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Show BOOBS" IN THE COUNTRY BEFORE they moved iu Five Oaks. Mr. Townbred Imagined chat people who live in the country must be simply bored lu death by the monotony of their lives. But from the very lirst day after their hegira he discovered that, for sheer excitement and thrills that come with the unexpected, country life makes life In the city seem as lame as a Safe and Sane Fourth of July. And. what Is more, ho was rapidly coming to like it. Indeed, he f.iund ihe rush of dnlly events at Five Oak real stimulus To speculate upon what had transpired during his absence ab-sence at the office was always a pleasant pleas-ant divertissement at the fag end of ihe ride out. when he had llnished his evening paper and had still a few miles to go. Then, when -Mrs Townbred would meet him with her log of the day which seemed to include every calamity calam-ity short of the burning down of the house he received it all with the calmness of a philosopher. So. the other evening, when he returned re-turned from the i Itj earlier than usual, he was surprised to find no s.gn of either Mrs. Townbred Virgle. the cook, or John, the hired man about the place. But presently he located them In the chicken house. And one glance (old him that something had been happening. " 'Deed dese ain't do same chickens! Missus Townbred." Virgie was saying! as she stepped through the narrow ; doorway. "Oh, Ruthvin." exclaimed Mrs. ! Townbred, her face flushed, her eyes flashing and her hair blowing In every direction, "I'm so mad I could 1 could " "My, my," laughed Mr. Townbred. "What's the row? And where did you get these chickens?" "That's just It," she replied, excitedly. excit-edly. "I bought them today and the man took the wrong ones stole them and loft some of tho other man's chickens and " "Gee whiz, Frieda, wait a minute!" he interrupted. "It may bo perfectly plain to you. but I'm not a good gues-ser. gues-ser. Suppose you say that all over "Well," Mrs. Townbred explained. "It does seem horribly mixed; but real- j ly it's quite simple, for it's just a plain case of theft! A tittle while after you left this morning a man came along with about fifty Rhode Island Red ' chickens . r sale And he offered me thirty of them for twenty dollars very reasonable price, you know i Really, Ruthvin, they were a perfect- I ly dandy strain. The pullets were dark brown In color with long bodies, always the sign of good layers- I ! was delighted and bought them." ' "I don't see anything the matter so far," Mr. Townbred remarked. "Yes. but that isn't all. I haven't been feeling very well today, so I went upstairs to lie down and told Virgie not to disturb me. She said , 1 hadn't been asleep hardly any time before another man canic along with twenty Rhode Island Reds You know how quickly news gets around this neighbornood; and he had heard we wanted to buy some chickens and Insisted that Virgie call me downstairs to look al them. Rut Vt rgie refused. " And then that mean, contemptible man put his old chickens in here with mine and went away and left them. He said he felt sure I would buy them but that If I didn't he would come and take them away. Virgie told me about it when I came down to go to the postoffice and I was furious, for I I didn't want his old chickens and I told Virgie to give them back to him ' just as soon as he came. And, Ruthvin, Ruth-vin, while I was gone he came and got them!" "Why shouldn't he?" asked Mr Townbred. "They belonged to him, didn't thcy" "Yes." she continued vehemently, "but that's just tho point he took nearly all of my nice dark, long pul- i lets and left his own short, dumpy, light ones in place of them. Just look at them, Ruthvin just look at them!" Ruthvin looked. ' I don't know anything any-thing about chickens," ho remarked, "but I'll admit that even a person with myopia could see the difference be- I ' V J I ( ' Itween the two kinds Rut maybe ; these will do just as well, Frieda." Mrs. Townbred sputtered. While she was struggling for speech, a great commotion started down at ono end of 1 the chli ken house John darted in through the doorway, disappeared and almost Immediately returned and extended his hand toward Mrs. Town-bred. Town-bred. "Une of dem yaller hens done laid en' alg!" he announced delightedly. Mr. Townbred simply shouted; that was too much for him. "Well. then. : that's over with," he said. "Now what else has happened today?" "I bought a cow," Mrs. Townbred replied with no little hesitation. "She's all right. I'm sure, Ruthvin, for Mr Ruckey sold her to me, and he seems I to be so different from must of these people around here who 'do' you at e 'rv onnort unity." "Yes, I guess you've sized Jt up about right, Frieda. Let a poor boob from the city move to tho country and they straightway try to hand him back a few of the gold bricks their fathers and grandfathers bought when they r-ent to town. I don't know that you can blame them, either Where Is the cow?" "Mr. Ruckey will brine her over to-Q1OIT0W to-Q1OIT0W He asks only seventy-five dollars and she's three-quarters Jersey. Jer-sey. We don't have to pay cash, either; he's willing to let us buy her by paying ten dollars a month. That's satisfactory, isn't It?" "Certainly, cer-taln-ly '" agreed Mr : Townbred, promptly. "That part is even more satisfactory than the three-parts three-parts that are Jersey' Rut how about the horse" You said you were going into town today and tell tho livery stable man tha't the horse he sold us won't plow and that you want your fifty dollars back " ' I didn't have to go. Ruthvin." she explained. "The livery stable's agent , came along again this morning with ' the rest of the string of horses he's ! been trying to sell around hire, and 'you can be certain 1 told him what was what. He said I could take my ' pick of them In exchange. I took a I little black mare." Mr. Townbred coughed discreetly. "I suppose you picked a good one, of I course?" he Inquired blandly "I did not!" snapped Mrs. Town-bred. Town-bred. "At least, I don't think so." "Won't she plow9" "One Ixxk a;, Quite Sufllclcnt." "Yes, oh yes, she'll plow until she drops! But she drops about tho end of every furrow! John says her knees arc weak and that she's all run down. She didn't look so bad when the man had her, but after she'd been plowing a while sho seemed to shrink all up. So John put her In the stable and asked me to come and look at her. And, believe me, Ruthvin. ono look was quite sufficient !" Mr. Townbred laughed. "Well, we sure are living and Warning, aren't we. Frieda? And even if it does cost us fifty dollars to learn when not to buy a horse. It's cheap at that. But I can't see why you didn't try this now 1 steed at plowing while the dealer was here." "Humh! You don't know these pco-I pco-I pie around here, Ruthvin!" retorted ' Mrs. Townbred. "They have an alibi ; ready for any and every emergency. Besides, remember, wo haven't a plow of our own and so John had to take the horso over to Mr. Mitchell's and uso his plow. That rascally dealer , said ho couldn't watt and and thot he'd be along again in a few days and poo if I was satisfied." "Oh, well, I dare say ho will. Frieda." said Mr. Townbred. "From what you say he didn't seem to be exactly dodging you about the first horse, or he wouldn't havo come this way again. Even If ho doesn't, wo won't be so very' much out and we can ' buy another. I wouldn't worry about L"l "I'm not!" put in Mrs. Townbred with asperity. "My mind is made up! I'm going to make him give the money back that's final!" And Mr. Townbred regarded his wife quizzically, yet with admiration For he was beginning to believe that Frieda was really fitted to manage a place In the country. (Copyright. 1015. by Edward Riddle Padgett). |