The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-12-10

YF \\\S
An Object Lesson That Nearly Converts
Maj. Bilkins-Tafy Would Not
Answer in Place of a
New Dress.
B.-"Hellol Mr.. Editor"
R.-"Hellol Is it cold enough for
youY7
B.-"I should smile. I feel az cold
as a defeated candidate feels the day
after an elecshun. Bat Betsy makes 1t
hotter me sumtimes. The other morn'n
I wuz goin' ter town an she axed me
ter bring her a new dress, a pair ov
shoes. a hat. an a new stove, a bolt ov
sheetin' an a cloak. I fggered it all
I'D an it cum ter more than my pocket
would stand. I got ter ecratchln' my
head an studyin' fer dear life, but l
couldn't see no way out of it, an no
way ter git the guides. | jist knoWed
it wouldn't do ter try the hard times
racket on Betsy hat mornin' for she
would knock me into the middle ov
next week with sum ov her Populist
argymints, More'n that shed'd bin
lookin' purity cross fer erbout a week
anyway. The more / studied the
further I got frum a solushum ov the
question. Finally I concluded ter
soft soap Betsy, az they say out here
on the Neuse. She Gun in an I wuz
sittin' by the fire meditatin. l looked
up an seq I: Betsy you are lOokin'
oncommonly well this mornin'.' She
looked sorter surprized like an sed:
well, I hain't a feelln' oncommonly
well if I do look it, an she didn't even
smile. I wanter say rite here, Teller
sitizens, that I stood before the Yam
kee canon 1T Bull Run, at Seven Pines,
and on twenty other battle fielde, but
/ didn't feel az scared az / did that
morning. Then repeated: OF course
you are looking az brite al a new dol
lar jist out ov the mint. You were
speaking of wantin' sum new clothes
this mornin'. I'm goin' ter git them if
I hev ter sell the ~plantashun, but you
really don't need 'em. You look twice
az we'll in your old dress az Tom Wi
liams' wife, an,.she's a heap younger,
an is always a dressin'. I've bin a
thinkin' that I'd pull through with my
ole clothes an things this winter, an
az I hav' the purtiest wife in this Con
gressional districk, I don't care what
sort ov a dress she has IN. | don't
want ter spoil her guide looks with a
new dress. You look purity nigh 0z
sweet this mornin' ez you did the day
I married you Still she didn't smile
Directly she pointed her finger rite at
me an sed: 'Z9ke Bilkins, I married
you because l thought you were a
worthy man. I've toiled and worked
year after year for you ard to raze
your children. I have denied myself
not only luxuries but comforts, and
necessities. 1t was not so bad a year
ago.. Then you didn't grumble when l
asked you to buy a new dress, for you
had money, but of late years I have
gotten nothing. The man or woman
who works is entitled to q Twin to
clothes to wear. You say you are not
able to buy me one new dress a year
a dress of plain material All the
while you have been voting to enrich
the bondholders and the mOnopolists,
to contract the currency and bring
down the price of everything you raise
to sell and your only excuse is that
you don't van to leave your party,
and you are still doing this You will
not listen to reason. When l get you
to read a truthful paper, you will not
profit by it. A few politicians have
turned your head by the promise Of
an office that you will never get, and
this class OF men have ruined thou
sands or other men in this State the
same way. They also appeal tn vo,1r
prejudice and persuade you that il IL
not respectable to be called anything
but a Dymakrat, when really the mama
Democrat liz nothing more than musk
rat or tomcat. When your party acts
the rascal you act the fool by voting
the ticket right along3when your plair
duty liz to punish the party by with
drawing from it. l want you TO I'm
derstend from this mint till death d
us part. that I'll not make SO man,
sacrifices on account of your folly,
need g dress and some other things
You must get them or you will nc
hav another minit's peace the house
BETSY may not be az elC qulnt az Ia
rick Henry or Tom Dixon, but 81
goes rite ter the core of the thing, al