The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-10-04
BEGINNING OVER
BY ANDREW PHELPS.


twenty-five and "just girl" living a
home. Once a year Ned had vaca
ton, but he generally spent it at thu
seashore. What he didn't know abou
the country and agriculture would
have filed n big book. What he knew
about bookkeeping would have filled
another.
AS for Miss Dorothy, she knew thai
hay came from grass, and that milk
came from cows, but those facts had
never Interested her much and she had
never gone beyond them.
They loved. 1t doesn't make any
difference whether they fell in love at
first sight, or waited for three months,
and when Miss Dorothy had promised
to be Ned's wife, they talked. En-
gagged couples generally talk, but very
( few of them talk as Ned and Dorothy
did. There should be lawn In front
of the cottage. There should be room
for big garden behind it. They
should keep hens; they should keep
at least two pigs; they should raise
their own vegetables, and you know
what else is needed to complete the
happy plans.
By and by, Ned and Dorothy were
married and after brief wedding
tour, they returned home to look for
the cottage. They found 1t. 1t was
just the cottage they had pictured
thousand times over. They had re-
pairs made and moved in.
That lawnl 1t was lawn, or their
landlord said 1t was, but the grass was
n foot high and was matted together
like fish net. 1t must be moved,
however, and it was in this moving
that the first shadow fell.
Ned knew how to buy lawnmow-
er and to ride home proudly in the
wagon with it, but he did not know
how the thing worked. He was drag
ging it after him instead of pushing 1t
in front, when Dorothy came TO the
door and laughed, to his humiliation.
They were to keep chickens. Ned,
got half day off and went to see
farmer to buy some fowls. A car
penter came with lumber and nails
and made chicken house.
They had planned to keep pigs, and
Ned bought a couple. The carpenter
came again and a pen was built, and
the grunts of the pigs sounded home
like,
1t was in July and far past planting
time, but Ned arose with daylight and
planted corn and potatoes and the
seeds of many vegetables. He limped
around with lame back as q conse-
quence, but he looked forward to a
came and sat on the roof tree, and |
cooed, and all would have been happi- |
ness had either of the couple known |
as much about agriculture as they did
about moving pictures. Everything
the wife undertook brought protest
from her husband, and vice versa.
When the hens were brought home
there was no food and water for them,
and they began to die off. 1t was only /
when a neighbor told them that fowls
must be fed and watered that they
gave them care.
you ought to have known better"
said the wife.
$50 had you" was the reply.
And when the pigs had been three
days without care and were giving
vent to their disgust at such careless
ness the bride suddenly remembered
hat pigs wanted care the same as
fowls, and she hurried to heat some
water and to carry out some fish
bones. When Ned was told of this in
,ident he replied that anybody would
have known better.
The potatoes did not sprout and the
,orn showed never stalk, and each
laid the other ought to have known {
,etter than to plant two months too g,
ate. A few cucumber seeds sprout-
d and a few vines. wandered over the {
but they died from despair
fter few weeks. Never an egg did [
he hens lay; never an ounce of fat d
lid those pigs take on. !
One day Miss Dorothy went home to
er mother, and she cried and told her a
II about 1t. One day Ned went to see
lis father, and he looked very solemn d
S he told his story. Dorothy told her 4
Mother that she and Ned must separ-
tie. Ned told his father that he could !
lot stand this thing longer. The result
7as that Dorothy's mother and Ned's h
ather made visit to the woodblne G
ottage that evening. a
There will be no separation" said S
Ied's father, when all particulars had r
cen related. "Even an idiot can fall P
! love, but you have got to have COM a
ION sense TO retain that love-" = :,
But, Ned says 1 never do anything =
ght" protested Dorothy. e
"And she says the same thing about q,
Iel !" retorted Ned.
You had the good sense to marry m
ach other, but you didn't have the p
,nse to make a farm of this place." &C
lid the father. you let the failure eI
ritate you, and your irritation caused Il
ou to blame each other Stop II m
ght here! Ned, you love your wife u
early, don't youf" :,
yes" =
"And you, Dorothy. love NedT Ii
yes" =;
"Then kiss each other and begin all en-
rer. and you will come out all right. til
han Won dontt Epou- a 4b;p0 ool- kra