Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1875-09-10
gelert gtnry.
FARMER BURLING's REVENGE.

while, and | knew that she liked me.
| was as big a fellow as could be found
anywhere about. had farm of my
own, and when | was married, father
had promised to build me tirst-rate
house, and stock the place for me.
And when | went to church on Sun
day, or to the city, | had good clothes,
and was never told looked i'll in them.
On the whole, l felt myself good,
fair match for Fanny Martin, though
she was so nice girl. And her father
and mother thought so, too, and she
never refused my attentions. | had
settled in the slow, quiet sort of way
in which country men do settle these
things that we'd make a match of it.
The other young fellows knew it, and
if we were not fashionable, were so far
gentlemen that we had our code of
). honor. None of them interferred or
tried to cut me out.
But, then, he came, don't you see.
Draper and pretty, and looked like a
tailor's fashion-plate, and he talked of
things knew very little about, and
his hands were white, and he had
graceful, gallant ways, that had
never learnt.
Mr.. Williams-that was his name.
And in that summer holiday of his,
while We were working hard over the
hay, and were tanned, and dirty, and
worn, and so tired that sleep was all
we wanted when work was over, why,
then, he, soft, and sweet and smiling,
made himself agreeable to the girls,
and crept into Fanny Martins heart.
Ny Fanny. She scarcely looked at
me any more.
She did not care whether she met
me or not: and on Sunday, there he
was, making me feel, somehow, so
coarse, and rough, and ulgar; and
i, when | wanted her to 60 with ME into
the woods where we used to set in the
great green shadow, and listen to the
!. birds sing, she had some excuse to
stay at home; and when on the road
from church, took her hand in mine,
she snatched it away, and said cross
] ly:
Don't Ben; don't do such silly rus
tic things while the city folks are here.
They never do it themselves, and they
laugh so.'
..Mr. Williams laughs, you mean, |
suppose" said |. That's gentleman
!, ly, too"
and then she blushed, and curled
her lip and said:
"You are criticizing Mr.. Williams
manners, are you:'
After that there was GOODNESS be-
tween us; but though it made my
heart ache, / could not think that it
mattered much to her. staid away
from her fathers house. and | did not
walk home from church with her on
Sunday; indeed did not go to church
at all. And | knew the young folks,
yes. and the old folks, too, were saying
that we were out with each other, and
| suppose every one guessed why; but
| would never answer any questions
not when my own mother asked them,
not |.
So the summer passed and the fall
came on, and the city people stayed
and stayed. | saw that fellows
panama hat, and silk umbrella, and
pretty linen suit, wherever / went.
Farther than | could see other people,
could see him and her-Mr. Williams
and Fanny.
They had never made Fanny work
much at home, and she had plenty of
time to enjoy herself. The only girl,
you know, and her people were what
we call forehanded.
/ | never intended that we should
drudge after We were married. When
| had hoped for that, | did not care
for work myself, but I'd never have
made slave of my wife, as most far
mers do; any one can see, by looking
at the poor women who have no time
} for rest or prettiness, or even to play
with the babies they bring into the
world-women whose husbands are
rich men, too, very often.
! This Mr.. Williams, he could not
have made her more of a precious thing
than l would; L know that.
was thinking this all over one
evening on the meadow--not trying
to think, you know, but lighting the
thoughts that came like mosquitoes,
as fast as drove them away, to ring
in my ears and sting me-when sud-
denly | heard some one say:
"Ah-Mr.-Mr. Burling."
And | looked up and there was Mr..
Williams, natter, than ever, with a
cigar in his mouth
If he had known just how | felt to
him, Pm not sure he'd have come to
find me in the great meadow, and l
thought of that as jumped up from
the grass and looked at him. But he
was smiling as politely as possibly,
and there is something in a mans
heart that makes it hard to do the first
rude thing to one who is civil.
i Still was not over polite to him,
knew.
That's my name" said /. "Do you
want me ?"
81 want something of you," said he.
"There's q little excursion to night
over at our house. We're going to
drive to the Falls and sup, and I'm
going to take a lady. Have you any
little light wagon, and horse of
course, that you could hire me for the
evening? I'd rather 60 alone with
her than in the big wagon. You know
Pm sure how it is-that fellow had
rather ride alone with pretty girl,
and if you'll help me out I'll be ever
so much obliged to you.'
So he had come to ask me to help
him to have a nice time with my girl
he, who had cut me out. I looked