Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1909-04-22
Hlesitating Sim
He Never Knew Exactly What
He Wanted.
By KENNETH HARRIS.

hSic lietu DeeH dll ullueClueu GUS
toner in the store who had way
cred for ten minutes between two
grades of draw shaves and had ended
by saying that he would look around a
while and see if there wasn't some
thing over at the hardware store which
would suit him better
He's like Sim Eoisington, remarked
Wash Hancock when he had gone Sim
was that kind of a feller. He'd start to
build a fence around a hawg lot an
use up the best part of week figgerin
whether to go to the sawmill an get
him a load o eight-incil stuff or to
split rails. He'd start in with the rail
idea an then a neighbor I'D come
along an allow that by the time he'd
got all the rails split he'll wish he'd
Jest hitched up his team an got boards.
You get a board fence an you've
got suthin' that's hawg-tight,' the
neighbor'd say. Put up a rail fence
an mebbe you'll keep your hawgs in
side OF it an mebbe you won't, an
you'll waste more time chasin' EN-
than the lumberll cost YOU
Then Sim I'D scratch his haid an
he'd say, By jucks! l reckon you're
right. III hitch up the team this after
noon. I've ben needin a bunch O.
shingles, anyway
Erlong about noon Sans hired
man 'ud come along up from the field
an Sim I'D tell him he'd changed his
mind about them rails, an he'd fence
with boards
I" 1t don't make no difference to me,
the hired man nd say, but l hearn
tell they're askin' $40 thousand for
rough boards now an you'll need a
couple O thousand foot. The rail
amt goin' to cost you nothin,' but the
work O gettin 'em an the roads is
bad betwiXt this an the mill
Sim nd scratch his haid again an
study. Then he'd say, dunno but
you're right, Bill. If | don't use up
that there white oak for rails there
amt nothin | can use it for. 'less'n
It's firewood. I'd halter buy nails, too
never thought o that Well grind
them axes an put a new handle in the
maui first thing after dinner
Then while they was glindin' the
axes the schoolmaster d stop to gas as
ne went by an he'd nachally asst EN-
where they was goin TO chop an what
hey wanted the rails for
Well, he'd say, course 1 hain't no
farmer, but seems like to me that a
rail fence is the wastefulest kind of a
fence. You take a 12-foot rail and lay
i at an angle O As degrees an then
count in the lay an youee wastin'
about three foot of it, Three foot
morn if you were building d straight
fence. If you stake and rider it you've
wasted 2 foot O. rail on each panel
Then you count your land ruth soth
in don't your
4 cert'nly do Sim nd say
Then you've got the jog on each
side O the fence to figger III That'll
make q strip o land four foot wide
that you can't use. You take the len tn
D Your fence an see how much that
comes to at $50 an acre.
Sim nd stop right there an send
Bill off to harrer or suthin While het
so into the house an put in The rest o
the day figgerin'.
That's how Sim was about every
thin politics, religion, temp'runce
horse tradin', food for his stock an
food for himself. an gals an curing
! hams. an hail insurance an the race
,rC,ln,,, m, bopa fa,t;l;,a, .s.,,,,,+; ,,,,,.
somebuddy nd come erlong an tall
to him an he'd change right over an
| take the op'sit views Finerly he go
married"
How did he make out to settle Oh
the woman that he wanted?" aske,
Hank Tulliver
Well, that's suthin a fcller don
allus settle ON himself replied Han
cock Seems like Sims woman don,
the settlin' Sim was kind o sochuble
an one night he was calm on her an
he allowed that he wasn't right sur
| whether a Teller wasn't better off sin
gle than he was married.
Well, you take my word for it thi
time, she says. There's some that
better married an re one O. tina
! kind
Mebbe you're right, says Sim, bu
who'd | marry? I've thought of it, bu
dunno as there's any woman aroun
here that I'D suit me.
You don't need to go TO furthe
than this place, she says. I'd suit yo
first rate, an | willin', too. so as YOU
buggy's outside an the preacher i
over to his house Wen jest hop RICH
in an drive over there.
Well, she put on her bonnet Will
he was studyin on it an the mex
thing he knowed he was in the bugg
with her After a while he says t
her, How do you know I'd suit@
I've thought of that. SIM, sh
says, an I've come to the conclusio
that it's because your idees IS jest til
same as mine. You're hardshell Bal
It's now an forevermore an nothi
won't never stir you the width of
rats whisker. an so am l. You're
Tock-ribbed, dyed-in-t he-wool dimercrf
with no leanin's lords them popyerlist