The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-05-23

w l. ClIljoI1S Ihic -
You only know how to go about 1t.
Just then who should come along
but Richard, the strong young smith,
who was to marry Meg. He stepped
beside her and one of the gentlemen
asked if he was going to marry her.
Yes said Richard. married! mar
ried:' groaned Filler. Put that down,
Alderman. Ignorance of the very nrSt
principles Of political economy on the
part of the people. Their IMPROVE
dence, their Wickedness is enough to-
now Iook at that couple
Now, listen to me- said the Alder
man to Meg, you are going TO get
married. Very improper and unbe-
coming in one of your sex-very. But
never mind that. After o are mar
ried you'll Quarrel with your husband
and come to be a distressed wife. Now
you know / am a justice. Don't you
come before me, for | am determined
to Put Down distressed wives. You'll
have children-boys. These boys Will
grow up bad, of course. and run wild
in the streets without shoes or stock
ings. And Ill convict every one of
them, for | am determined to Put
Down boys without shoes and stock
ings. Most likely your husband will
take to drink and die young, leaving
you with a baby. and you will be
turned out Of doors. Now don't YOU
be brought before me, for l am de-
termined to Put Down all wandering
mothers. And don't you try suicide
for l am determined to Put that Down.
AS for YOU, you dull dog, what do you
want to be married for? Why she'll
be an old woman before YOU are a
middle-aged man. A pretty figure you
will cut With a draggie-tailed wife and
a crowd of squalling children crying
after you wherever you go" He knew
how to banter the common people, did
Alderman Cute.
Richard was about to make some in
dignant reply but Meg whispered to
him to be quiet, n the Alderman
said: There, there, &C along. go
along" But he called back
Toby as the little party was sinking
away and sent him with a letter to
a great man in n of the greatest dis
tricts in Sir Joseph Bovley,
NJ. p.
Filler and the Alderman and the
other man who had confined his re-
marks to a few means over the good
old times" had managed to cast a
deep shadow of doubt and gloom over
Toby n Richard and even Meg.
Doubts, fears, perplexities arose in
the minds Of each one of them.
Wrong, wrong" moaned Toby, every
way. No business here" The chimes
came clashing in, but they sang a
strange tune to Toby: Put En- Down.
Put En- Down! Good old times, good
old times; facts and figures, facts and
figures"
h door of Sir Joseph Bowlev. M.
P, was opened by q porter. Such
a porter. Not in Toby's order. Quite
another thing. This porter under
went some hard breathing before he
could speak,, having incautiously risen
from his chair without taking time to
think about it and compose his mind.
When he had found his voice-which
seemed to have gone g long way off
said in a fat whisper, who's it
fr0r M - ~ -to1l 49,
take 1T in yourself. Everything goes
straight in on his day Of the wear
You are not a bit too soon, for the
carriage is at the door AND we've only
come to town for a couple of hours"
Toby entered a very large room
where at table sat a stately woman IN
a bonnet and a not very stately gentle
man IN black III was writing from
her dictation. Another, an older and
exceedingly stately gentleman, whose
nat ana zane were on the table, walk
ed up and down with one hand in his
breast and looked ~omplacentlv FROM
time to time at his own f%ull-length
portrait which hung over the fireplace.
Whats this" said the stately
gentleman. NJ Fish, will YOU have
the goodness to attend?" "A letter
from Alderman Cute, Sir Joseph" rs
this all, porter, you have no other
claim Or demand upon me? If YOU
have present it" said Sir Joseph i'm
= dlloW nothing to be
carried into the New Year. Fyerv
description of account is settled in
this house at the close Of the old
year"
Lady Bowley broke In with some re-
marks about a charity to which she
had been asked to subscribe IS and
declared tina 1t was too dear-she
was only TO be allowed for such =
subscription two votes. 1t was NOV
strous. But YOU are the Poor Mans
Friend, Sir Joseph, and hin othar-
wise" I am the Poor Mans Friend u
replled SIR Joseph, striking an attitude.
\ such | have been tainted D.
I ask no other title. The poor 80
in my district IS my business. Nohodr
else has any business with him
treat him paternally. My poor neo-
PIE on my estate are nv childrann