The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-07-31
CYNTHIA'S
WOOING
BY PAULINE D. EDWARDS


farm l found it mighty hard to run
the housewOrk.
One evenin' when I'd watered the
horses and MIXED the cows and done
oil the other chores we farmers have
to do l went into the house and got
my supper. BY the time I'd washed
the dishes l was dead tired and, set
tin down in front Of the fire, got to
thinkin' what lot O. work had to do
that was usually done by women.
could stand it all till it came to wash
in dishes, and that l always hated.
There came rap at the door, and
Cynthia Jones came in to ask me II 1
wouldn't lend her mother a quart of
milk. The Joneses have the next farm
to mine There's one boy and FIVE
girls. I've Often wondered what Farm
er Jones1 do with all his girls. There's
only one livin' at the farm, and thatll
go to the boy. went to the spring
house and got Cynthia tue milk. and
as handed it to her she said:
You're very comfortable here, Mr..
Crabb, amt you?"
well, yes" | answered. I'm COM
Portable enough"
Don't you ever git lonesome nvin'
all alone?'
mo. | don't git lonesome at all.
You see, by the time l git the dishes
washed it's perty nigh bedtime"
"DO you like dishwashin'? Most
men don't
IL hate it."
why don't you git a woman to do
it for you?"
81 don't know anybody that would
like to hire out for that purpose"
you might marry some one. She
could do all the woman's work-the
sweepin', the cookin', the milkin' and
ALL"
II don't know any one that would
marry me-"
You don't mean It! Why, there's
lots O. nice girls would be glad Of the
position. | know girl that would mar
ry you and make you good wife"
who's tlat?"
why, Mr.. Crabb, you wouldn't have
me tell you! She wouldn't thank me
for doin' Sd If she did it would be
immodest OF her."
SIS it Susan Park?"
NO"
ut amt Melis Billings, is it?"
mo; don't refer to Melis. But
won't give you any more guesses."
Seems to me that's kind O. mean"
'1'll tell you what I'll do. Come in
to our house Sunday night and I'll give
you the first letter of her first name"
made the call on Sunday evenin'
and found all the family except Gym
thia gone to church. There was a fire
burnin on the hearth, and the brass
andirOns shOne beautiful. Cynthia had
some apples and cider on the table
waitin', and altogether everything look
ed mighty fine. Somehow l could nev-
er make my livin' room look like that,
and told her so. She said men
couldn't do such things; only women
could.
Cynthia made me feel at home and
i
she was goin' to tell me, and l went
away without it. l met her on the
road the next day, and said:
What was the letter you was goin'
to tell me? | clean forgot 1t"
you'll have to come for it next Sun
day." she said as she hurried on.
l went the next Sunday night, and
the first thing did was to ask for
that letter before forgot it. Cynthia
said she'd tell me just before l went
home, only was to remind her Of it.
The family was mostly at home this
time, and Cynthia took me into little
6 by 0 room off the dinin' room. There
was only one easy chair in it. Gym
thia set herself down in that and left
me chair with wooden seat. To
ward 10 o'clock got so tired couldn't
stand it any longer. | got up and walk
ed about to rest myself. and Cynthia
moved aside, and, seein she didn't in
tend to be mean about ii, l sat down
beside her.
Would you believe it? l went away
without thinkin' to remind her of the
first letter Of the girls name who
would like to marry me! met her In
u few days in the store and asked her
for it, but she said I'd have to try 1t
again and IL I didn't remember this
time she wouldn't tell me at all.
l went round the third time to get
that letter and found not only the fam
lily at home, but lot O. friends there.
So Cynthia had to take me to a closet
where they kept old books and maya
zines. and We set on the pile with our
legs stickin' out into the hall The
closet was narrower than the easy
chair we'd set in the second night |
was there, and there want no room
for my arm, so had to put it around
her. We set there that away from Z
till 10 o'clock.
"By cracky," l said jest as l was
a-goin' away, ''if didn't pretty nigh
forgit ag'in to ask for that letter.
Cynthia larfed and said that the first
letter l had missed by not askin' for