The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-07-10
A STUPID
MAN
Bv 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
j~ections 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 vas made easy for them.
But to his surprise she received the
announcement with knitted brows.
abel" she said. you're a fool"
It's not a pleasant thing to be called
a fool by the woman one loves w
if one is a fool, and the statement
made a temporary estrangement. Abel
sought to know why he was a fool, and
the reply was:
why didn't he encourage you to
propose to me before?"
II don't know" said Abel.
And why does he do it now?"
II do,it know" Abel repeated.
II know. In telling you to bring me
home to do his homework 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 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. II l marry you I'll marry You
alone and not with him thrown in"
well, what shall we dor"
wait"
In this n 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 he was a fool.
and as to the matter in question h.
a Abel was a 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 a thing with absolute clever
ness as to be confronted by one who
cannot see 1t at all. In other words.
If l see plainly before me a horse nip
ping the grass in u pasture. just as l
have seen hundreds of horses doing
the same thing hundreds Of times be-
fore, and n comes along who tells
me the horse is u camel and sticks to
1t, 1t makes me mad.
One morning Farmer jenkins awOke
at daylight. as was his custom, to find
q number of the widow Parks pigs
roofing about among his spring vege-
tables that were Of a very tender age.
He found that q 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 a hundred dollars wo'th O. garden
truck last night"
It was the tone that was offensive.
well. IL you wont keep your fence
in condition, Mr.. jenkins. you have
only yourself to blame"
Its your fence"
Its no such thing. The fence on
that side O. my farm don't belong to
me, and it isn't a party fence neither:
it's yours"
That vas q mere s~tarter-the begin
ming Of q The widows sharp
tongue cut gashes all over the farm
er's feelings and dashed him to q fury.
When there was q lull on the firing
line Abel went to see Elizabeth.
what q pity" he said, THAT my
pop and your nom have got to fight
ing"
".Oh.. Abel. you make me tired"
How have I blundered n0wT'
Il let the piss into your farm; l did
It a purpose"
did it a purpose? What did you
do It fort"
ITO make a break between your pop
and my nom. l could see before your
mother was buried that your pop would
60 for nom as soon as he dared do 80.
He knew he would find an enemy In
me, and he thought he'd fix me by
withdrawing his opposition to your
marrying me It was plain as the
nose on your face"
Elizabeth" said Abel. after giving
himself time to digest this astonishing
Information. 81 wonder how you knew
all this"
Il wonder how you didn't know It."
Maybe you're wrong. after ALL"
Try and see"
sSYY--eSS ....E