Smyrna times., 1918-10-23
HIS FARM MERETTE
BY NELLIE A. DELANEY.
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en-.
Tonight four girls were coming from
the city to work on the farm. Mr..
LoiDy found male help impossible to
secure, so at last he gave up and ad-
vertiSed for farmerettes.
Martha brushed back the let black
halr from her forehead, put on fresh
Dlue gipgham dress, a white, stiffly
Starched apron, and before she could
get TO the kitchen a loud pealing of
the door bell announced the arrival
OF the new farm hands. She ODened
the door nervOusly, and there stood
IOur faShiOnably dressed girls. Laugh
ing and chatting merrily, they followed
the now more than ever nervous
Martha.
In the dining room Tom Colby, born
farmer, showed plainly that life on a
farm had not made him any different
from the rest of the sterner sex. He
gazed admiringly at each pretty girl,
and Martha could not remember when
he had talked so much, but instead of
the uneasy feeling leaving her it grew
more apparent, and she tried in vain
to hide the red hands, rough from
heavy work.
Married at sixteen, then ten years of
hard work to help pay off the mort
gage on the little farm, made Martha
feel more like forty than twenty-six.
Before the first meal was over Mar
tha was experiencing a feeling absO-
lutely new to her. She was thinking
of the long evenings when Tom, after
hard days work, would go to sleep
in his easy chair, then the long, lone
some evening must be passed in si-
lence. Tonight he was wide awake,
| and after supper, through the open
window Martha watched him eagerly
show the four girls the different places
on the farm. She turned from the
window, and the ugly pain that had
started at supper, increased with great
rapidity, nor could she explain its
meaning, for Martha was experiencing
jealousy for the first time in her life.
She hated the four rOsy-cheeked girls
with their city ways; she hated the
way they plastered their hair around
| their ears entirely covering them, and
she felt that she almost hated her be-
loved Tom.
AS the days wore on Martha became
more Silent and miserable. One day
she got up courage to ask Tom what
he thought of the farmerettes, and he
nXnrQCcn6 hfuncO1f in
peaches" Then it was true, she told
herself, Tom was slowly slipping away
from her, and walking into the next
room the big brown eyes filled with
tears.
"Why the tears, girlie?" a musical
voice sounded behind her. The blood
rushed to Martha's cheeks as the pret-
tiest of the four farmerettes ap-
preached her. 81 forgot my powder
puff" she added by way of explanation
for coming back from the field.
Martha's first impulse was to run
away; instead, wOmanlike, she burst
into tears, and let the girl she hated
lead her to the chair and coax from
her the reason why she wept. Putting
her arm around Martha, she whis-
pered: "Little country girl, you are
jealous without cause; why, you are
five times as pretty as any city girl.
But as we are going back to the city
tonight, let's prove that fact to your
husband. He is going to drive us to
the station, but before we go we will
fix you up a little-Only," she added,
1--WE can't put any more roses in
those cheeks" After much whispered
planning, they separated.
That night, as Tom Colby sat in the
wagon waiting for the four girls to ap-
| pear, it seemed to him it took them a
long time to bid Martha goOd-by. They
finally appeared, and Tom drove them
to the station. He did not wait for
the train; somehow, tonight he lOnged
to pass a pleasant evening alone with
his wife; he had made up his mind
there was just one little farmerette
in the world for him, and that was
| Martha.
AS he drove into the yard, he was
| little surprised that Martha did not
come to meet him, as was her custom.
Throwing the reins to the hired man,
he hurried into the kitchen. The sup
per dishes were still in the pan, and
the table had not been cleared.
A feeling of fear came over Tom, and
he hurried into the bedroom. There on
the floor in a crumpled heap was the
familiar blue gingham dress. slight
noise in the parlOr turned his atten-
tiOn there, and pushing open the door
he beheld Martha in blue silk dress,
white shoes and stockings, and, worst
of all, the beautiful black hair was
pulled tightly over two pink ears.
Tom stared for some minutes in 81
lence, then Martha asked sweetly: "DO
look so strange in pretty clothes,
Tom? Don't look as good as the four
farmerettesT"
'Why. Martha, girl" Tom replied