The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-01-04

next I've worked up a scheme sever al times to unload this plant, and she 1 has been with me clean along to the | actual signing of the papers, and then l Topped right over and sWore she nev- 1 CT once said she was in favor of let 1 ting go. The best deal ever had a whack at was when a fellow from 1 Walker county came and offered his
 100 acre farm for an even swap. She
 was so tickled over it that l had to hire a rig an drive right over to look 1 at the property. The house on it
 pleased her, the land was all right an | on the way back home she was chock | full of plans as to what we were go- l ing to do in the new hOm9. She was l even afraid the fellow would change l his mind and hardly slept wink that night. The next day I told the fellow I'd swap, an he come around with a ] lawyer to fix it all up. My wife was 1 on hand. and all was smooth sailing till she happened to ask the fellow 1 what kind of water was in the well near the kitchen He told her it was the eeldest, purest spuFt of limestone that ever shot from virgin rock, an
 what do you think she done? She tore up the document the lawyer had work ed on and said she couldn't drink lime stone water. She said folks said it gave people that drank 1t all kinds of trouble and. wouldn't let cupful of it go down her throat for any money. The fellow told herlshe wouldn't have to touch it, as there was spring of fine freestone within 200 yards of the house, but she shook her head She wanted well water and wouldn't have no other sort"
 Abner was now staring gravely, a look of genuine concern on his lined face. ttSo even-I say even ef you did get a good chance to unload yore wife would be apt to act that way ag'in?"
 That's exactly the point I was com ing to- Hillhouse said wearily. 'sThe truth is, things have taken big turn in nay favor Nol announcement has been made in my! columns of it be- cause I don't think it looks we'll for an editor to plaster his own private affairs over a sheet he's running for the public at large, but my brother Joe,
 Thn, you may know, is in the ware house business in Augusta, made me a bang up proposition by mail week ago."
 "Oh, he did, eh?'' Abners eyes twin kled shrewdly. T was down thar not long ago an seed 'im."
 'sYes; maxim money hand over fist, an he needs ma1 of ability to help him out. Naturally he thought of me He said he would pay me fine sal ary-I needn't say exactly how much and that I'd stand a rattling good chance of working into a permanent interest, especially if I had few hun- dred to invest, which I would have if I was lucky enough to sell out here for cash
 q see." Abnet crossed his long legs, swung one of his feet up and down indiTerently and scratched himself un- der the arm. "It is a great pity you are tied so tight, ain't it?''I
 'oh. what is the use?" Hillhouse's face hared with incipient wrath, '1 get so mad.~Ab, at women in general, and my wife in particular, that I feel like kicking the whole thing into flinders. Why, when she first read that letter she mighty nigh had spasm of pure joy. She run around to all the neighbors showing 1t and talking about what tony, town Augusta was with it's telephones. street cars and electric light
 ssI thought the thing surely would be all right and somebody would buy me out In fact, two young men here in
  money. and wrote my brother a 1a- vofables letter telling him to- wait on me a few days. But what do you think happened7 You might make a million guesses and not hit on it. My wife and were on the back porch of our house. I'd run in to tell her that I thought the chances were fairly good for the young men to borrow the money to buy me out when a thing no more important than a common hen actually inteFfeped. She came elueing up to the step to be fed with some crumbs nay wife usually threw out. She went in the dining rOom-I mean my wife did, not the hen-and picked up the tablecloth and shook out some watermelon seeds and scraps of bread and the like, and while the hen was eating it she said-my wife said-she had heard Joe's wife say that Augusta was too big town to keep chickens in and that she really would hate to move to town where folks were so eramped they couldn't keep chickens. That feeFed me, Alb. I turned of without q word, for I knew that the very old Nick had got in her again. 1t happened to be chickens then, but It would be something else the next time.'a
 Abner hung his head thoughtful1y A grim look of determination was settling around his kindly eyes. t'I hain't nev- CT been yoked up myseif,'' he said, |but ef I was I'd wear the pants. Women are too broad at the hips to look well in that kind O garb, anyway. never knoWed man to prosper that run to his wife for advice. It hainat any of my business, HiIlhouse, but eff you don't act for ye,ese'f in this matter you'll be the biggest fool the sun ever shed light on.".
 Do you think so, Ab?"
 T don't think nothin' about it. know it. What you ert to do is to sell out whether she's wi!lin' or not. Then Id adYiSa You fo Offer ier had sta,