Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-08-02
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With Abe
o0
By C. 3. LEWIS
By C. 3. LEWIS

In the country, when a young man
and a yoang woman are counting, it is
referred to as "settin' up together"
Abe Wright and Polly Andrews had
"set up" a hundred nights in her ia
theirs farmhouse kitchen before they
became engaged. The son or daughter
of a farmer is not as apt to rush into
love and matrimony as a young man
dwelling in a town. There may not be
as much formality between them, but
they look upon matrimony more seri-
ously.
There are a score Of object lessons
daily before their eyes. A farmer, to
succeed, must be ever rising early and
toiling late. His horses or his oxen
get more rest than he does. He cam
know very little of the comforts and
pleasures Of life and see to his acres
as well.
And if he works long hours his wife.
works longer ones Her work must be.
done on time as well as his. She may
live within five miles of a village and
yet not enter it once a year. He may.
be a subscriber to a county paper, and
yet she cannot spare the time to read
its contents.
The two young folks saw and expe-
rienced all this and much more, and
yet the instincts and sentiments of hui
mainly brought them together. They
would marry, as thousands of others
in their situation had done, and hope
that their future might work out bet
ter.
Miss Polly said "yes" to the proposal
of marriage, but the very next day she
admitted to her mother that sometimes
she thought she loved Abe and some
times she thought she didn't. She had
never been ten miles away from home.
The only men she had ever come in
contact with had been of her class, or
agents or peddlers. She knew there
was a big world outside of hers, but
she had never peeped at it. She had a
BIT of about her, and some
times she longed to see the brave men
and fair women that the books told
her about.
Abe Wright vas going to marry and
acquire a farm of his own. Therefore,
he whistled as he went about his work.
He had heard that a girl sometimes
went back on her pledge, but he was
as sure of Polly Andrews as he was
of the sun.
One day the girl ran over to Farmer
Waldron's OF an errand. She found a
strange young man there, who was
introduced to her as Brian Montgom-
cry. Even if he hadn't been good
looking and had taking ways with
him, his name would have won her
favor.
How did the name of Abe Wright
compare with that Of Brian Montgom-
cry!
The one belonged to the drudger Of
the soil-the other to a gentleman Of
the world, who had gold filling in his
teeth-who wore creases in his trou-
sers-who disdained paper collars; and
socks at ten cents a pair were not for
him. Mr.. Brian Montgomery, from
New York, Chicago and Boston, as he
announced, must surely be one of those
OIdNG anu SulldAI A1CA OAC Adu ACdo
and dreamed of.
When Miss Polly had departed for
home, Mrs. Waldron said to the cousin:
"Now, Brian, you must not set out
to turn that girls head. She is en-
gagged to a steady young farmer, and
you mustn't be the cause of a quarrel
between them"
"Oh, it will be q mild-a very mild
Irritation" he laughed in reply. "How
can l put in a month here and not flirt
with the only girl for a mile around"
And a day or two later the young
man came over to the house of Farmer
Andrews and introduced himself and
made himself very much at home.
do you like him, mother?" some
what a~nxiously Queried Polly, after
their caller had departed.
isn't he what they call freshT' was
asked in reply.
"Why, how can you say that? 1t is
simply that he has self-confidence."
zone would think that he had known
us for a year."
"But he was trying to put us at our
ease"
"Well, I dunno how Abe will take
it."
"But I don't see where he can find
any fault? He might talk with a dozen
girls and I shouldn't raise a row with
him about it"
Abe heard that there was a young
man visiting the Waldrons, but he
hadn't seen him. Neither had he
learned that the said young man was
making himself very much at home
at the Andrews farmhouse. The
mother had said to Polly:
81 don't believe that Abe knows that
Mr.. Montgomery is hanging around