Only a Woman to Deal With

Only a Woman to Deal With By Mrs. L. N. A Geise r

Ohio is my native state. When I was two years old my parents moved to Wisconsin. We made the trip overland with a good camping outfit, and often have I heard my parents relate the pleasures, as well as the trials of the journey, of the memory of which they seemed never to tire. For many years we lived in the city of E seventy-five miles from the state capital. E was a populous, and prosperous city, the principal industry the lumber trade. At that time there were thirteen large saw mills in operation run- ning day and night. They were lighted by electricity and were operated almost entirely by women and girls, who packed the shingles. Many of them were very expert and earned good wages, and the work was not so very hard, for boys were em- ployed to lift and carry the bundles of shingles, as they were too heavy for the girls to lift. It was not uncommon to see a maimed hand among the workers, for the speed with which they worked did not allow for much safety. I was then a teacher in the high school, and although I received fair wages, many of the shingle packers earned almost twice as much as I did, and I was greatly tempted to change my vocation, and would have done so but for the fear that I might meet with an accident and perhaps lose one of my hands. The winters were so extremely cold in Wisconsin that we decided to go south. I had had a long sick spell, and my physician said that medicine could do me no good, but if we would go where the winters were mild no doubt I would regain my former health which was perfect before my breakdown. We came to Arkansas in '93. We made the trip from Wabasha, Minnesota, to St. Louis by steamboat. The weather favored us, and we enjoyed the time immensely for we never before had been on the water. There were about two hundred passengers and many of them were very companionable. It is a fact that no occupation or pastime will so easily and quickly promote acquaintance, and friendship, as a trip by water if for only a few hours. We were five days and nights on the Mary Murray. She was a palace steamer, equipped with every convenience and luxury, and for myself, I wished the journey had lasted a month.

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There was a band on the boat and every evening dancing was indulged in, in which almost the entire population of the little floating city took part. We reached St. Louis at ten p. m. and stayed on the boat all night. The next day we spent sight seeing. We reached R the next morning. We bought ninety acres of fruit land on the Ozark mountain ridge three miles from the county seat of B county. We found the summer months delightful, not nearly so hot as Wisconsin in summer. The weather continued mild as Sep- tember until the first of February. Doors and windows were open all day and fire for cooking was all that was needed. Veg- etation was fresh and green, stock in the pastures and grazing were good. For Christmas dinner we had three kinds of vegeta- bles from our garden. Just at this time I received a letter from my cousin at E our former home in Wisconsin, saying a dreadful bliz- zard had been raging there for four days, the mercury stood at 45° below zero, and the snow was three feet on the level, and in some places the drifts were over the telegraph wires, and all travel passing their place was going over their threshing ma- chine which was from under shelter when the storm came. With us the summer had been very wet. The precipitation had been greater than for several years. The fruit conditions were pronounced most promising for the coming year, to which we looked forward with great expectation. The finest apples and peaches are grown on these mountain ridges, and compete with the best in the world. We at first rented a small place which also was for sale, but we thought it would be wise to wait a year before buying and see if we were satisfied to remain here, for some objection might arise which we had not as yet thought of. The place was somewhat dilapidated, as renters had let it run down, so we proceeded to clean and fix it up considerably. We found the place alive with fleas which were the worst pests we had ever had to contend with. An opening in the foundation under the house had been left to accommodate a mother hog and six fat pigs. We bought and moved them to the pasture, and scattered lime plentifully around and soon were rid of the fleas. We repaired the fence, and white-washed it, and hung a new gate. I planted lots of flowers and vines, which as they grew transformed the looks of the place. My husband bought a gentle horse, a buggy, one-horse wagon, a plow, some hoes, rakes, and other implements neces- sary for gardening. I invested in three dozen Plymouth Rock hens from a near neighbor woman for I wanted to trv to raise a

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great many chickens. This same woman had a fresh Jersey cow she wanted to sell, and we bought her, but when my husband wrote a check for the amount she refused to take it because we were strangers. We now had a very good start toward farming. — The place consisted of fifty acres with forty acres adjoin- ing which could be bought, and was desirable, for it had a good deal of fruit, and timber, on it, also running water. Before the year was up we decided to buy the place. It was a forced sale, and could be bought for less than its value. Soon after our coming, one of my uncles came and bought three hundred acres twenty miles from us, just across the Mis- souri line. He brought a good deal of fine stock from his farm in Iowa. I had remarked in his hearing that I wanted a piano. He said he would give me a start with some stock of my own, and I soon could have the money to buy an instrument. He said I could have my choice of a sheep or a hog. I chose a sheep. He gave me a fine merino ewe. One morning I went to the shed to feed her and found two baby lambs, the cutest creatures. I could take them up in my arms and fondle them, and soon they were great pets. One day I went to the lot with some feed in a pan to feed my little chickens. Betty and the lambs came running to meet me, but I had no feed for them, whereat, Betty took offense, backed off a few feet, and ran at me knocking me down before I quite knew what was happening. I was -both surprised and angry. I got up, brushed the dirt off my dress and picked up the pan when Betty repeated her performance and knocked me down again. This time I sat still, and she walked off a little way and commenced to graze, but I could see she was watching me. My husband was some distance from the house working in the timber, but it was time for him to come so I sat still and waited for him. The next time I went into the lot where Betty was I took a stick, and she made no attempt to attack me. One morning in May, as I was hanging my washing on the line, I saw a man coming in at the gate. He took off his old hat and asked if I would give him some breakfast. We never refused to feed a hungry person, and I said "Yes, sit on the porch until I get it ready." I always gave any one the best I had on hand, and I soon had a good meal ready for him, and told him to come to the table. He was the worst looking customer I ever had fed, ami although I was not exactly afraid of him, I felt much relieved when he was gone. I was not a bit of a coward. I had had

