The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-01-15
LOG ROLLlNS As THEY USED TO Be

ter marriage that they made mistakes.
1t shOu!d not be wondered At. il
they conclude there is lottery in mar
riagc.
A a wind-up on the matter. I'll say
for the benefit Of the lady, who asked
me the question about the lottery
business. that it's my opinion. (and |
judge the future by the past). that a
great many girls viii live and die old
maids; but, in nine cases out OF ten,
ii Will be a mercy they didnt marry.
for a great many men will die old
bachelors. who. in nine cases out of
ten, are totally UNIT 10 have wives.
The reason | sa. these things. l
had a talk with a young widow, some
time ago. who told me. in the CONVEX
sation, when something was said about
her marrying again. that she had
~; and asked me II | had ever seri-
ously considered the hardships of the
average married woman in the coun-
Vt average farmers wife.
! old her that | had not; but. judg-
ing by the way they treated me. when
! went TO their homes, thought they
were not only mighty cheerful and
very happy. but, were having a good
time, generally.
Good time, indeed, OF course they
smooth their hair and their faces. as
well, when they meet YOU. for it's q
- 49, RaN 'D"N
foot foremost; but many a time it is
the case that the smile with which a
hard-worked and tired woman meets
q guest is only skin deep. Under that
smile there is a carc-Worn heart.
Il am a widow" she said, and
with the exception Of a girl-a niece
who stays with me. | live all alone.
| own a two horse farm, that has a
Good house on it. but no mortgage,
and | make enough to live on. pay my
IN roc and tbo npanabnY too VA,, oi,c
not suppose because | am a widow
that | am 50 very old: ! am not yet
thirty-fiVe. Some people advise me to
marry again. and perhaps it would
be better to have a man to o after
the farm ana be a protection to me,
but having lost as good a husband as
any woman ever had, I ami afraid I
might not do so Wei should | marry
another man.
Il wi. tell you what have about
concluded. from what / see: it is, that
when women marry out here in the
country, they exchange romance for a
sight of hard work. Before marriage
the men. Of course, are Very gallant,
and q woman might suppose that when
she exchanged Miss for Mistress she
would have a strong arm to lean upon
and all she would have to do would
be to darn socks, and now and then
patch a shirt that the man who would
not allow. her to StoOp and pick w a
pocket handkerchief or tie her shoe
when he was about before marrige,
would be even more gallant and con
slderate afr marriage. Now what
| wish you to tell me is, what do you
think Of a man who will sit on he
porch and smoke his pipe and let his
wife tote water from a spring two
hundred yards away Cts been meas
; ured) with which to cook, wash and
scour2 And what do you think Of a
man who will sit on the horse block
and read the newspaper while his
wife is splitting ~stovewood with which
to cook n And What do you
think of a man who will go to town on
Saturday,. spend the whole day, and
come home late at night and then
sleep Sunday morning till nine
o'clock. too late to have breakfast
and get ready to take his wife to
. church?
"Oh, yes. l know just such men,
and how do I know but what il !
marry again I'll be hauling rails in less
than six months after the honeymoon
is over? | am not trying to keep any
one from marrying who wants to. be
| cause l know it's useless. for there are
some girls who would marry if they
knew they would have to mark the
pigs. shear the sheep. pick the geese.
tote the water and split the stove
wood. SO [ couldn't keep them from
marrying if / wanted to do 50. Mar
rNlng is one thing a woman VIII %
when she makes uD her mind to. and
you'd just as we'll let her alone.
Now. tell me. Mr.. Whitaker, what
you think of it all"
well, madame" | replied. "in the
first place, / think that Il good look
ing young widow with a t~wo-horse
farm and a good house to live in n
no mortgage on the property would
be Il great temptation to WidOWerS
and old bachelors in any community.
And it's my opinion, dear madame,
that you are going to have trouble I'M
less you marry and thus get rid OF the
| rest of the men. But if the men who
may come to see you are like those
you have described. l believe, were |
in your place, l would wait until some
good nan who does treat his wife all
right gets to be a WidoWcr, and then
I'd set my cap for him.
She said she reckoned that would
| he a good idea: so that's the way the
matter now. stands.
This is to give notice therefore, t.
those widoWerS who are under forty
five years of age, that if they can
prove by creditable witnesses they
didn't let their wives tote water from
a spring two hundred yards from the
house, didn't let them split the stove
wood. and didn't lie a-bed SUNDAY
mornings until nine o'clock and by
so doing keep their wives from going
. C1tu1 Ch, bul civ JUST do AIEfAii
and loving after marriage as they
were before, | can put them on the
track of a good looking widow who
owns a two-horse farm. and lives in a
nice house. on which there is no
mortgage. None others need apply.
s. m 81 ~ !"
NOTICE-It IS my urpo to pub
fish another book which will contain
the best articles that ] have written
during the past two years. And, Of
course, it is my desire that every one
of my readers should have a copy. 1t
will be the size of and contain the
same amount Of reading matter that Is
contained in Whitaker's Reminis-
cenSeS n have q number OF first
class Illustrations 1t will be. perhaDs.
the last work of my life and | propose
to bestow upon the book enoug Of
time and labor to make it valuable to
every class Of readers. [ wan sub
SCribers enough to Justify me in un-
gdertaking the work. Therefore. II
hope that every onc who feels any
in .Arcct IN + hjc n1attc,, will address n