Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1911-07-22
A Tin PeddIer's
Love Story
He Found q Man Who Didn't
Understand Woman
By JOSEPH b. HUGHES
Copyright by American Press Assoc.
citation. 1911.

was peddling tinware In the coun.
try. stopping at farmhouses to sell my
goods TO women. was a successful
tin peddler. The statement may seem
Buperduous to story. but II Is quite
important In this one. Only one who
understands the ldiosyncrasies of wo-
men could sell them tin or any other
kind OF goods. Ergo. l. being a sue
cessful tin peddler. must understand
women. But. the main reason why |
think | understand them is because
know don't
On one of my tours struck a young
bachelor farmer and concluded to stop
all night at his house. He had no
woman to do anything for him. and
he cooked and took care of the house
himself. asked him If he didn't
need 'helpmeet
Stranger he said. firing up at once
"do you mean to insinuate that l
might better take woman into these
premisesl''
what is the objectionT
"The objection is that they're the
most ADVANTAGEOUS. deceitful. pryin'.
palaverin creatures In the universe.
! wouldn't trust one on 'em within
forty miles OF me-"
Perhaps you've been crossed in
lover"
II dunno what you mean by bein
crossed In love. but II it's fooled In
love I've been that twict"
had finished my supper. and my
host had put away the dishes. which
hnf ha hnr viii n
ing into big closet. He told me that
he washed dishes once a week by car
rying them in his farm wagon to
the middle OF the creek. There he did
the work with mop. l offered him
cigar. which he declined and brought
out cob pipe Since had an even.
ing before me with nothing to do ]
encouraged him TO talk.
"How have you been fooled in lover
i asked him.
ut was this away. ! was born on
this farm. and when wasn't but six
teen man bought the Owen farm.
about two minutes down the road
He had little gal about two or three
years younger than me. She was the
slickest thing you ever seen: mighty
straight little figure, dresses not far
below the knees and two pigtails be
hind tied up with ribbons. l never
was a gars boy and didn't care any
thing about her. When ! met her on
the road l used to go on the other
side. Onct when l passed her no
ticed her lookin' sideways at me like
robin or a chipmunk. When she saw
me lookin' at her she dropped her eyes
on to the road and you'd "a thought
butter wouldn't melt in her mouth
-One day when l was fishin' In the
creek I heard some one just below
wtndfn' In a reel and, lookin' through
the trees. saw Mary Owen castin' in
a line. jist fished on, payin' no at
tention to her. First thing | knew
heard a cry. ] left my fishin' pole
layin' on the bank and went to see
what was the matter. There was
Mary holdin' out her thumb with a
hook in It The barb had gone into the
flesh so far that 1t must be cut out.
] TUX out my knife, opened a sharp
blade and by dom some slicin' into
the thumb took out the hook l must
"a hurt pretty bad. She KEEP up till
the job was finished. then she fell into
my arms with her head on my shout.
der.
II didn't think 30 then. but since I've
been satisfied she just Pretended to
faint on purpose. That's the fust les
son In the deceitfulness o. wimmen.
kind I ever had. Even this little gal
kid wasn't willin' to let boy about
her own age alone. he goin' his way
and she hers.
'Waal, when she come to or per
tended to come to herself she was iyin
In my arms looxin' up In my face
One faintin want enough. so she
had to faint ag'in. The reason for this
was that my lips WANT more n
couple o. inches from hern, and
reckon she tainted the second time SOS
to give nae chance to kiss her.
"Waal. I done It. ike fool. and it
tasted so good done 1t ag'in and
ag'in. reckon II ia KEEP on she'd
stayed unconscious all summer. When
she opened her eyes ag'in she pertend
ed she didn't know I'd been kissin
her. I tied NJ her thumb with her
handkerchief and told her TO 60 home
But she didn't She said she felt weak
and sat on the grass with her back up
agfn tree. ese
I'VE sat there till supper time. Then
she went nome. and came back
home too, That was the beginnin' OF
It. The next day / went dshin'
again didn't care for the fish.
wanted to taste the little gai's lips
ag'in. She didn't care for the fish In
the creek. She was fshin' for a boy
about my size. We done heap OF
fishin' after that till I found the
kisses didn't taste 30 good as the first
ones I took. and about that time we
younkers organized baseball team.
and didn't go fshin' so much as |
had been doin'; consequently I didn't
nee SO much OF Mary Owen.
Fact OF 1t was that wanted to see
how much Mary would banker after
me when she didn't see me. And
there's where first learned about her
cussedness. Do you know. stranger.
she didn't miss me a bitT'
mo, don't know" replied