Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1902-08-14
A DETERMINED LOVER.

There wasn't doubt in the mind
of Thomas Dingwell, bachelor and
farmer, that he would ultimately mar
ry Lizzie Carter, schoolteacher and
daughter of Uncle Ben and Aunt
Mary Carter, his nearest neighbors.
Although he had been courting her
for three long years and had never
actually asked for her hand, there
wasn't doubt in the mind of Lizzie
Carter that she would some day be
his wife. 1t was what folks call a
slow courtship, and, though Lizzie E
mother sometimes remarked that she
would never have wasted three years
of her time on any man, there was no
real complaint until about the end OF
the third year. Then one evening as
Uncle Ben was milking the cows Aunt
Mary wandered down to the barn
yard and sat down beside him on an
upturned bushel measure and said:
Benjamin, something's got to be
done !"
Good Lord, Mary, but you don't
say col" he gasped as he let up on
the milking,
Eyes, sir; something's got to be
done," she continued, with grin on
her face. "That Tom Dingwell has
been hanging round here long enough
and our Lizzie has fooled away time
enough, and now they've either got
to be married or break UP"
"Why, ma, how you talk What's
come over you all to once?"
"It's come over me that l don't
want no more nonsense. 1t didn't
take US but year to get married, and
why it should take Tom and Lizzie
three times as long l can't make out.
I've got plan, and you've got to help
me with it.
"Shoo Shoe -
"Never mind those flies. It's a
plan to bring Tom to time or scare
him away and let better man come
along. Now, Benjamin, you listen.
Uncle Ben leaned back on his milk
stool and listened, and he was so in
terested that even when the old cow
got tired of waiting and moved Oft he
scarcely noticed her going. The talk
lasted a quarter of an hour, and when
Aunt Mary had said her last word
accompanied by thump of her fist
and 80, there nowl' Uncle Ben
gazed at her admiringly and exclaimed:
by gum, Mary, but what woman
you are to think up things"
Two days later, as Tom Dingwell
came over to the potato field where
Uncle Ben was working and asked for
the loan of saw, he thought he saw
change in Lizzie's father. The
greeting seemed cold and distant, and
when he was called Mr.. Dingwell In
stead of Tom his knees began toquake'
He was too upset to ask for explana-
tious, and as he went to the house tc
get the saw Aunt Mary bowed to him
stiffly and said:
"Its hanging in the woodshed' Mr.
Dingwell."
"W-what?" gasped Tom, as another
quakestruck his knees.
"And it's pleasant weather, Mr.
Dingwell, and it looks as if all the
crops would turn out well.
"Mr. Dingwell" swallowed lump
in his throat and hurried away. BE
had some queer thoughts as he crossed
the fields and climbed the rail fences
1t took him two hours to arrange hii
thoughts on a string and reach con-
clusion, and that conclusion was:
"By gum, but the old folks want
Lizzie to throw me over and marry
some stuck-up feller with curly hair !
The more he thought of it the more
firm was his conviction, and he finally
became SO upset over it that ne hac
to knock off work and sit on the fene'
and chew straws He was hard M
and full of trouble, but he proposed
to die game. In other words, he pro