The San Francisco call., 1904-11-06
JIMMIE AN

way is the Eustlin' to keep up II never
does the boy any good to go TO school
that's away ahead Of his classes an
has time to set an plan deviltry. OF
course frankie an Jimmie are bright
enough. but they haven't had the regu-
lar work like they get in town, so
they'll have their hands full.
An then 1 wanted Jimmie to see a
little bit OF town life so he'd feel how
much better the country was, an want
to stick to the farm. He's just fitted
for that. frankie always said ever
since he was little feller that he was
goin' to he a doctor. so knew he ought
to have as good a chance as he could
SOS to get ahead the faster.
But jim kind o. baked when I sug-
gested it. OF course. we was alone
when we talked the thing over We
agreed when we was married never to
talk anything over before the boys that
we might disagree on, without havin'
it settled beforehand cause / didn't
think il was a good thing for them TO
hear any arguments we might have II
/ was stubborn, an If they sided with
me, an I knew they most always
would, they'd think their pa was stub
born. So it was fairer to their pa than
to me-
well, Jim didn't think he could
spare the BOYS. 1t would mean hirin'
another hand, an then he couldn't
spare the money. Board in town cost
ready money, an he didn't have any
too much. An besides. he was plannin'
on buyin' the 'joinin' farm as soon as
he could, so the two boys could each
have a good place when we stepped
out. / could see he wasn't to be con-
vinced, an l never waste words argu-
in. Thinks 1. Words is just words, an
when you've said it, why, you've just
said it, an it's got to be done yet, but
if you do It. why, then it's done So
told him / didn't think he'd treated me
fair in not lettin' me know he was
countin' on buyin' that place OF
course I did know it, though he hadn't
never told me. 'Tain't just the things
that a man tells a woman that she
knows. If it was, we'd all be the big
gest know-nothin's you ever see But
wanted him to feel that he hadn't been
fair, an told him could have helped
him if I'd only known It 1 hadn't been
near as savin' as 1 might have been.
an ev'ry cent counts twice when i
comes to savin'.
II didn't say nothin' more about the
boys goin' to school, I'd started the
subject long enough ahead so We would
have plenty OF time to settle the thing
before school opened, but the next day,
when I did the bakin' for the next
week, / cut down on the cake and
cookies. an ev'rything except just
what We had to have. When We came
to set down TO the table TO supper there
wasn't any cake, or any preserves, the
first time at supper we hadn't had both
On the table since We was married
Jim looked kind o. red when told the
boys, when they asked if I hadn't for
got somethin', that their pa had just
- or, r,1o FOR q
all that he was maxim, an if they was
to go through all right. we'd all have to
help, an the best way We could do IL
was to- cut down on things like cake
that take so much butter an so many
eggs The boys wanted to know what
it was an / told 'em about the farm.
not the school frankie didn't look
very cheerful at the idee of havin' a
farm of his own He hates farm work.
an it don't seem as II he can ever do
any work right in the field, but you let
him doctor a sick chicken, or a calf,
an he's perfectly happy. / told 'em
that hadn't known till Just little be-
fore about the plan, or 1 wouldn't have
been so reckless in cOokin', an i went
on taIkin' about how nice il would be
for all Of us to work together savin'- It
wouldn't be so hard on any of US that
way. They agreed TO it, an seemed to
stand goin' without all right, but Jim
never seemed to get enough to eat
without just the things that we didn't
have on the table any more. so he
didn't get along so well as the boys
Then on Friday mornin' Jim said to
me, Hadn't you better bake to-day so
we can go to town tomorrow? I'd
made him understand before this that
if he planned on my goin' to town on
Saturday, bakin' day, he'd have to let
me know beforehand that we was goin'
so could do my bakin' Friday, though
my work was lots lighter now that I
didn't have cakes or pies to make I
told him couldn't afford to go Says /.
IF go now, I'll have to have the hired
mans wife to help me get the work
done next week. an we can't afford TO
hire Jim didn't say no more. but he
stayed to home himself on Saturday
an the boys had to stick pretty close
to their work that day On Saturday
night I counted up what we saved by
goin' without some OF the things, an
the boys looked as II they felt pretty