Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-12

But the women have need to go 10
Iowa. They are the prettiest creatures
in the world already, except the east
ern girls, but they need year in Iowa
to improve their figures and their com.
plexions. They need to be able to jump
on horse and race around big farm,
getting some good air into their lungs,
and some color into their cheeks"
why, most women think they are
already very pretty" protested.
"They are pretty, but they might be
prettier An old man, you know, has
to tell the truth.
An old man should have learned to
tell it more automatically"
mot me-" declared Mr.. Wilson. IT
am in charge Of Uncle Sans agricul-
ture, not -.s state department.
We'll, If you don't like Washington
girls then you are very hard to please
II am not too hard to please in wom-
enfolk. l like a girl who can ride a
horse, no matter how hard he kicks
then when it comes dinner time she
must gallop up to the house, hop off,
tie the horse so he won't get away, and
go in to see that dinner is ready and
things in order for the homecoming of
the men. If she is farmers daughter
she ought to be able to climb up on a
reaper and run it like a man"
With which modest demand Score
tary Wilson leaned back reflectively.
"And I suppose she must have all
the drawing room accomplishments,
too"
ooh, yes, she must be able to play
the piano, and paint, and she must
have had college education"
"You won't find her." l said, with
conviction, but Secretary Wilson only
smiled systematically.
Were you ever in Iowa?" he de-
handed "You weren't? Then you
don't know anything at all about it. We
have women like that in Iowa"
But it isn't her women that call me
back to Iowa, for you know I'm an old
man now, but it's my farm out there
that I tended myself before came to
Washington. The old trees on my farm
/ planted when I was very young
man, and feel like I'm attending a
family reunion when go out there tc
see them. I have my son write me
when the spring comes which ones OF
and if any enterprising ones are start
ing new branches. or if some old one
perhaps, has grown discouraged and
died.
Every man carries in his heart
some longings to get on farm, wheth
er he was ever there before or not
and you can imagine how l, who lived
there all during my boyhood and
made there the first attachments OF
my life, should get homesick for the
old place again, and resolve to go back
there as soon as can"
$50 you won't stay in Washington
after your work here is finished?"
mot one minute longer than I can
help" was his emphatic reply. "In less
than twenty-four hours after I have
said 'good-by' to the department of ag
riculture, I'll be on train that is spin
ming toward Iowa. There are some
things that man never forgets, and
never ceases to want, and that is what
lies nearest to my heart. You'd never
think to see me humming around the
department over yonder, that | was
signing all the time for an old farm
out in Iowa, but that is true.
L nave taught my sons the science
Of farming, and the love Of it was borr
in their bones. If had my way, there
would be department in every Amer
lean college which would teach boy
the properties Of the soil, and the won
derful things you can do with it.
But would you highly educate E
man, and then put him on farm tt
live?"
eff he had the proper education 70,
couldn't keep him off farm" replies
Secretary Wilson, with the whole
hearted enthusiasm he would have III
believe to be the peculiar property o
Iowa.
Then, in order to keep himself from
getting homesick, he began to maxi
fun Of Washington. Everybody here
is very lazy. The only people her.
who ever hurry are the fellows VIII,
rush in to take new Office, and ever
they only hurry for few days
why, do you know, believe if
stayed here fifteen or twenty year
longer, might get lazy myself"
Ruth Hale.