The Somerset reporter., 1904-07-28
Her Soft Soap
Acquaintance
BY James NorfTeef
Copyright. 1904. by K. NJ. Whitehead


dairy business he could figure out that
he had twenty chances of success
against one of failure. Inside of three
years, however, misfortune had come
to him in half dozen different dlrec-
tons. Most of his herd had persisted
when his burn had been struck by
thunderbolt and following that his wife
had died and he had fallen and broken
IL leg. There could be only one more
calamity in store for him. and that put
in an appearance in due time. one day
when letter had come for him he call
ed his daughter Bessie in and said
"Well. it has come. Old John Doan
is going to foreclose the mortgage on
me. and in few weeks we shall be
homeless. Here's the notice from his
man of business"
Bessie Thompson was a girl of TWEEN
ty. In addition to being good look
ing and having good education, her
acQuaintances called her brick
They said so because she had faced
misfortune with a Drawer heart than
her father and had displayed level
head and much shrewdness In trying
to stem the tide and eXtricate him
from his unfortunate situation. She
had even taken trip of fifty miles to
see old John Doan in person and try
to soften his heart, but had only found
his agent and been grutiiy told that
her father must pay up or go. She had
expected the blow, and her answer to
her father was.
well, If we can't pay We'll have
to go, Of course, but we shall be allow
ed few weeks grace. and who knows
what may happen In that timer
Something did happen, but it came
about in queer way. Two weeks had
passed, and Miss Bessie had started to
make soft soap In big kettle in the
back yard. Farmer folks would make
soft soap in the spring even though as
sured that the world would be no
more by midsummer. The big kettle
had been filled with I've from the beach
and a fire started under 1t, and the
hour was 2 o'clock in the afternoon,
when Miss Bessie sat down on the
back doorstep out of the smoke to
think and plan for the future In the
course Of a quarter of an hour she was
so lost in her thoughts that she was
oblivious of her surroundings and was
jumped to her feet by hearing harsh
voice saying:
Young woman, don't you know that
kettle is boiling over and wasting the
lyeW
1t was a man of sixty who had en-
tered the front gate and passed around
the house. He was decently dressed,
but he was bowbncked and lame, and
his snaring, stngy disposition could
be read in his face
II say that the kettle Is boiling over,
he repeated as she stared at him and
wondered who he could be. ut seems
to me that girl of your age ought to
know enough to put stick across it.
Perhaps though you've got I've to
throw away or you had rather think
of marrying some prince than of max
Ing soft soapF
II was thinking she stammered.
"Yes; know but 1t wasn't about
the soap. Young woman, when you
have anything on hand attend to it
and let castle building alone. Thinking
won't bring bread and butter"
Miss Bessie walked down to the fire
and rearranged 1t Il bit and then laid
stick across the top of the kettle to pre-
vent another accident. While she was
doing this the old man sat down on
the steps, with a grunt and looked
around and muttered to himself. Pres
emily he called to her:
Young woman, Is your father at
work anywheres about the farm"
mo, sir Father is in bed with a
broken leg"
II s'pose he was doing some fool
thing when he broke it?'
He was drawing up wood last Feb
ruary."
"Um! Where's your motherf'
Dead"
"Um. Who runs the farm|
I'm doing my best to care for
things, but it won't need anybody
long, as we shall soon be leaving
Got to leave. eh?" he chuckled.
Say, young woman III bet you hair
pin there's mortgage on this farm.
Isn't 1t sou
Yes, sir"
"And III bet another that it's held
by old John Doan, the old flint hearted
rascal Come now"
Yes"
81 thought so; thought so. And, Of
course, he's going to turn you out|'
"He wants his money. Of course"
replied the girl perhaps he has to
be hard hearted to prevent people tax
ing advantage of him. II | could see
him and tell him just how things have
gone with US believe he would give
lis a show"
well, why don't you see him.
a have tried to, but had to deal
with his agent
yes, yes. I'm, um! So your father
is in bed with a broken leg and you
are trying to run the farm? l see.
Can you cook and wash"
"Of course.
"KnOw enough to milk COW and do
churnngf"
YES; quite enough
"Who makes your clothesY contiR-
ued the old man as he looked her up
and down.
81 do. sir, but why do you ask me
these questions? What right have
Tut, tut, young woman, It's my