Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-08-06
DAILY SHORT STORY
Farmer Dale's Mistake.
TOriginal.l

ed a pipe and sat on the porch smok-
ing. Dale came and sat beside me.
You thave finished your evening
chores early" 1 said. when my wife
is without 4 servant, she never gets
the dishes washed before o'clock"
"Waal, We see, l don't do it that
away. / wash dishes oncet n week.
Then l put 'em all on ter the wagon,
drive 'em inter the creek, take mop,
an when get through they shine like
pewter"
Don't you think n wife would be
handy? She could do your mcndinS."
Don't need no wife. 1 got needles
an thread an buttons. There's my
kit" And he handed me n case con
tanning the articles mentioned and no
more
where's your thimble?' l asked.
''Don't need no thimbIe- / tried one
oncet an couldn't use it. It's handler
to git the head OF the needle ag'in the
wall an drive it through that away"
Did you never have u love AFFAIR."
yes, oncet. 1t was when 1 was n
young feller-very young an very
green. l used to look on gal as Il
heather would look on Il sacred i'm
age. There was n little one livin'
across the creek, Farmer Owens
daughter Daisy. Purity? Ye bet, an
gentle as Il kitten. She TUX a shine to
me. / was n 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-bleedin' an
aeIyo 20. 81 I'm. 4 haI
ter git her arm under mine somehow
an hold on ter her hand an wrap the
linen strip an wind the string an a
lot of things all at the same time.
While 1 was a-doin' of it her hair got
ag'in my check, an'-waal, 1 lost my
head an, turnln'. 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. 1 b'licve she cut her finger on
tentionally. l tell We, women folks is
tricky"
az think that was very nice fem
mime way of catching your attention."
| remarked. go on"
That's jist what did do. went on
from day ter day. week ter week, till
it seemed ter me If anything happened
between me an that gal I'd collapse.
Somethin' did happen. Farmer Owens
TUX n 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 off
ter me. tell We, stranger, she had the
wickedest eye in her We ever see"
70 fs,ft ft.af l OH
Miss Daisy was evidently Il woman"
"She was woman, stranger, an the
worst kind of n 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
| made up my mind that women folks
wasn't with worryin' about. an TUX
my farm ag'in an began terWork it.
The fust time 1 went by. learner
Owens Daisy come out-she had grown
ter be q fine lookin' young woman of
twenty six-an' what do ye suppose
she did?'
81 can't imagine"
asked me If wouldn't tie up n Gu:
finger. She had the same wicked look
in her eye she had when she drove that
lopsided farm ham by my house ten
years afore. Women is the persistent
est critters 1 ever see. L 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, stran-
ger, 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'
croeEarsliIa taarS no dOubt
"WaaI, we was engaged, but it didn't
las long. The question come up as
ter whether we'd be married by n JUS
tice or a parson. l don't like parsons
myself, an wanted justice. Daisy
wanted q parson, an she was so blame
set about it that 1 reckoned if she was
as obstinate about n small matter like
that she'd be wantin' ter run the farm,
so called the thing off, an I've been
livin' alone here ever since"
"Mr. Dale" 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 a woman is a great deal,
while to you it is nothing. Miss Owens
was right to insist on being married by
a parson, and you were ungenerous to
refuse her. Now, let me give you bit
of advice. Miss Owens is still single?
Yes. Well, go to her and tell her that
when you first met her you were
idiot and that later you
were an obstinate brute. Say that if
she will overlook your past errors you
will spend your life in doing penance."
'Why, stranger, if was ter do that
I'd never have my own way about
afterward."
at is the only way to have your
own way about everything with wo-
man. Toss it all into her hands, and
she'll toss it right back to you. More
than that, she'll expect you to lead,
q nd IL Won don't lead she'll not reSnect