The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-07-26
BY PAULINE D. EDWARDS

40 nhhueu Ill 10 uer Sne SAID.
You're very comfortable here, Mr..
Crabb, amt you?"
well, yes" answered. "Fm com.
Portable enough"
Don't you ever git lonesome Twin
all alone?"
NO. don't git lonesome at all.
You see, by the time git the dishes
washed it's perty nigh bedtime"
DO you like dishwashin'? Most
men don't
II hate it,
"Why don't you git woman to do
It for you?"
Il 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 tllat?'
| why, Mt. Crabb, you wouldn't have
me tell yon! She wouldn't thank me
for doin sl. II she did 1t would be
immodest OF her.
"Is it Susan ParkT
NO"
1T 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"
"lll 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 OH 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
yaitin', and altogether everything look
ed mighty fine. Somehow could new.
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
l forgot all about askin' her the letter
she was goin' to tell me, and l went
away without 1t. met her on the
road the next day, and said:
what was the letter you was goin'
to tell me? clean forgot It."
You'll have to come for 1t next Sun
day." she said as she hurried on.
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 l was to remind her of 1t.
The family was mostly at home this
time, and Cynthia took me into a little
9 by 8 room off the dinin room There
was only one easy chair in 1t. Gym
thia set herself down in that and left
me a 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, SEEM she didn't In
tend to be mean about it. 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
a few days in the store and asked her
for 1t, but she said I'd have to try 1t
again and If didn't remember this
time she wouldn't tell me at all.
| went round the third time to get
that letter and found not only the fam
ily at home, but lot o. friends there.
So Cynthia had to take me to closet
where they kept old books and maga-
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 nc 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 | was
a-goin' away, "if l didn't pretty nigh
forgit ag'in to ask for that letter.
Cynthia larfed and said that the first
letter I had missed by not askin' for
It at my first call and the second I'd
missed on my second call. So ] was
only entitled to the third letter, which
was "n." didn't like that way o
putin me of and went back and set
down agin to persuade her to tell me
the whole thing. She wouldn't, but
we had our heads perty nigh together
and a. lock of her hair brushed my
cheek. I kissed her. Then said |
didn't care rap for all the letters OF
the other girls name. / wanted ner
to come in and do the woman's work
on my farm for me.
And, laws. bow We did kick up our
hoHla af the weddin'i