Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1921-04-22
1t Pays
TO Compromise
By H. LOUIS RAYBoLD

Fifty acres, at least" said Peter
firmly.
1.-TWO acres at most" retorted Bet h
quite as firmly. V
And then these two very positive,
very young people sat regarding each
other defantly, each secretly hoping
the other would weakly yield with a
well, have 1t your own way" But,
as 1t happened, neither did.
; The circumstances, to be brief. were
as Follows; Peter and Betty expected
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 discussion-rthey had as yet no
place to which to return when the hon
eymoon 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 softly-lighted
living room not shared with sixteen
other roomers, 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 home-a home with
a capital 81. And gradually had grown
vision Of home In the country with
vegetable gardens and cows and chick
ems and, yes, bees and a pig. As the
fancy grew, Peter saw himself full
fiedged farmer, able to look the cost
of living deaantly in the face. That
is he saw himself farmer in between
times when he was not earning his
salary as a modestly paid employee Of
Campbell & Westcott, wholesale gro
GERS.
Therein lay the hitch. Peter"
urged Betty, "lf we get q place with
little land 1t will be as much as we
can manage. Better 90 slow and work
a small place thoroughly than have
a lot Of idle fields on our hands grow
ing sour for lack Of crops" Betty
had not been perusing the agricultural
bulletins Tor nothing.
very WE'LL" said Peter stiffly. But,
II we are going in for this sort of
thing, we ought to do 1t on q big
enough scale to make 1t worth while,
with enough acres to raise the hay to
feed the horses that do the blowing
that prepares the fields that yield the
crops"
ut sounds like the house that Jack
built" glggled Betty. Then, seriously,
well, all can say is that l won't
be party to any such foollshness.
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
story begins.
Peter went home very shortly and
tried to forget that he and Betty we're
lndulging In their first quarrel. But
even as he attempted 20 interest him
self In an informing volume for back
to the landers, Betty's pIquant little
face as she defied him danced between
the lines. 1.-TWO 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
acres of land. and telephone con-
WINGED him that 1t was decidedly
buy. Hence It was up to
him, by fair means or foul, to per-
suade Betty likewise.
Next morning Betty was summoned
from breakfast by a telephone call.
Peter didn't usually call her at such
m early hour. Eight o'clock It was.
He must have just reached the Office.
'Hello-yes-this is Betty-yes-tell
me about It."
The substance Of the call was this :
Peter had come across an advertise
ment Che didn't say when) Gdvertis-
Ing farm for sale. According to Pc
ter there wasn't much else to the item
but that simple fact. At least It made
no mention Of stocks or tools or i'm
OF course, It might not
be at all what they wanted, but would
Betty please meet him during his noon
hour and call with him at the agents,
In whose name 1t was llsted7
After q moment, Betty agreed It
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 outwelghed any
petty desire for punishment. SO she
promised to meet him, and hung up
the receiver.
Peter found her at the time agreed
upon and, as his eyes fell on the trim
figure In the smart little suit with the
perky hat with the mercury wings
projecting from either side, he mental
ly registered the statement that he
was a lucky chap.
A few minutes later they gazed en-
at a photograph of a low
eaved farmhouse with broad veranda
and dormer windows On either side
the land appeared to extend indef-
nltely, but the size Of the picture pre-
vented one telling the amount of act
ual acreage.
TITS a bargain, all right" the agent
was declaring with what really seemed
TO be genuine sincerity rather than
the conventional praise that was part
If his stock In trade. Seven rooms
All lmprovements-on the trolley-five
minutes from churches, stores and
school. Land In excellent condition,
mostly titled. Stalls for three horses,
stanchlOns-"
How much" with one eye on Betty,
Peter was about to put the vital Ques-