the country people picked tomatoes. At night lanterns twinkled afield, for the crop must _be gathered for the big distant canning fac- tory that had .encouraged these farmers _-to plant tomatoes. “Only one person’s picking here!’’ said Maxie, as they rode past a place where on the long-stretching rows a single girlish figure in a sunbonnet was_ picking. Clinny hastened her bicycle onward. She - did not answer. “What makes you hurry so?” called ~* Maxie, trying to keep up. All day they rode, exploring the coun- At nightfall they came back, past the farm with its. single girlish worker. “Tf that girl hasn’t lit a lantern!” ex- claimed: Maxie. -‘“ She’s picked tomatoes all day! Is she going to viek all night?” Clinny did not answer. She rode swiftly But she lay awake that night in her tent, remembering that soli- tary lantern in the field, “Nobody knows I bave any relatives around here,” thought Clinny.. “ What .Would the girls say if they knew I was re- ~ lated. to such countrified, homely folks That was second-cousin Ilannah, picking tomatoes! Why isn’t Great-aunt Sarah ‘picking, too? Why haven’t they hired other pickers?” Clinny imagined second cousin Hannah ut on the tomato rows with her lantern, picking, picking, her shoulders aching from And here she was, having knowing it! “Tf we camped here for a month, I don’t “believe they’d ever find out I was here!” _. Tefleeted Clinny. “They're good enough, I told wasn’t Ile didn’t care. I don’t want to tell the rest of the girls but such homely, awkward people! - that I’m related to Tannah.” Clinny’s family and Great-aunt Sarah, with her daughter Hannah, seldom saw one another, living so far apart. _~ Still, if poor, hard-working second-cousin Tannah ever should find out that she had _. been camping so near and had not visited | her, wouldn’t Hannah feel hurt, thinking that Clinny felt above her?‘ She remem- bered a verse that she had heard in Sun- day-school once—‘‘ Condescend to men of low estate.” She did. not remember what ‘explanation the teacher: gave of that, for don’t’ like’ people who ‘ condescend ” murmured (Clinny. “But I wonder She went to sleep. For. several days afterwards Clinny avoided the road past second-cousin Han- nah’s. Then, one day, she found herself upon that road on her bicycle. She rode with one quick glance. Yes, there was a sunbonnet among |. the tomato rows. _tired out! You Hannah controlled — herself. Ter shyness returned, She “Tlannah’ll *not see me,” thought Clinny, whirling down the road. “That sunbonnet’s over her eyes.” But Clinny was uneasy. By and by she pedaled more slowly. With a sigh she stopped. “T suppose,” she said, science ’ll.never let me alone till I seend ’!” She turned and rode back to Cousin Ifannah’s. The lonely figure in the tomato rows was still toiling. Then she slipped into the field. She was going to “ conde- scend, “TIannah !” she called. The stooping figure rose “Don’t you know me?” she asked.“ I’m Clinny. I’m camping with other folks over in the willows.” “Oh!” said Hannah, staring. She was as homely and awkward as ever, but oh, how exhausted she looked! “ Where’s Aunt Sarah?” asked Clinny, uncomfortable. “She’s sick,” said Ilannah. “You never can pick all these tomatoes yourself,” said Clinny, gazing afar at the long rows stretch- ing over the field. “ Why, the idea! No girl could!” Hannah’s lips trembled. “J know it,” she said, “ but there isn’t anybody to hire. We always have hired the Slatterys to help pick. Mr, Slattery set out all the toma- toes for us, and we supposed the Slatterys would be here same as usual, to pick the crop. There were seven of the ‘Slatterys. But they’ve moved = away. Bverrhody ‘round here has their own ‘o- mato crop to gather, and they’re so busy! I know we'll lose a dreadful lot of tomatoes. The factory go tlirough here and take the to- matoes after I’ve picked them. I’m trying to take care of mother and save all the to- matoes I can. I must save ” “that my con- “You've been picking days and nights, and ’tending to your sick mother, too!’ cried Clinny. “ Why, Ilannah, how tired you must be!” I[annah pulled her ‘sunbon- net over her. face. Suddenly she covered her face with her hands and burst into tears. “Why, Hannah!” — cried Clinny, her “ condescension ” suddenly dropping