The Adair County news., 1913-12-17
THE ROMANCE OF
FARMER DALE
Lost Faith In Womankind and
Then Regained 1t.

lorn looking farmhouse. | was sEr.
prised to see no woman about, all the
work being done by the owner of the
place, Ezra Dale. After supper light
ed a pipe and sat on the porch smok.
ing. Dale came and sat beside me.
"You have finished your evening
chores early said. when my wife
Is without servant she never gets the
dishes washed before o'clock.
"Waal, you see, don't do it that
AWAY. 1 wash dishes oncet a week."
Don't you think a wife would be
handy? She could do your mending."
Don't need no wife. I got needles
an thread an buttons
where's your thimble?' I asked.
Don't need no thimble."
did you never have a love AFFAIR.""
"Yes, oncet. 1t was when l was a
young feller-very young an very
green. I used ter look on a gal as a
heather would look on a sacred image.
There was a little one Twin across the
creek, Farmer Owens daughter Daisy.
Purity? Ye bet, an gentle as a kitten.
She tux a shine to me. | was a fair
lookin' young Teller then, straight an
slim an light on my feet. One evenin'
] was a-passin' Farmer Owens, an
Daisy come runnin' out with her finger
her. had ter git her arm under mine
somehow an hold on ter her hand an
wrap the linen strip an wind the
string an a lot of things all at the
same time. While was a-doin' of it
her hair got ag'in my cheek, an'-waal,
! lost my head an, turnin'. put an arm
around her an kissed her.
do We know. stranger, I've since
made up my mind she done it all a-pur
pose. I b'lieve she cut her finger on
tentionally. I tell ye, women folks is
tricky"
'I think that was a very nice FEM
mime way of catching your attention"
remarked. go on"
That's jist what I did do. 1 went
on from day ter day. week ter week,
till it seemed ter me If anything hap
pened between me an that gal I'd col
lapse. Somethin' did happen. Farmer
Owens TUX a farm ham fur the haydn,
an what did Daisy do but take him
out in her buggy that her father bought
fur her at Christmas an drive right
by that house a-purpose ter show him
off ter me- ] tell We. stranger, she
lad the wickedest eye in her We ever
see" s zz22z,ss e -.tssss5 ,,.-s.. --'---
~-~'Another feminine trait" observed
Miss Daisy was evidently a woman
"She was a woman. stranger, an the
worst kind of a One," Dale went on
lugubriously. she broke me all up.
fist rented this farm an went away.
i didn't come back fur ten years. Then
] made up my mind that women folks
wasn't with worryin' about, an l TUX
my farm ag'in an began ter work it
The fust time l went by Farmer
Owens Daisy come Out-she had
grown ter be a fine lookin' young wo
man of twenty-siX-an' what do &c
suppose she did,"
81 can't imagine
asked me if l wouldn't tie up cut
finger. She had the same wicked looE
in her eye she had when she drove thai
1opsided farm han by my house ter
years afore. Women is the persistent
est critters | ever see. | jist squared
off an said: 'Ye don't git me thai
away ag'in. Ye done it Oncet. an
that's enough But. do We know, stran
ger. she was so slick about it that il
five minutes / had my arm about he
an she was a-restin' her head on my
shoulder. She was a-cryin'. too-cryin
scrockerdile tears. no doubt.
WAL, we was engaged, but it didn'
las long. The question come up az
ter whether we'd be married by jus
tice or a parson. L don't like parsons
myself, an / wanted justice. Dais!
wanted a parson. an she was so blam'
set about it that 1 reckoned if she wa
as obstinate about small matter lik'
that she'd be wantin' ter run the farm
so 1 called the thing off, an I've beef
Twin alone here ever since"
'Mr Dale" 1 said. you have mis-
taken natural feminine traits for gen
aeraI cusSedness."
That's what they is, | tell ye. stran
ger. Ye don't understand"
You have declined to give up tina
which to a woman is a great dea
while to you it is nothing. Miss Owen
was right to insist on being Marie
by a parson. and you were ungenerou
20 refuse her. Now. let me give you
bit of advice. Miss Owens is sti
single? Yes. Well. go to her and te
her that when you first met her 20
we're a laundering idiot and that late
you were an obstinate brute. Say tina
If she will overlook your past error
you will spend your life in doin
penance."
why, stranger, if was ter>do tina
I'D never have any own way abou
anything afterward."
1T is the only way to have you
own way about everything with W.
man. Toss it all into her hands. an
she'll toss it right back to you. Nor
than that, she'll expect you to leat
and if you don't lead she'll not respet
you"
"Ye don't mean it! Say, strange