Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1914-10-02
. STUPID
MAN
By LOUISE B. CUMMINGS


Parks, who owned the adjoining
a m. Elizabeth was plenty good
ebugh for Abel. and the old mans OBJ
tions to such a match were quite
0Eintelligible except that If Abel mar
I'd and set up for himself his father
Would be obliged to hire farm hand.
But Mrs Jenkins had not been in
nj grave six months before the farm
6FOne day suggested to his son that
Mwas kind of lonely in the house:
Qey needed woman to do the cook
and he rather thought Abel had
tier marry Elizabeth and bring her
iHfor the purpose.
Though Jenkins senior had no sus-
pIc1on that Abel Ind any intentions
H1ncerning the girl. Abel had been
skiing love to her for some time, and
Ilzabeth was responding so far as
oQe thought best Abel reported to her
ynat bis father had said and supposed
tnnt she would be pleased to know
emt the way was made easy for them.
mi to his surprise she received the
announcement with knitted brows.
Abel" she said. you're fool"
rs not pleasant thing to be called
fool by the woman one loves even
n one is fool, and the statement
made temporary enlargement Abel
eought to know why he was fool, and
the reply was:
Why didn't he encourage you to
prOpose to me beforeW
III don't know" said Abel
And why does he do 1t now?'
81 don't KNOW" Abel repeated.
"l know. 10 telling you to bring me
hOme to do his bousework he's grind
Ing his own AK
"Of course he wants you to help US
out. but wouldn't we all be happyY
I'm the Grst 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 marry you I'll marry you
alone and not with him thrown in"
a well. what shall we do?"
Il. wait"
I'll In this one word wait" Abel receiv.
ed his orders. He was not taken into
his betrothed's plans at all. He had
been told by her that be was a fool
and as to the matter in question he
WAS. Abel was very smart fellow
In some respects. but in seeing through
this change In his fathers designs for
him he was STEPPED to his ears in stu
pidity. Nothing Is so irritating to one
who sees thing with absolute clever
fn h.A tad hu xuh
cannot see 1t at all. In other words
If see plainly before me Il horse nip
ping the grass In pasture, just as /
have seen hundreds Of horses doing
the same thing hundreds Of times be-
fore, and one comes along who tells
me the horse is camel and sticks to
1t, 1t makes me mad
One morning Farmer jenkins awoke
at daylight. as was his custom. to find
a number of the widow Parks pigs
roofing about among his spring vege
tables that were Of a very tender age
He found that loose bar In the fence
separating the two places had been
removed during the night Such q
thing had never happened before. and
he couldn't account for it. He drove
the pigs back. and. while angry at the
loss of dollars worth Of peas, string
beans. radishes and other similar
green things. be happened on the
widow.
Mrs. Parks" he said. yer pigs cost
me hundred dollars wo'th o garden
truck last night"
1t was the tone that was offensive.
We'll. II you wont keep your fence
in condition, Mr.. Jenkins. you have
only yourself to blame"
Its your fence"
"It's no such thing. The fence on
that side O. my farm don't belong to
me. and it isn't party fence neither;
it's yours"
That was a mere starter-the begin
ming of war. The widows sharp
tongue cut gashes all over the farm
er's feelings and dashed him to a fury,
When there was lull on the firing
line Abel went to see Elizabeth.
What pity" he said, that my
pop and your nom have got to fight
ing"
"Oh. Abel. you make me tiredw
How have l Numbered nowT
Il let the pigs into your farm; I did
it purpose"
did it a purpose? What did you
do it for?''
ITO make break between your pop
and my MON. could see before your
mother was buried that your pop would
go for nom as soon as he dared do so.
He knew he would find an enemy In
me. and he thought he'd fix me by
withdrawing his opposition to your
marrying me. 1t was plain as the
nose on your face"
Elizabeth" said Abel, after giving
himself time to digest this astonishing
Information, II wonder how you knew
all this"
Il wonder how you didn't know 1t. i"
Maybe you're wrong. after ALL"
"Try and see."'
"HowT"
"Tell your father you and I are 60.
ing to be married. and I'm going to
keep house for you and him"
That night when Abel went home he
acted on Elizabeth's suggestion.