Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1902-09-30
FARMER DALE'S MISTAKE

forlOrn-lOOking farmhouse. | was
surprised to see no woman about, all
the work being done by the owner Of
the place, Ezra Dale. After supper
lighted a pipe and sat on the porch
smoking. Dale came and sat beside
me.
"You have finished your evening
chores early" said when my wife
Is without servant, she never gets
the dishes washed before o'clock"
'Waal, We see, don't do it that
away. / wash dishes oncet a week.
Then put 'em all on ter the wagon,
drive 'em inter the creek, take a mop,
an when get through they shine like
pewter"
Don't you think wife would be
handy? She could do your mending, I"
Don't ceed no wife. / got needles
an thread an buttons. There's my
kit" And he handed me a case con-
tanning tie articles mentioned and no
more.
Where's your thimblef' : asked.
Don't need no thimble. l tried one
Oncet an couldn't use it. It's handler
TO git the head of the needle ag'in the
wall and drive II through that away"
did you never have love AFFAIR.""
Yes, oncet 1t was when / was a
young fellGr-very young an very
green. used to look on a gal as a
heather would look on a sacred i'm
age. There was a little one livin'
across the creek. Farmer Owens
daughter Daisy. Purity? Ye bet an
gentle as Il kitten. She took a shine TO
me. ! was a fair-lookin' young Teller
then. straight an slim an light on my
feet One evenin' l was a-passin'
Farmer Owens, and Daisy come run
min out with her finger a-bleedn' an
asked me ter tie it up fur her. 1 had
her 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
was a-doin' OF it her hair got ag'in
my check, an'-waal. | 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 l b'lieve she cut her finger on
tentionally. l tell ye. women folks Is
tricky"
u think that was a very nice femi-
aIne way of catching your attention"
remarked. Go on"
s.Frhafr. x.rbok ,1f1 10 I want ~,
from day ter day, week ter week. till it
seemed ter me II anything happened be-
tween me an that gal I'd collapse.
Sonethin' did happen. Farmer Owens
tux a farm han fur the haydn, 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 of ter
me. tell ye. stranger. she had the
Wickedest eye in her We ever see"
Another feminine trait" l observed.
Miss Daisy was evidently a woman"
~She was woman. stranger. an the
worst kind of one" Dale went on
lugubriously. "She broke me all up. l
fist rented this farm an went away. l
didn't come back fur ten years. Then
I made up my mind that women folks
wasn't with worry'1' about, an / TUX
any farm ag'in an began ter work it.
The fust time went by Farmer Owens
Daisy come out-she had grown ter be
a flne-lookin' young woman of 26-an'
what do We suppose she did,"
Il can't imagine"
ASKED me II | wouln't tie up cut
anger. She had the same wicked look
Ia her eye she had when she drove that
lopslded farm ham by my house ten
ysars afore. Women is the persistenest
critters ever see. l jist squared of an
said: 'Ye don't git me that away ag'in.
Ye done II 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' eroekerdile tears.
no doubt.
WAL. we was engaged, but it didn't
las long. The question come up as ter
whether we'd be married by a justice
or parson. l don't like parsons NY
self, an l wanted justice Daisy
wanted a parson. an she was so bame
set about it that l reckoned IL she was
as obstinate about a small matter Ike
that she'd be wantin ter run the farm.
50 l called the thing OF, an I've been
Hvin' alone her ever since
Mr., Dale" l said. you have mis-
taken natural feminine traits for gen
erai cuSSedness
That's what they is. tell ye. stran-
ger Ye don't understand"
You have declined 70 give up that
which to a woman Is a great deal. while
80 you Il Is nothing. Mss Owens was
rlght 10 insist on being married BY 4
parSon. and you We're ungenerous to re-
fuse her. NON. let nae give you biz
OF advice Miss Owens is Stin single :
Yes. Well 20 70 her and tell her that
when you first met her you were q
laundering idiot and that later you
were an obstinate brute Say that Il
she VIII overlook your past errors you
vii spend your lie in doing penance. .
WHY, stranger. II I was ter do that
I'd never have my OWE way about any
1hlng afterward."
1T Is the only way TO have your Own
way about everything with woman
Tess i ali into her hands. and she'll
noss It right back 70 you. More than
that. Shelf expect you 70 lead. and Il
you don't lead shell not respect you"
-Ye don't mean It. Say. stranger
what sort OF = makeup do ye call tha;
anxwayr