The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-01-28
Who Did the
Counting?
By ETHEL HOLMES



wanted her powerful bad But laws,
what chance had | among lot o fell
lers most of EN- better loolzin' than me, Il
some of EN- with either good farm or 1
money in the bank or both. But Mar
tina and / We're neighborS and good
enough friends and | says to myself,
why not sw0op around and find out |
how the land lays? So one day | says |
to her. says I, Martha, how is it that
a good-loolin' girl like you don't git |
married? 1t certainly can't be for |
want of fellers to choose from"
"What made you think anybody
wanted me?'' she says.
How about Tom Stigers?" l says.
'He got five hundred acres Of the best
corn land in the country, and buildin's
and farm tools complete"
"He wouldn't look at me-" said Mar
tina.
"Or Jim Ferguson, with his dairy
farm. or Ed Williams, who sells more
FOODS out of his store in a month than
nybody about here does in q year"
Il couldn't git any one o them said
Z L
/ en-"
] I suppose I ort to have said to her
/ fter this, "Well, if you can't git any
/ # them fellers, what's the matter
with meg" but somehow | thort that
! there was a big down-hilI jump from
( he worst of 'em TO me. who was as
homely as grounding. but I couldn't
do it. reckoned I'd better beat about
the bush a while longer"
"What would you give me-" I said,
IF I'd git you Il hushand?"
The first kiss o the bride" she
says, loOkin' at me out o the corner
of her eyes kind o sassy.
The thought o that first kiss made
me feel like dom a heap O tryin' to
git Martha a husband but l remem-
bered the Teller l got for her would git
all the other kisses. and it want so
much of a bargain after all.
wall" says /. 'Ill see what I kin
do for YOU" I didn't mean to do any
thing. but every time | met Martha
after that she says to me, "When You
goin' to git me that hushand?" II
seemed to me I was maxim myself
ridiculous in not doin' somepin' in the
matter, so I says one day to Jake Trot-
ter, Jake says 7. 'how would you
like to git married?" "Fust rate"
says Jake, "if I could cit a likely gal"
Il know a gal" I says, "vho wants Il
husband" Bring Us together" says
e Jake.
Well l done it. took him to see
: Martha. Jake was driyin a wagon
through the country. selin' tinware
ana SIGH like The next time l met
Martha she was a-settin' up beside him
r IN the high seat eni6yinf herself to
beat the band. She waved her hand
[ to me and larfed when she went by.
l stood lookin' back 1T the wagon and
I said to myself Luke. the fOol-killer
+, is loOkin' fur YOU l met Sam Lynch
! few minutes after I seen Martha
perched up thar beside Jake and l says
2 to him. "Sam, l wish you would give
: me a good kickin'." Sam did as
: asked him; then 1 called upon him tC
repeat the dose; and he done it.
Next day I see Martha ridin' hel
bay mar. She called out to me, Luke
a come round and see me: want to
thank you for what You done for me-
n oh" l says, sit isn't time for the
:. reward yet"
0 Come any way" she says.
: So | went round that very evening
Martha had a fine lot o logs burnin
4 on the hearth and she drew the sof!
# up in front of 'em and she sot dowl
on the sofy beside me and says:
d, Luke. you've done me a might.
great favor, introducin' Jake Trotte
to me. He hasn't lost no time il
> proposin' to me: not bit o beatir
!. about the bush; but just come out fla
:. and asked me to be his WIFE,"
! / must "A looked powerful down i
u the mouth, for Martha said kind {
D. SympathiZin', "Are you sorry for tn
1t favor you done me, Luke?"
E I didn't say nothin', I couldn't;
thOrt my heart would burst.
Is The SOfy was big enough for fou
&c people, but Martha sidled up to the en-
where / was settin' and she says: "Yo
IS see, Luke, fathers gettin' old and ma
ly be taken away soon; then I'd be lei
1e diOHH. L WAS IOOlln Nnen L SalQ non
o them fellers you spoke OF didn
in want me, for all of EN- had axed m
sh There was one teller | did want, br
he'd never axed me. So when 70
h offered to git me n husband. calculatil
dc you might strike the man | wanted,
iist took up with your offer"
and | struck him. / grOaned
~ what internal luck Who'd "a though
I'll it,"
'' You remember the reward offere
you, Luke" she said coaxinsly.
on ''No, what was it?'
She drew away from me kind
IT'S sulky. Then she told ME what it wa
nj and seen it didn't make me feel I
better, she said, Il reckon | can giN
vs. ii to you in advance
hH | turned toward her; she was looli
at me half smiling and half provoke
| drew her toward me and kissed he
au She wouldn't let me go and all of