Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1913-08-14
The Fnst letter of
Her Name
By ALBERT KENYON

One eyenin, when watered the
horses and milRed the cows and done
all the other chores we farmers have
to do I went into the house and got
my supper. BY the time I'd washed
the dishes I was dead tired and, set
tin down In front OF the fire, got to
thinkin' what a lot o. work / had to
do that was usually done by women
could stand it all till 1t came to
washin' dishes. and that ! always
hated
There came a rap at the door and
1 Cynthia Jones came In to ask me IL II
wouldn't lend her mother q quart OF
milk. The Joneses have the next
farm to mine. There's one boy and
dve girls. I've often wondered what
Farmer Jones'H do with all his girls.
There's only one nyin' at the farm.
and thatn go to the boy. went to
the springhouse and got Cynthia the
milk, and as I handed it to her she
said: II
You're very comfortable here, Mr..
Crabb, amt your"
We'll, yes" I answered. I'm com
Portable enough"
"Don't you aver git lonesome Twin
all aIone?,
"No. I don't git lonesome at all.
You SCI, by the time I git the dishes
washed it's perty nigh bedtime"
do you like dishwashin'f Most
men don't
81 hate IT,"
why don't you git a woman to do
it for yon?"
u don't know anybody that would
like to hire out for that purpose"
"You might marry some one. She
could do all the woman's work-the
sweepin', the cookin', the milkin and
all"
81 don't know any one that would
marry me-"
"You don't mean It! Why, there's
lots O. nice girls would be glad OF the
position. know a girl that would
marry you and make you a good wife"
who's that2"
why, Mr.. Crabb, you wouldn't have
me tell you. She wouldn't thank me
for dom 50. II she did it would be
immodest OF her."
"Is it Susan Park7"
mo"
"It amt Melis Billings, is itf"
mo; / don't refer to Melis. But I
won't give you any more guesses."
Seems to me that's kind o. mean"
Trll tell you what I'll do. Come In
to our house Sunday night and I'll
J, give you the first letter Of her first
NAME"
I made the call on Sunday evening
, and found all the family except Gym
thia gone to church. There was a fire
} burnin' on the hearth, and the brass
!, andirons shone beautiful. Cynthia had
some apples and cider on the table
waitin', and altogether everything
looked mighty fine. Somehow I could
never make my livin' room look like
that, and / told her so. She said men
couldn't do such things; only women
: could.
Cynthia made me feel q good that
t forgot all about askin' her the letter
she was goin' to tell me, and I went
8 away without it. l met her on the
road the next day, and ! said:
What was the letter you was goin'
10 tell met I clean forgot It."
you'll have to come for 1t next Sun
day" she said as she hurried on.
: l went the next Sunday night, and
the first thing l did was to ask for
s that letter before I forgot It. Cynthia
s said she'd tell me just before went
home, only l vas to remind her of 1t.
8 The family was mostly at home this
. time, and Cynthia took me into a little
/ 9 by 9 room off the dinin' room. There
n was only one easy chair in 1t. Gym.
q thia set herself down in that and left
g me a chair with a wooden seat. 10.
ward 10 o'clock l got SO tired | couldn'i
Q stand 1t any longer. l got up and walk,
y cd about to rest myself. and Cynthia
g moved aside, and, seein' she didn't in.
, tend to be mean about 1t, I set down
u beside her.
!. Would you believe it7 ] went away
without thinkin' to remind her Of the
q first letter Of the girls name who
9 would like to marry mel I met her In
g. a few days In the store and asked bel
2 for 1t, but she said I'd have to try Il
. again and If I didn't remember this
q time she wouldn't tell me at all.
q l went round the third time to gel
that letter and found not only the fana
. lily at home. but a lot O friends there
e So Cynthia had to take me to a close
e where they kept old books and maya
e zines, and we set on the pile with on
70 legs stickin' out into the hall. Th,
y closet was narrower than the cas-,
= chair we'd set in the second night
20 was there, and there want 40 roon
for my arm, 80 / had to put It aronnt
y her. We set there that away from
TIL 10 O'clock
"By cracky," l said Jest as | wa
a-goin' away, IF I didn't pretty nigl
IL forgtt ag'in to ask for that letter.
Cynthia larfed and said that the frs
letter / had missed by not askin' for
z at my first call and the second TX
n missed on my second call. So ! wa
only entitled to the third letter. whicl
--St ElH'-f. =. ~ +. e. -. H..Et.H