Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1913-01-03
WINNING AN ARGUMENT
py ALLIE BROCK.

anything Of that sort. The last tine
! was shown up as a false alarm in
applying logic to every day affairs
ives no longer ago than yesterday
when | got home from the civ ,os,
evening my wife said to me. There
was a man here today to see ahou,
fixing the flower beds and the garden
for the winter. He looked SO shabby
md sort Of homeless that | gave him
your other light overcoat'
THAT ought to be a good start ~
vsrd getting him a home I said in
r1irth provoking way. 1t was a thought
ful Eove on your part. suppose Won
figured that some lonely widow along
the road would fall in love with him
when she saw the graceful lines of
that coat enfolding him and would
rush out to haul him in
Don't try to be funny said nv
wife.
What really interest me more
than his immediate future | said is
the object of his call. Did he wait
long enough to specify what was the
matter with our flower beds that need.
ed fixing%
my wife favored me with the stare
Of disdain which she considers espe-
cially cutting and effective against nv
kind Of sarcasm.
why, suppose he wants to fix
them up for the winter she said. I'm
not an expert on such matters. but |
have an idea that some sort Of atten.
ton must be paid to them before zero
weather comes. told the man to
come back this evening and see you.
There being no adequate reply to
this under the matrimonial code. al
lowed the subject to drop and awaited
my visitor. He came with the shad-
ows. adorned with my overcoat.
az was wonderin,' he said, If you
wanted your flower beds and your gar.
den fixed up for the winter Then he
leaned restfully against the porch
pillar.
whats the idea?' | asked. Won't
they be there next spring II l leave
them alone all winter?'
"'Yes, but you don't understand,
the tired citizen explained. They
ought to be bedded down with ferti.
lizer-spaded up and covered over
the way they fix 'em in the parks
"'And then what% | demanded. The
light Of my household was listening
from the darkness Of the hall and
wanted her to see the uselessness oil
the appointment she had made for me
"'Then your flowers and vegetables
will have a big start next spring. the
horticultural explained, because the
ground will be ready for 'em. | dc
this every year for most of the PEG
pie in this town. | charge dollar for
my time and you pay for the fertilizer
and stuff
"'See here, you imitation gardner
marked after | had glared at him a
moment, you're the worst booster fol
yourself that ever came down that
road out there. Your efforts to get
a dollar out Of me are so feeble and
amateurish that I'd have laugh all to
myself If wasn't getting sort of tired
of your kind Of cattle.
you've got lot of nerve to say
that you bed down the vegetable gar
dens OF most of the people in this
town every year, so they'll be ready to
do business with a rush in the spring
time | told him. Why, there isn't
another suburb on this branch Of the
railroad that turns out such a worth
less lot Of garden truck as this one.
Now l know what's the natter
it's all your fault. II you'd keep your
hands on the gardens and let things
alone people might have chance tc
raise a few spring onions at a cost Of
not more than Sc a dozen, and we
might even get an occasional radist
that wasn't soggy sponge. Not con
tent with getting my fall overcoat BY
merely standing around and looking
frostbitten, you expect me to give you
a dollar for taking exercise that would
keep you warm while you are spelling
my garden!'
MY caller shifted his weight to the
other foot and looked uncomfortable
for few seconds, but he was ready
with his defense.
Well he said, "a mans got to
live
There! my wife exclaimed tri
umprantly from the darkness behind
me. That's the point you always over
l6okv
so this morning that depressed
person was busy in our garden with
spade and wheelbarrow when | left
home. Lovely woman may not be
strong on the finer points Of logic
but she certainly has the gift Of win
ming in any argument. "-Chicagc
Daily News.