Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1911-08-03
A Corn
field Talk


hired man in more instances than hap
pen outside. Why not? He is on the
spot. His education and intelligence
may be equal to, if not above, hers.
He can make every night sparkling
night.
Things were going tremendously
with Farmer Belden's household Abe
Saunders, his hired man, was a hust-
Ter and his daughter, Jennie, wasn't
threatening to run away and go on
the stage. She and Abe hadn't exact
ly fallen in love, but they were spark
ing. That is, they were sitting up
to pare and quarter apples and get
them ready for drying after the old
folks had gone to bed. If they didn't
pare apples then they popped corn
and cracked hickory nuts. In about
a month more Abe would have made
a declaration of his love, but an aunt
in distant town wanted Jennie to
come and live with her and go to
school and she went away Abe, how
ever, looked upon the matrimonial af-
fair as favorably settled. He could
wait her return.
A year and half later Miss Jennie
returned. Abe drove over to the viii
lage and the depot to meet her He
advanced to throw his arms around
her, but she retreated. He looked for
kiss. but got none. When he stood
back and gazed at her he saw a great
change. She was no longer the same
girl. She called him Abe, but in a
distant way.
On the way home, when he tried to
call up the sparkling days, she warned
him not to be silly She took very
little interest in the pigs and hens
and when he Dragged of digging three
acres of potatoes in day she didn't
seem to think it amounted to much.
oh, yes, there was a change and it
was bad one for Abe There was
no more sparkling: no more talk of
matrimony. There were times when
she addressed him as Mr.. Saunders.
Abe was no fool. He realized that a
gulf had opened and set himself to
solve the problem. He got the wrong
end of it. just as other small men
have. He came to the conclusion that
there was a fellow in the case-one
of those town fellows-and something
soon happened to corroborate his
idea.
A cousin arrived. He was q fellow
He wore good clothes and was edu,
I'D %,1l II,
we'll.
Abe was leaning on his hoe in the
cornfeld when he solved the problem.
He had shown that young man that
he. had no use for him, but now he
would go further. He would cripple
him for life-poison him-slay him
with a club-strangle him! The man
who had stolen his sweetheart should
die. Abe might be hung for it, but he
would die happy. He had just coEae
to this conclusion, and the knee-high
cornstalks were looking red to him,
when the youpg man in the case ap-
peared before him He had wandered
out to the field to pass time
Abe sprang forward with curse
ind the Loe uplifted to strike but was
promptly knocked down. AS he sat
up and looked around in a dazed way
he was asked:
Now then, have you gone crazy?
Look up here and tell me what's the
matter"
You know, you villain." muttered
Abe.
II know that you have been down on
me for something since | came, but l
can't guess what"
''You lie! You have stolen Jennie
from mel"
ooh, that's it. Glad to know what
1t is. You think we are in love, do
you?"
Sure you are"
abe, you are an ass. like Cousin
Jennie, but that is ALL We have new
er talked love and never shall. don't
stand in your way in the least, and ]
don't know Of anybody that does
Then the young man sat down be
side the angry and grieving lover, and
III q yhpcLlu0ClC VOlCc IOlu I'LL ludl
the inevitable had happened, as 1t had
happened hundreds and thousands OF
times before. Miss Jennie had gone
away and risen above him She was
no longer in his sphere. He was just
as good man as before, but she had
improved. She was now of the outside
world in speech and manners, and his
speech and manners grated on her
She could never again look upon him
as In other days.
Whats the matter with my talk?
asked Abe.
well, the other night heard you
| say you had went to the barn"
And don't my hoeing three acres
| of Eaters in day make up for lack o.
| education?"
Hardly, Abe"
We'll, I'm sorry I went for you a.
l did. I'll sit on the fence and do som,
thinking. This thing has got to b,
settled some way
He did sit on the fence and wrestl,
with the new problem, and as soon a