The Eureka Sentinel

The
Candle Test
By F. A. MITCHEL.
[Copyright, 1909, by American Press Association.]

Josh and I were fellow laborers
working for Farmer Bathgate. We
went to him when the crops were
ready to be taken in, and he liked us
so well that when the harvest was
over he concluded to keep us for every
day work during the winter. In the
summer Ruth Bathgate, his daughter,
used to bring us out cool drinks, and
we two young men soon became anxious
for some sign of preference-not
that either of us had any intentions
toward her; it was just an ordinary
rivalry. But Ruth was mighty particular
not to make the slightest difference
between us.

When the autumn came on, the fodder
was in shock, the weather getting
cold, and the logs were blazing on the
hearth, the farmer and his family and
Josh and I used to sit around the
blaze, talking and telling yarns. That
was a happy winter for both Josh and
me. We didn't either of us suspect
that we were both dead gone on Ruth,
nor did we foresee what was to happen
to break up our pleasant circle.
That's the trouble with pleasant times
-there's always something that makes
them pleasant, and, ten to one, it's the
very thing to break up the pleasure.
Since it is all over I know that what
made our enjoyment so keen was Ruth,
and it was Ruth that spoiled it all-
not intentionally, for, as I said, she favored
neither of us. She couldn't have
kept us two fellows from gradually
falling in love with her if she had
wanted to.

At first Josh and I used to speak
about little occurrences concerning her
with perfect freedom. Then we ceased
to say anything to each other that involved
any relation with her, and finally
we never mentioned her. A year
passed, the pleasantest I have ever
known, and when we'd filled the barns
and there was little to do one day Josh
said to me:

"There's something I want to say to
you, Ben. The harvest is ended, and it
doesn't seem just right for two strapping
fellows like us to put Farmer
Bathgate to the expense of keeping us
all winter. There's enough for one to
do, but not enough for two. It's my
opinion he'd let one of us go, but
doesn't like to decide between us.
What do you say to playing a game of
seven up to settle which shall get
out?"

"I reckon there's something in what
you say, Josh," I replied in as melancholy
a tone as his. "He's treated us
mighty well, and we ought to relieve
him of the responsibility of sending off
one of us. And you and I, too, have
been square to each other. I don't exactly
like your plan of playing a game
to find out which shall go, for one
might have more skill than the other.
I think we'd better let something else
than cards decide between us. Mrs.
Bathgate was making candles this
morning. Now, what do you say to
your choosing a candle and I choosing
one out of the same mold and lighting
them at the same time? The one whose
candle goes out first is to go."

"I think that would be a good way
to settle it."

We were in our room at the time-
we occupied a room together-and
was going out to get the candles when
I met Ruth at the door.

"I've heard what you two have been
saying," she said, "through the partition,
and you're right. Father doesn't
need but one extra hand this winter,
but he won't send away either of you.
I'll go down and get the candles and
light them for you."

We were both mightily pleased to
have her do this and waited patiently
till she came back with the candles.

"Would you choose for us?" we both
said at the same moment.

"If you wish me to."

Placing a candle before each of us,
she scratched a match in each hand
and lighted them at the same moment.
Then she left the room without a
glance at either of us. The candles
were short and would burn out in between
one and two hours. Josh and I
played a good many games of seven
up, occasionally glancing at the candles
with apparent unconcern, but really
with suppressed suspense. It was
not till they had burned down to within
an inch of the socket that I noticed
a difference. Then I saw that my candle
was burning the slower. When
Josh's began to flicker there was still
three-eighths of an inch of mine left.
He blew it out and turned away to
conceal his feelings. I expected Ruth
to show enough interest in which of
us was to remain, to ask before going
to sleep, but she didn't. "Well," I said
to myself, it doesn't make any difference,
after all, which goes first. We'll
both go soon enough. She doesn't want
either of us."

The next day Josh told the farmer
that he thought he'd look for work in
the city and left us. He had no sooner
gone than Ruth began to bestow upon
me little attentions. This was quite
enough to induce me to show my feelings,
and I met with every encouragement.
In less than a month after
Josh's departure I was engaged.

After our engagement I told Ruth
the story of how Josh and I had both
secretly loved her and how we had settled
by the burning candles which of
us was to have a clear field. I twitted
her on the fact that when lighting
them she was ignorant that she was
interested.

"Not at all," she replied. "I knew
that I was the object of your test and
before bringing up the candles put
salt on the wick of the one I intended
should be yours. Salt makes a candle
burn slower."