Phillips County herald., 1923-03-22
. LITTLE THINGS
BY MYRTA ALICE LITTLE


work and wrote stories and sold them
to the newspaper, which was printed
in the city, ten miles away. Hhes
Retty's sweetheart, Tom Saunders,
was farmer, He lived in the big,
two and one-half-story brick house on
! Big Hin. Wednesday and Saturday
| evenings he always called on Betty.
and they usually went driving with
the red-wheeled buggy and the black
I mare, and talked plans.
Toms plans were perhaps about the
new Holsteins, or the hay crop, the
/ yield Of corn or the new potato bins.
Betty loved the smell of Il farm, so
she always listened with brown eyes
wide open, lips parted and, maybe, n
7 sturdy hand tucked into Toms and
one of her molasses cakes tucked into
( his mouth. That Is, she always lls-
I tened until the time of the big up
heaval
! 1t 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 chlrp Of
crickets and the elderberries turning
blue-black along the meadows. Tom
had washed the wagon with especial
! care that night nfter supper and had
put on brand new shirt with n blue
stripe In 1t 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 to his plans
first. The second crop was going to
turn out fine Doubt II they could get
I men enough to harvest it, Milk checks
a third more. now that they Were dis
trlbuting for themselves, and-Tom
had been thlnking-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.
Betty's mind being packed full of
her own new. strange plans. she prob
ably heard just two words of Toms
eager. SPY planning-'married" and
together" They gave her her cue.
She shook her curly head and plunged
swiftly into her own tale. She poked
a closelywritten letter into Toms
hands
"It's an offer to write regular things
for the newspaper. got II yester.
/ day." she said. before Tom had read
dozen wor,ls. II went To see them
this afternoon. My cousin, Nat. works
there, you know. and he recommended
mc. They're going to let me write
/ nbout big cities and touring cars and
tliestrrs. I've engaged my room.
i Thcrell be errand work around the
Office. suppose. but-rm almost on
the staff. Tom. and II keep on
may be- edltor-some dny-and-"
"And-our drives and plans?" STAN.
mered Tom.
But this is-big" said Betty.
THE most wonderful chance"
Our plans look pretty big to me.
girl." said Tom.
But. Tom. you ought TO have some
ambition for me. They told me over
Mt the Office I'm too smart girl to
be buried alive In a little country
town, and Just cook and sweep"
Bought woodland joins our farm
today" said Tom. quietly. "Dcen
ready tomorrow. Made enough on
surplus TO swing II. We can have n
house OF our own. you know. Betty.
any time you say. Have girl to help
you. II the work is too hard"
III Isn't the hardness of II. It's the
-smallncss." said Betty Brown.
quickly. am not going to he buried
niiye. ] tell you. I'm glad woke up
before II wns too late"
40 Betty went 10 live In the city In
tiny fourth floor room, tramped thG
nnrrow city sidewalks. brenihed III.
siliilng city smells. jostled crow,;s.
anu wrote tlrcc-inch city tales. "Coy-
er police cnuri-io n. M" "co,er
girls club" they tod her nt The news.
paper ONCE.
Betty got busy. busicr than she'd
ever been bcforc-ihc hurried. city.
Kind Of busy. nnd she got hotter
through the Indian summer, iIrrdcr.
crossrr, 10 useless feeling that II hurt
cicnr down io the toes OF her fnM.
wcnring.ont shoes. Size wnntch
taste ~ homemade molasscs cnlscs
and goodness vegetable. NJ
much she could not even touch the
rohn lamb that tasted like ronst beef.
pork nnd veal. She wanted IN. drive
IN the rei.wlirrlcj buggy. one snIff nj
something bcsi'ics dlri nnd smokc nnd
grease. one feel Of mir on the hill,ops
that 'iseb 10 rct Into her stories. nnd
never lid ANY more.
Toms weekly letter finished her.
and NIL II said wns: Working nilr,t
md day. lInnd short ON the second
crop"
Betty explained M well ns she could
To the editor. packed her trunk, fairly
lcnpeh 0n bonri the three o'clock
train, walked clear 10 Toms house
from the depot, md marched Into the
barn. Tom was milking the new
farany