Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1943-07-15
Farm Girls
q
By r. r. WILLS
Associated Newspapers.
WNU Service.
IT WAS a swell idea and quite

sAAilC1 dliu DlOWll, oLIOluCyS. oO1A
were stenographers. They became
fast friends because they found
something in common. That some
thing was desire to live on q farm
in the country.
They talked about it incessant-
ly. Then Beulah came through with
the great idea.
Lets work hard and save for
year. Then let's pool our resources,
make down payment on a small
farm and-and live there!"
"But we don't know thing about
farming. We've both lived in the
city all our lives. We couldn't make
it pay"
eve could" Beulah said, eff we
wanted to badly enough. There are
books on how to do everything these
days. OF course, if you're doubt
full"
''I'm not. I'd love to try it! Oh, I
think it would be grand!"
So for a year the two girls worked
and saved. They spent evenings on
end at the library reading books on
small-scale farming, and they hunted
through the papers every day for
bargains.
When spring came they took a
weekend and drove up into the coun-
try and called on the farmers who
had offered their homes for sale.
The second place they visited proved
exactly what they wanted. It was
small, white, tree-shaded house
with a barn, hennery containing
flock Of 100 birds; cow, a horse,
a pig and several cultivated acres.
The price was high, but Beulah had
sharp business head. She talked
to old MIR. Naaman, and old Mr..
Naaman finally agreed to take their
savings as down payment.
1t was swell idea. It proved to
be the fulfllment of the girls dreams.
Best of all, what with the sale of
eggs and fowls and milk and raising
their own vegetables, they made a
profit. The enterprise would likely
have developed into something last
ing, had it not been for Barnaby
Xerxes.
He was radio singer, suffering
from nervous breakdown. He had
come to Hillside to recuperate. Beu-
lab met him one day on deserted
section of country road. He was
walking and she gave him lift
back to town in the delivery truck.
Three nights later Barnaby came
out to the farm for dinner.
Beaulah was thrilled. During the
days that followed she hated going
out evenings and leaving Candida
home alone, but, obviously, Barnaby
and she couldn't take the other girl
everywhere with them. After all,
young lovers want to be alone once
in while.
Beulah was wondering how, when
Barnaby proposed marriage and she
accepted him, she was going to
break the news to Candida. Poor
Candida.
Two nights later Beulah delivered
a half dozen fowl to the village
church for it's semi-annual supper,
and was returning home earlier
than she was expected. 1t was dark
when she swung into the drive.
Lights were on in the front room
and through the window she saw
Candida in his arms, kissing her.
And Candida seemed to like it.
Beulah was furious. She stormed
into the house.
"You-you vixen!" Beulah shrieked.
Well, it looked like the end of the
female partnership. A week passed.
The girls went about their duties
without speaking. Barnaby, being
wise, stayed away. Both girls knew
that sooner or later they would have
to come to some agreement about
the farm. They hated the idea of
giving it up. But it was silly to
think about keeping on under the
present circumstances.
So Beulah made arrangements
with Lawyer Stearns and one eve
ming the girls set out in the delivery
truck for his law office to write the
final chapter in the adventure that
had given life a meaning for both
of them.
They were silent on the drive to
town. Even when the lights went
out for no explainable reason nei-
Their of them said anything. Silently
Beulah got out, lifted the hood, dis
covered a fuse was blown, and hav-
ing no spare, tried to produce q
makeshift from a hairpin. She tried
for quite a while without results. It
was inky dark Candida sat in the
truck and was silent. She knew
nothing about mechanics. It began
to look as though there was nothing
to do but continue on foot, when
suddenly the connection was made
and the lights fared up.
"Oh!" exclaimed Candida, clutch
ing the truck door. She was staring
up the road. In the glare of the
headlights man and a woman, evil
IDENTIFY having come up in the dark
ness without knowing of the truck
presence, were standing in close en-
brace. Startled, they remained like
a tableau for moment. before Ieap-