The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-11-04
Euening Story
II Pays to Compromise.
BY H. LOUIS RAYBoLD.


'sFwo acres at most" retorted Betty
quite as firmly.
! And then these two very positive,
very young people sat regarding each
other defiantly. each secretly hoping
the other would weakly yield with
We'll, have it your own way" But,
as it happened, neither did.
The circumstances, to be brief,
were as follows: Peter and Betty ex-
peeted to be married in exactly two
weeks. Their itinerary was planned
down to the very last railroad ticket.
But-and this was relevant to the
subject under diseussien-theg had as
yet no place to which to return when
the honeymoon was over.
Peter boarded, and SO did Betty.
And their strongest emotion, except
their love for each other, was preju-
dice against boarding any longer.
Betty had visions of a softly lighted
living-roen not shared with sixteen
other roemers, while Peter had dreams
of pies not made with substitutes and
then divided into innumerable small
pieces.
Out of this feeling had emerged the
desire for a real heme-a home with
capital H. And gradually had grown
vision of a home in the country with
vegetable gardens and cows and chick
ems and, yes, bees and pig. As the
fancy grew, Peter saw himself a full
! of living defiantly in the face. That
is, he saw himself farmer in be-
tween times when he was not earning
his salary as a modestfy paid employe
of Campbell & Westcott, wholesale
grocefs.
Therein lay the hitch. Peter"
urged Betty, t'if we get a place with
a little land it will be as much as we
can manage. Better go slow and
work a small place thorely than have
a lot of idle fields on our hands grow
ing sour for lack of crePs." Betty had
not been perusing the agricultural bull
letins for nothing.
VERY we'll" sand Peter stfffly. "But
IL we are going in for this sort OF
thing, we ought to do it ON big
enough scale to make it worth while,
with enough acres OF raise the hay TO
feed the horses that do the plowinS
that prepares the fields that yield the
crops
ut sounds like the house that Jack
built" giggled Betty. Then, serious
| won't be a party to any such foolish
ness. Besides. after saying right
along that you would be satisfied with
twenty-five acres, you are lacking 1t
up to fifty! It's absurd"
And that is the point at which the
+ Peter went home very shortly and
tttried to forget that he and Betty
were INDUCING in their first quarrel.
But even as he attempted to interest
back to the landers. Betty's piquant
little face as she defied him danced
between the lines. "Fwo acres at
| most!" she had insisted.
You see Peter had seen in the pa
| per an advertisement of farm for
sale with considerably more than two
lacres of land, and telephone con-
versation with the agent had com
WINGED him that 1t was a decidedly
worthwhile buy. Hence it was up to
him, by fair means or foul, to per-
Esuade Betty likewise. ss7e
moRed from breakfast by a tele-
phone call. Peter didn't usually call
her at such an early hour. Eight
o'clock it was. He must have just
reached the office.
"Hello-yes-tbis is Betty-yes-
The substance OF the call was
this: Peter had come across an add
vertisement Che didn't say When) adj
vertising u farm for sale. According
to Peter there wasn't much else to
the item but that simple fact. At
least it made no mention of stocks
OF tools or improvements. OF course,
it might not be at all what they
wanted, but would Betty please meet
him during his noon hour and call
WITH MIN at the agent IN whose
name it was listed?
After a moment, Betty agreed. 1t
was true that Peter had departed
the night before without his usual
kiss and she had intended to hold
him to account. But, after all, her
interest in securing a home far out
weighed any petty desire for pun
ishment. So she promised to meet
him, and hung up the receiver.
Peter found her at the time agreed
upon and, as his eyes fell en- the trim
figure in the smart little suit with the
perky hat with the mercury wings
projecting from either side, he men
tally registered the statement that he
was a lucky chap.
A few minutes later they gazed en-
raptured at q photograph of a low
eayed farmhouse with broad peranda
and dorner windows On either side
the land appeared TO extend indefi-
nitely. but the size of the picture pre-
vented one telling the amount of act
ual acreage.
''It's a bargain all right" the agent
| was declaring with what really
| seemed to be genuine sincerity rather
| than the conventional praise that was
part of his stock in trade. Seven
rooms-all improvements-on the
| trolley-five minutes from churches,
stores and school. Land in excellent
condition, mostly titled. Stalls for
| three horses. Sanctions"
How MUCH" with one eye on Betty,
Peter was about to put the vital ques
! ton. but the agent misunderstood.
-Four thousand dollars-half cash,
rest on easy terms, part bank mort
gage"
Yes, that part was all right, but
How many aeres?"
"Oh," said the agent in surprise.
| Thought I told you that before
Twenty-six."
Peter watched Betty to see how she
| took it. Her brow was furrowed as If
! in mental calculation. Then, Lets
look at It," she said non-committally.
That evening the agent took them
out in his car. After walking over the
| fields and thru the orchards, after in
| speeting the gray-shingled house. the
agent thoughtfully left them to them
selves on the veranda to arrive at a
decision.
Shyly, Betty's hand stole into Pc
ter's. 1T seems like home to me al
/ ready" she said.
4