from her as she put ber arm around the thin shoulders... “ You’r all pulled herself away. “ve got to go to work,” she said awkwardly. “T'll help you,” said Clinny. Hannah looked at her dully. city. cousin would not be much help. But Clinny stayed. She went. to the house to see IJannah’s mother, who was | tell her where they were going. ’ ‘conde, gir’ This fine] and never be her “Great-aunt Sarah,” and who lay in bed, her anxious old eyes looking out of the window at the long rows that bore such a crop going to waste for lack of pickers. | That tomato crop meant so much to poor | Aunt Sarah and Hannah! All the afternoon Clinny helped Tannah pick tomatoes. “I’m coming back to-morrow!’ she cried as she rode away at night. At the camp Maxie cried, “ Why, Clinny, where have you been all day? I couldn’t find you anywhere!” “T’ve been helping my second-cousin Hannah pick tomatoes,” she said bravely. “She’s the girl that we saw picking all alone.” Maxie stared, That countrified girl in the field—a “tomato-er’’—the cousin o pretty Clinny! “Was Clinny ashamed to tell me the other day?” thought Maxie. ‘“ Something’s changed her !” Every. day thereafter Clinny rode. to Hannah’s and helped pick tomatoes. But a great deal of the crop was still ungath- ered. “I'm afraid your vacation’s being spoiled working so,”’- said Hannah gratefully. “Tt won’t hurt me,” said Clinny. Inwardly she thought, “ Hannah’s a real heroine!» Working night and day to help her sick mother’ and = gather in the erop! - And I ‘condescended’ to know her!) “TIANNAH!” SHE CALLED. rls and « campers having picnics and rides, able to go too. But she would not desert Mannah, One morning none of the campers would Lunches f | were being put up, but everybody was per- sistently reticent, “Tt’s no matter,” thought Clinny, as she rode wearily away on her bicycle. “I sup- pose they’re going to some fine place. I'll ‘hear about it to-night.” She was very tired, but she must help annah, This morning, aiter YWannah and Clinny were at work in the field, there suddenly came the sound of voices. “Tt’s our campers riding by thought Clinny, She pushed back her sunbonnet. what were the campers doing? Twenty bicycles stopped at the fence! Clinny’s twenty merry camper-friends, laden with lunch- baskets, invaded the tomato farm! “We're going to help you gather your cousin’s tomatoes to-day,” explained Maxie. “You needn’t look so astonished, Clinny! | Don’t you dare think we're not capable ad Such a day as that was! The twenty campers scattered over the stretching to- mato rows.- Twenty pairs of new hands! They made: YWannah “foreman.” They swept the work out of her tired hands. Boxes filled so quickly with tomatoes! Never had Hannah seen such city people! Such a jolly, hearty, hard-working com- pany—and Clinny wasn’t ashamed to intro- duce her to them! They laughed and sang and picked. When boxes gave out, men sawed and hammered, making new boxes. Once in a while, as the long hours of pick- ing went on, some cheerful worker, rising to her _feet, demanded: “What's ithe matter with us as tomatoer: Ard from “far rows. came the chorus, “ We're all right !” Or someone cried aloud, “Do we equal the seven de- pared Slatterys as tomato- here,” But "ind quite voices answered, “We Vannah Jaughed. It had so lon, since she At the farmhouse window old Aunt Sarah was watch- ing. Ilannah had told her the news. Of course the campers worked because they were Clinny’s friends, but how good it was of them! Through the long day they picked. - When~ night came, Janterns shone in the field. Oh, the number of . boxes ready for market! It was almost incredible - to . Han- nah! At ten o'clock the twenty campers and Clinny mounted y toward camp, On Clinny’s cheek there lingered yet the feeling of Uannah’s tearful good-night kiss as she had whispered: “Oh, Clinny! Clinny! You don't know what it means to mother and me to. have our crop saved like this! I’m going to bake cookies for all you campers to-morrow.” Clinny bent her head as she © thought. “ To think of my applying that — Bible verse about ‘condescending’ to my- self! When I go home where there’s’ a Bible commentary, I’m going to look up that verse about ‘ condescending,’ and see

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