The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-04-11
The EVENING STORY
one of the Parkers.
(By Donald AIlen.)


lois or talk about it, and the talk had
Kept up right along. Not another one
Of the relatives had favored the idea.
Even the mother was against it, Uncle
moses Parker, Joab's brother, was the
spokesman for the dissenters. More
than one hundred times he said:
"Joab, you are going to spoil that
glrl Just as sure as you livsi Educa-
ton! Education! What does she want
OF education? Is it going to help her
to churn and make soft soap and cook
meat and staters?' A farmers wife or
daughter ought to have education en-
ough to read, write and cipher, but
anything beyond that is thrown away"
IT reckon education is a pretty good
thing" Joab would reply, he having
had rather more of it than Moses
Eyes, and you'll keep on reckon
ing till the calamity comesi When the
girl is educated then she'll want
piano, the magazines new clothes and
all that. She'll be telling you and me
and the rest of US that we don't know
nothing about grammar. She'll be Just
too gaul-dorned stuck up to set down
in cane-seat chair, and what are you
going to do with her? I tell you, she'll
bring your gray hairs in sorrow to the
grave
And there was Aunt Minerva. an
other of the relatives and the mother
of two daughters who were dying OF
Jealousy. AT least once week she
would say to Miss sNel1ie's mother:
I ST can't see this go on without rails
ing my voice against it. You are lay
ing UP trouble for yourself. and it
makes me shiver when I think of it.
There's my Amelia. Is she educated?
mol But what girl around here has
made a crazy quilt to beat the one
she had at the county fair? There's
my Nancy. She can hardly tell how
much ten dozen eggs at thirteen cents
a dn1QY will fafoh hl1f oiY1'f al
three different beaus and more COM
ing? tell you, Hannah, you must
put your foot down.,
But amt L put itsdown, and what
good hassit done?" would be the pro-
test. Jacob is a regular mule about
some things. He says Nellie may be-
come a school teacher at fifty dollars
MONTH t--
"She never can. She amt got the
grit to lick one of the boys Shed
just make an awful failure of it and
bring shame on the Parker name.
And do you know what susan Benson
says?
Susan Benson was cousin. and she
also had done good deal Of talking.
"She says that as soon as Nellie
gets her education she'll either run
off with a circus to walk the tight
rope or go for an actress There
what do you think of thatH'
"Great heavens!'
'And you can tell it to Joab, too!
One of the Parkers with tights on
walking tight-rope"
Mercy on mel"
zone of the Parkers galloping
around on the stage with her hair
down her back!'
cit shall never bel"
Miss Ne1lie's only friend and con-
fidant at home was her father. While
he only dimly realized the full bene-
fits of education, he had taken stand
and would not bulge from it. When
she came home on her vacations she
was virtually an outlaw. and but for
him things would have been worse.
ignorance working against her all the
time. There are farming communi-
ties where ignorance is the password.
Now that Miss Nellie was home for
good, all the talk was revived and
added to. What was she going to do
now with her wonderful education?
Was she going to lie in bed and read
novels and make her poor old mother
do all the work? Had she commune
Gated yet with a circus man or a
theatrical agent? Would she elope
with the first sewing machine agent
that came along?
All the Parkers except Joab and his
daughter got together and asked each
other these questions, and then held
their breath for answers. 1t was at
In6SIlUS lldL Saul fTllCudTQs d
hired man who had offered his heart
and hand to the girl and had them
rejected, threw a bombshe-l into the
camp and caused everybody to Jump
LET me just tell you all something"
he said as he leaned back with his
fingers locked behind his head. 1--WE
did some little thinking since I got
the throw-down. Why was I throwed =?
1t begins right there. Amt 1 a good
match for any girl around here?"
'sYou are!' was answered, in chorus.
"Ain't a hard worker and got sixty
dollars saved up?"
Eyes, yes!"
"Ain't 1 pretty fair in reading and
spelling and other things?"
"You are, SAUL"
''Then-then why did Nellie Parker
give me the throw-down?"
Silence!
sT'll tell you why she did. Because
she has fellow on the string. Yes,
sir. and I'll bet my life on it. Out
there where she's been going to school
some educated squirt of a Teller has
praised and fiattered her and lied to
her and won her love. He's a liar and
a villain and a deceiver, but she will
marry him. You just wait and see.
1 didn't go to Chicago with that car
load of hogs two years ago without
getting my eye teeth cuti"
The. instantaneous conclusion was
that Saul Pritchard had solved the
problem, and everybody talked at once
for the next half hour. Next day. as
Joab Parker was blowing in the field,
his wife came out to exclaim:
well pa, what do you think nowi"
st guess the world is standing yet"
he replied.
"But it's about Nellie"
"WeH?"
'sShe's engaged to a villain and is
going to marry him, and if you don't
chain her up down cellar on bread and
water 1 won't live with you another
dayI''
How'd you hear 1t ?"
saul Pritchard guessed it,"
ooh. he did? Well, Saul had better
guess again. He'd better guess he's a
jackass this time"
That evening while the wife and
mother was at one of the relatives to