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several little experiences and always had come out ahead. I scarcely thought of him again all day, but after this occurred, it seemed strange to me that I never thought to connect the tramp with the fact that we had a thousand dollars in the house with which we intended making a payment on our home in a few days. But how could that man know anything about the money? For no one else knew! My husband had left that morning to go about twenty miles for a load of feed and could not get home until late, and possi- bly not till morning. Otis told me to get all the work done up early and then go to our nearest neighbor's for the night. It was quite light when I went to the barn to begin. As soon as I opened the door to hang up my milk pail, I smelled tobacco smoke and I knew some one was in the barn. I looked around and seeing no one I opened the door to a small tool room, and beheld the tramp I had fed that morning. To my surprised question, "What on earth are you here for?" he replied: "I am here to get that thousand dollars you happen to have in the house. I did not intend to show myself until dark, but perhaps it is as well, we will go to the house at once, and you will get the money for me, and I will be gone." "How do you know that we have any money?" I asked more to gain time to think than anything else. "Last night I happened to put up for the night here in your barn, and heard you talking about the money, and learned that your husband intended to go for feed and would not return until late, and it looked to me like things were coming my way, so I waited. I am a very reasonable person, and it will be best for you to be reasonable, too. I do not want to hurt you, and will not, if you give me the money. I am not armed for I made sure that I would have only a woman to deal with." My wits had been working while he was talking. I said it seemed pretty hard luck to have to hand over to him our hard earned money, but I would have it to do; and if he would promise to go off and not harm me, I would get it for him, and we started for the house. The observing Betty and her lambs were in the lot, and as soon as she saw the stranger, she made a dash at him. Not knowing her tactics the man went over like a dummy. This was my chance to get away, and I lost no time. I had a revolver, and I knew how to use it. My husband and I often practiced target shooting, and I could take a chicken's head off you please. as nice as With the revolver in my hand, I was no longer afraid, and I went back to the lot. Betty was standing guard over the would-be robber. I still carried the stick lest Betty take a no-

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tion to turn on me. Our corncrib stood near the barn, and had a padlock on it. man that he must do as I bade him, I told the for I would not hesitate to use my weapon. I told him to get up and go into the corncrib. With vicious looks, and a limping grit, he obeyed, and I locked the door. As soon as I knew he was secure and could do no harm, I dropped down on the ground for I had not an ounce of strength left. At first I feared I was going to faint, but I had never fainted, and by exerting all my will power I overcame the weakness. The corncrib was built for ventilation, and I could see my prisoner, being thankful indeed that he was where he could not harm me, for he looked capable of anything mean. It was quite dusk by this time, and securing the money, and secreting it in my clothes, I was about to start for the neighbor's when I heard a wagon coming, and I knew at once it was ours. It was my husband. He had been able to buy feed much nearer home than he expected. I ran out and opened the gate for him to drive into the lot, and then I took him to see my prize, and explained why he was there. My husband 'phoned for the officers. They came out and got the man. As they passed the house with their prisoner I could not refrain from going to the door and advising him the next time he undertook such a job to be sure he did not have "only a woman to deal with." I had before declared that Betty should go the next time we sold sheep, but after this happened I said she was worth a thousand dollars. As I could not get that price for her, I would not sell her, but when we sold our place five years later, I let her go. I took the amount that she and those two lambs sold for and, as it was not enough to buy a piano, I bought a beautiful watch, and inside the case I had their names inscribed, "Betty," "Dewey," "Nannie." That was twenty years ago, and the watch is still ticking away as merrily as then, and it is a constant re- minder of my experience with that thief, and how having "only a woman to deal with" turned out for him. Rogers, Arkansas

They were having an argument as to whether it was correct to say of a hen "she is setting" or "she is sitting," and not being able to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion they decided to submit the problem to Farmer Giles. "My friends," said he, "that don't interest me at all; what I wants to know when I hears a hen cackle is whether she is 'laying' or 'lying'."