Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1918-02-06
BEGINNING OVER
BY ANDREW PHELPS.

That was surrey 4 rove haiNh We
,.raen Ned Richards and Dorothy
white Ned was a bookke Ner and
,wenty years old, and Dorose. was
.renty-two and "just girl diving at
some. Once a year Ned had vaca-
,,on hut he generally spent II at the
seasbore. What he didn't know about
no country aud agriculture would
nave filed a big book. What he knew
about bookkeeping would have filled
anether.
As for Miss Dorothy, she knew that
hay came from grass, and that milk
zane from cows. but those facts had
,s,er Interested her much and she had
never gone beyond them.
They loved. II doesn't make any
difference whether they fell In love at
arst sight. or waited for three months,
and when Miss Dorothy had promised
10 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 q dig garden behind It, They
should keep hens; they should keep
At least two pigs: they should raise
their own vegetables, and you know
shat else is needed to complete the
happy plans.
By and by, Ned and Dorothy were
married and after a brief wedding
tour, they returned home to look for
the cottage. They found 1t. 1t was
iust the cottage they had pictured a
thousand times over. They had re-
pairs made and moved In.
That lawni 1t was lawn. or their
landlord said IL was, but the grass was
foot high and was matted together
IKE q fish net. II must be moved.
however. and 1t was In this moving
that the first shadow fell.
Ned knew how to buy a lawnmow-
er and TO ride home proudly In the
wagon with Ii, but he did not know
how the thing worked. He was drag
ding 1t 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
cot 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 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 a lame back as a eonse-
quence. but he looked forward to a
bOuntlful harvest. Half dozen doves
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"
reprOaehfully said che 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
that 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
cident he replied that anybody would
nave known better.
The potatoes did not sprout and the
corn showed never stalk, and each
said the other ought TO have known
better than to plant two months too
Ate. A few cucumber seeds spxout-
60 and few vines wandered over the
ground, but they died from despair
after few weeks. Never an egg did
me hens lay; never an ounce OF fat
do those pigs take on.
One day Miss Dorothy went home to
her mother, and she cried and told her
all about 1t. One dsy Ned went to see
MS father. and he looked very solemn
as he told his story. Dorothy told her
mother that she and Ned must separ-