Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1923-02-21
LITTLE THINGS
BY MYRTA ALICE LITTLE

/ DNA"AN hic uls upAedNal Betty
Brown was contented as "a pink-eyed
rabbit In a pink clover patch. She
helped her mother with the house
work and wrote stories and sold them
10 the newspaper. which was printed
In the city. ten miles away. thes
Betty's sweetheart. Tom Saunders,
was farmer. He lived In the big,
two and one-half-story brick house on
I Big Hill Wednesday and Saturday
I evenings he always called on Betty.
and they usually went driving with
the red-wheeled buggy and the black
mare, and talked plans
Toms plans were perhaps about the
new Holsteins. or tire hay crop, the
yield OF corn or tSe new potato bins.
Betty loved the smell Of a farm. so
she always listened with brown eyes
wide open, lips parted and, maybe, a
sturdy hand tucked into Toms and
one OF her molasSes cakes tucked into
his mouth. That is, she always lis
tened until the time of the big up
heaval.
IL was one evening the last week In
August. The heat Of the first part Of
the month had cooled down into fall
Ike breezy time. with the chirp OF
crickets and the elderberries turning
blue-black along the meadows. Tom
had washed the wagon with especial
care that night after supper and had
put on a brand new shirt with a blue
stripe In II that matched his eyes, and
"A new pair of khaki trousers. Tom
had special plans for that night. But
so had Betty.
Tom started leading up 10 his plans
first The second crop was going 10
turn ous fine Doubt II they could get
men enough to harvest Il. MIX checks
a third more. now that they We're dis
trihuting for themselves. and-TOm
had been thlnklng-the brick house
was big enough for two families-why
couldn't he and Betty-not wait for
spring. but be married along in sep
tember some time, take the little trip
they'd planned.
Bettys mind being packed full OF
her own new. strange plans, she prob
ably heard just two words Of Toms
eager. shy planning-"married" and
together" They gave her her cue.
She shook her curly head and plunged
swiftly into her own tale. She poke1
n closely-wrltten letter into Toms
hands.
ats an offer 10 write regular things
for the newspaper / got Il yester-
day" she said. before Tom had read
n dozen words. 81 went 10 see them
this afternoon. Ily cousin. Nat works
there. you know. and he recommended
me- They're going 90 let me write
about big cities and touring cars and
theaters I've engaged my room.
ThereU be errand work around the
CGlce. / suppose. but-Tm almost on
the stan. Tom. and II I keep on
may he-editor-some day-and-"
"And-our drives and plansT STAN
mercd Tom.
"Rut this is-blc" said Betty.
1.-THE most wonderful chance"
"Our plans look pretty big TO me,
I girl" said Tom.
"But. Tom, you ought 20 have some
ambition for me. They told me over
I az the Office I'm too smart a girl TO
I be buried alive I'm little country
I town. and just cook and sweep"
Bought woodland joins our farm
today" said Tom. quietly. Deco
ready tomorrow. Made enough of
surplus 10 swing IT, We can have a
I house of our own, you know, Betty,
any time YOU say. Have a girl 10 help
I you. n the work Is too hard"
"It isn't the hardness OF IL. It's the
/ -smallness," said Betty Brown,
I quickly. I'm not going TO be buried
alive. ] tell you. I'm glad woke up
I before Il was too late"
So Betty went to live in the city in
I n tiny fourth floor room, tramped the
narrow city sidewalks. breathed the
sitting city smells, jostled crowds,
and wrote three-inch city tales. Gov
\ or police court-1O a. m" Cover
girls club" they tod her at the news
paper Office.
Betty got busy. buster than she'd
ever been before-the hurried. city
I kind OF busy. and she got hotter
. through the Indian summer. tireder,
4 crosser. so useless feeling that Il hurt
clear down TO the toes OF her fast
wearing-out shoes. She wanted
I taste Of homemade molasses cakes
I and honest-to-goOdnesS vegetables SO
much she could not even touch the
roast lamb that tasted like roast beef.
pork and veal She wanted one drive
7 IN the red-wheeled buggy, one snim Of
something besides dirt and smoke and
I grease. one feel Of air on the hilltops
I that used 10 get into her stories, and
I never did any more.
Toms weekly letter finished her.
and all il said was: working nigilt
and day. Hand short on the second
I crop"
Betty explained as well as she could
10 the editor. packed her trunk. fairly
leaned on board the three O'Clock
.f.mw en Tonne house