The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1892-08-18
JANE.

II amt got nothlm Iuf you 10 eat
A woman said it, as she leaned a
tired head on her hand, and looked
down At the rough pine table, by
which she sat. She was young
woman and worn-Out woman, but
there was still in her face a good
deal of beauty that years before had
made her the belle of Sweetwater
county.
eyer Amt got nothin' fur me to
eat?" repeated the man, in a dazed
sort Of way, as he turned around from
the piece of broken looking lass
hanging on the walt before which he
had been combing his beard, "why-
whats the matter, Jane?'
ssThere's lots the NATTER" said the
woman, biting her lip; "but the main
thing Is, Pete Miller, that hereafter yer
has got to make yer own livin'; and
if yer wants to live with me, yer got
to make mine, too. Pm tired-Pm
tired Of everything. Pm tired of
work. and Pm tired of hopin', and'-
there was cold look in her eyes that
he had never seen before as she spoke
-tpm tired of you!'
She poured the words forth as
angrily as the foaming Popo-Agie did
y down below in the canon where it was
narrowest
ssYer pfomised to take care of me
when yer married me-" she continued.
~tYer promised all sorts of things, and
yer haven't kept promise. Fur six
years, Pete, I've KEEP you. Yer
haven't worked fifth of the time, an
I've seen precious little of yer money
when yer did work. I've taken care
Of you fur six years, lido you hear? Pve
worked with my hands and arms over
that washtub-my hands and arms
! as used to be as white as any gals in
the county, to get you somethin' to
|. eat. But I'll do it no more, l tell yer.
Y There's food in the house, but it's
!. mine. Ye can have no more of it.
Il Ef yer want to eat, go to work an
4 earn It. That's all I've got to say"
y The man sat down in rough chair,
and locked at her stupidity. The
M rrough hands that he had just washed
lin the tin basin were clasped behind
X him, aud the fingers were moving to-
gether clumsily and nervously.
"a Eyer don't mean it, Jane ?" he
said; "l've never heerd ye talk like
this before. There's somethin' the
matter with yer, gal. Tell me what it
ls.p
,s II do mean it'll" she answered,
hoarsely, and with effort; "you've
,,got to work, and that's the end of it.
HYou don't get another meal until you
for t."
WI ssWorki" said the man; ''there amt
10 work, Jane. Yer knows I'd work
cosf thar was any. But till the mine S
yets agoin ag'in, thar won't be no
10 work fur me. amt the only one.
i srhar's three hundred an more of us
~tere in tho same fix, and thar used 10
faif,e more'n thousand. The young
IL jellers can 60 away, but married
"a nan can't. Don't yer see, Jane, mar
a@nIi led man can't. He's got home. An
=. II lie can do is to stay here till they
e r. nm the mills ag'in. AM that's the
- ..>->sason / can't git no work, gal; Pm
AY married man, an" / got home
= oo'''s,ss1tways y, tho't l hed.'
o." She turned her head away from
'ss tm, The red light of the fire shown
'ssttIS AIhugh the unframed hair that hung
~ ~ her cars in fuzzy cloud. He
agSe md not see her face. but that did
matter. He could always see it
~ x1magination, h and it was always
tsp ~ hing face of the young girl
Hs RSs onrried years before. If he
'sSIs her less. perhaps he would
y W n ed how time and trial and
SsSS changed it. But she was
nsasyt same to him, and he had
e"nupp4 hat he was always the same
AssI1 sh0fs le was not woman who
gAlked ch. He had never heard
Tsy yQr a. plain before. Perhaps
the reason why.