Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1907-12-13
What Sam Did

i The men in the store watched the
young farmer assist his wife into the
respectable-looking buggy outside, ar
range the packages, spread the laprobe
generously and carefully over the
young woman's knees and then, him.
self uncovered, drive away.
"Clayton's gein' to take good care o
that there wife O. his" commented the
storekeeper.
Foolish of him." declared Washing,
ton Hancock.
Hell get tired O. washin' up that
buggy O. his'n after a while n con-
clude the ole Wagons good enough to
come to town to trade in," said Sol
Baker, sagely.
"'Course he WILL" agreed Hancock
Hell have her out to the wood pile
splittin' stove wood, like as not. I've
knowed that to happen, too
Baker had the grace to look embar'
raised when the storekeeper ~snlckered
There's wuss things than splittin a
leetle mite O. wood now an then for a
women" he said. Anyway, Clayts
wifeIl take all the care he kin give
her an then need more. If he ain't
washin' the dishes for her afere Ions
T miss my guess. She don't like Nc
kind O. work none toe well. h didn's
as a gal"
"Ain't a great hand to cook, they tell
me-" said the storekeeper. Most any
one O. the other gals could beat her out
when it come to fixin' up a meal. Seems
s ~,--l y,5 1,o-n fAnly S1jahafh mr.
Birdie II he wus set an bound to mar
nv into the family. This un's mighty
| slack-mouthed, by all accounts. l
could ha' told him suthin' on tibet score
If he'd cum to me an asst me-
"why didn't you tell him, anyway
asked Marvin Parsons.
"It,s a pity she's slack-mouthed," OBJ
served Hancock. "It's them kind O.
winnnen that gifts to talkin' about their
| neighbors after a while. An It's d fun
nv thing that it's allus the wirnlnen
that does that. You might set In this
store when Rufe an Sol here was shoot
| I'M off their mouths year in an year out
an you'd never ear them say a word
agin' a~nybody-not If you was stone
def. But when a man sees a Teller
in danger O. blightin' his life by takin'
m with q gal that's ornery an no-ac-
count. he amt dom no more than
what's his dooty to give him the right
kind O. warnin'. If a feller's got good
sense he'll erpheshiate a word in sea
son O. that sort an won't git mad
about it. Anybody's apt to be a mite
keerless an unthfnkin' in the matter O.
choosin' a gal when he's young. I bet
there hain't a married man here but
what'll say that's So
The storckeeper nodded involuntarily
and Hancock grinned.
as fur's takin' a word O. good ad-
vice kindly's concerned, I reckon
there's the many a man would tell you
that if s~omebody'd come to him in time
an let him know what he had a right
to expect from the gal he wus thinkin'
O. marrying he'd never have married
the gal he did, resumed Hancock.
There's some what does git warned in
time. I rickerleck right well when q
| cousin o. mine, Sam Hancock. thought
O. hitchin' up with a gal he'd met up
with when he WIS q young buck. lie
seen the gal an tuck her buggy ridin'
once or twice an he fggered to him.
self that she WIS jest about the finest
| young woman that ever set a foot on
| this green airth. He couldn't make out
that she'd got a fault or a blemish,
| Shed aIlus acted that away whilst he
wus around, so how wus he to know
any diffrunt?
There wus one thing. though, an
that wus that Sam had a mighty Level
hafd ON him for as young as he wus
He'd slip up on a trade wunst In a
while, but ne never slipped up twicet
the same way an he'd made a-many