Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-09-26
FARMER DALE'S MISTAKE

q WAS on a wheeling tour and stop
ped for supper and all night at a
g forlorn~looking farmhouse. L was
surprised to see no woman about, all
the work being done by the owner of
the place, Ezra Dale. After supper l
lighted a pipe and sat on the porch
smoking Dale came and sat beside
me.
"You have finished your evening
chores early" l said. when my wife
is without a servant, she never gets
the dishes washed before 9 o'clock"
WAL, We see, 1 don't do it that
away. 1 wash dishes oncet week.
Then l put 'em all on ter the wagon,
drive 'em inter the creek, take a mop,
an when l get through they shine like
pewter"
Don't you think a wife would be
handy? She could do your mending."
Don't need no wife. l got needles
an thread an buttons. There's my
kit" And he handed me q case con-
tanning the articles mentioned and no
more.
"Where's your thimble?" asked.
DOu uG6u uO lAlCo oAAS
oncet an couldn't use it. It's handler
to git the head of the needle ag'in the
wall and drive it through that away"
Did you never have a love AFFAIR.""
"Yes, oncet. 1t was when 1 was
young feller-very young an very
green. l used to look on gal as
heather would look on a sacred i'm
1ittlo 1iVin'
across the creek, Farmer Owens
daughter Daisy. Purity? Ye bet, an
gentle as kitten. She took shine to
me- l was a fair-lookin' young feller
then, straight an slim an light on my
feet One evenin' 1 was a-passin'
Farmer Owens, and Daisy come run
min out with her finger a-bleedin' an
asked me ter tie it up fur her. 1 had
ter git her arm under mine somehow,
an hold on ter her hand an wrap the
linen strip an wind the string an lot
of things all at the same time. While
l was a-dOin' of it her hair got agin
my cheek, an'-waal, l lost my head
an, turnin', put an arm around her an
kissed her.
DO We know, stranger, I've since
made up my mind she done it all a-pur-
pose | b'lieve she cut her finger on
tentionally. l tell We, women folks is
tricky"
Il think that was a very nice femi-
nine way of catching your attention"
| remarked go on"
That's jist what l did do. l went ON
from day ter day. week ter week. till it
seemed ter me if anything happened be-
tween ME an that gal I'd collapse.
Somethin did happen. Farmer Owens
tux Il farm han fur the hayin', an
what did Daisy do but take him out in
her buggy that her father bought fur
her at Christmas an drive right by that
house a-purpose ter show him off ter
me- l tell We, stranger, she had the
wickedest eye in her We ever see."
Another feminine trait l observed.
Miss Daisy was evidently a woman"
she was a woman. stranger, an the
worst kind of a one" Dale went on
lugubriously. she broke ME all up. l
jist rented this farm an went away. l
didn't come back fur ten years. Then
l made up my mind that women folks
wasn't wuth worryin' about an l TUX
my farm ag'in an began ter work it.
The fuSt time l went by Farmer Owens
Daisy come out-she had grown ter be
fine-lookin' young woman Of 26-an'
what do We suppose she did,"
Il can't imagine
ASKED me if l wouln't tie up cut
finger She had the same wicked look
in her eye she had when she drove that
lopsided farm han by my house ten
years afore. Women Is the persistenest
critters ever see. jist squared off an
said: 'Ye don't git me that away ag'in
Ye done it oncet. an that's enough
But, do We know. stranger. she was so
slick about it that in five minutes had
my arm about her an she was a-restin'
her head on my shoulder. She was
a-cryin', too-cryin' crockerdile tears,
no doubt.
"Waal. We was engaged, but 1t didn't
las long. The question come up as ter
whether we'd be married by justice
or parson. l don't like parsons my
self, an l wanted a justice. Daisy
wanted parson. an she was so blame
set about it that l reckoned if she was
as obstinate about a small matter like
that she'd be wantin' ter run the farm,
so l called the thing off, an I've been
livin' alone her ever since"
.'Mr Dale" l said. you have mis-
taken natural feminine traits for gen
eral cussedneSs."
That's what they is, tell ye, stran-
ger. Ye don't understand.'
You have declined to give up that
which to woman is a great deal. while
TO you il is nothing. Miss Owens was
right to insist on being married by a
parson, and you were ungenerous to re-
fuse her. Now, let me give you a bit
of advice Miss Owens is still single
Yes Well. go to her and tell her that
when you first net her you We're a
blundering idiot and that later you