Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1914-12-16
STUPID
MAN
By LOUISE B. CUMMINGS

was afraid his son Abel would marry
Elizabeth Parks, the daughter of wild
ow Parks, who owned the adjoining
farm. Elizabeth was plenty good
enough for Abel, and the old mans OBJ
jectons to such a match were quite
unintelligible except that if Abel mar
ried and set up for himself his father
would be obliged to hire a farm hand.
But Mrs. jenkins had not been in
her grave six months before the farm
er one day suggested to his son that
it was kind of lonely in the house;
they needed a woman to do the cook
ing, and he rather thought Abel had
better marry Elizabeth and bring her
in for the purpose.
Though jenkins senior had no sus-
picion that Abel had any intentions
concerning the girl, Abel had been
making love to her for some time. and
Elizabeth was responding so far as
she thought best. Abel reported to her
what his father had said and supposed
that she would be pleased to know,
that the way was made easy for them
But to his surprise she received the
announcement with knitted brOws.
Abel" she said, you're fool"
It's not pleasant thing to be called
a fool by the woman one loves even
If one is fool, and the statement
made a temporary estrangement. Abel
sought to know why be was fool, and
the reply was:
why didn't he encourage you to
propose to me before?'
Il don't know" said Abel.
sand why does he do it nowT'
II don't know" Abel. repeated.
VI know. In telling you to bring me
home to do his Homework he's grind
ing his own AK"
'sOf course he wants you to help US
out, but wouldn't we all be happy?"
I'm the first place he doesn't want
me to come to his house at all, and in
the second we wouldn't be happy to-
gether If l marry you I'll marry you
alone and not with him thrown in"
"Well, what shall we do?'
"wait."
In this One word wait Abel receiv-
ed his orders. He was not taken into
his betrothed's plans at all. He haC
been told by her that he was fool
and as to the matter in question ht
was. Abel was a very smart fellow
in some respects, but in seeing through
this change in his fathers designs 70
him he was STEPPED to his ears in stu
pidity. Nothing is so irritating to on
who sees thing with absolute clever
ness as to be confronted by one VIII
cannot see it at all. In other words
if l see plainly before me a horse nip
ping the grass in a pasture, just as
have seen hundreds of horses doin
the same thing hundreds of times be
fore, and one comes along who tell
me the horse is a camel and sticks
it, it makes me mad.
One morning Farmer jenkins awOk
at daylight, as was his custom, to fin
a number of the widow Parks pig
roofing about among his spring vegt
tables that were of a very tender ag'
He found that loose bar in the fenC
separating the two places had bee
removed during the night Such
thing bad never happened before, an
he couldn't account for it. He drOv
the pigs back. and, while angry at til
loss of dollars worth of peas, strin
beans. radishes and other simils
green things, he happened on tt
widow
Mrs. Parks" he said. yer pigs co:
me a hundred dollars wo'th O. garde
truck last night"
II hn
"Well, if you wont keep your fenC
in condition, Mr. Jenkins. you hav
only yourself to blame"
Its your fence"
'Tts no such thing. The fence c
that side O. my farm don't belong
me, and it isn't party fence neithe
it's yours
That was a mere starter-the begi
ming of a war The widows shal
tongue cut gashes all over the farI
er's feelings and dashed him to fur
When there was a lull on the fri
line Abel went to see Eliza beth.
What a pity" he said, that n
pop and your nom have got to fgt
ing"
"How have l Numbered nowY
81 let the pigs into your farm;
it purpose"
did it a purpose? What did y
do it for?'
ITO make a break between your p
and my NOM | could see before yC
mother was buried that your pop wol
90 for nom as soon as he dared do
He knew he would find an enemy
me, and be- thought he'd fix me
withdrawing his opposition to "
marrying me. 1t was plain as
nose on your face"
Elizabeth" said Abel, after givi
himself time to digest this astOnishi
Information, 81 wonder how you KIN
all this
ST wonder how you didn't know
Maybe you're wrong, after all"