The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1892-07-29
miscellaneous.
JANE.

| JHIN1'
Il amt got nothin' fur you to eat. :
A woman said it, as she leaned q
tired head on her hand, and looked
down at the rough pine table by
which she sat. She was a young wo,
man and WORKOUT woman, but
there was still in her face Il good dea1
of beauty that years before had made
her the belle of Sweetwater county.
Yer amt got nothin' fur ME to
eat - repeated the man, in Il dazed
sort OF way. as he turned around from
the piece of broken looking glass hang
ing on the wall before which he had
been combing his beard, Why
what's the matter, Jane p
There's lots the matter" said the
woman, biting her lip; but the main
thing is, Pete Miller, that hereafter
yer has got ter make yer own living
and if yer wants ter live with me, yel
got to make mine, too. I'm tired-Im
tired o: everything I'm tired of work
and I'm tired of hopin', andn-there
was IL cold look in her eyes that he
had never seen before-''1'm tired OF
you"
She poured the words forth us an
grily as the foaming Popo-Agie did
down below in the canon where it
was narrOweSt.
Yer promised to take care of ne
when yer married HE, she continued.
Yer promised all sorts of things and
yer haven't kept a promise. Fur six
years, Pete, l kept you. Yer haven't
worked fifth of the time, an I've
seen precious little of yermoney when
yer did work. I've taken care of you
| g., civ Il X-n
worked with my hands and arms over
that washtub-my hands and arms us
used to be as white as any gals III the
county, to get you somethin' to eat.
But I'll do it no more, l tell yer.
There's food III the house, but it S
mine Ie can have no more of it.
Eff yer want to eat, go to work an
earn it. That's all I've got to say"
The man sat down i'll IL rough chair,
and looked at her stupidity. The
rough hands that he had just washed
i'll the tin basin were clasped behind
him, and the fingers were NOV
ing together clumsily and nervously.
Yer don't mean it, Jane - he said.
I've never heard We talk like this be-
fore There's somethin' the matter
with yer, gal. Tell me what it is
Il do mean it, she answered,
hoarsely. and with effort you We got
to work, and that's the end of it. You
don't get another meal until you pay
for it.
Work" said the man there ain
no work, Jane. Yer knows Id work
if thar was any. But till the mines
gets agoin' ag'in thar won't be no
work fur me. | amt the only one.
Thar's three hundred an more of us
! ln In
be more'n Il thousand. The young
fellers can go away, but a married
man can't Don't yer see, Jane, Il
married man can't. He's got Il home.
An all he can can do is to stay here
till they run the mills ag'in. An that's
the reason l can't git no work, gal
I'm married man, an | got home,
leastways l tho't he'd"
She turned her head away from
him. The red light of the fire shone
through the unframed hair that hung
over her ears in Il fuzzy cloud. lie
could not see her face, but that did
not matter He could always see it i'll
his Imagination, and it was always the
laughing face of the Young girl he had
married years before. If he had loved
her less perhaps he would have motto
ed how time and trial and work had
changed it. But she was always the
same to him and he had suppos d
that he was always the same to her.
She was not n woman who talked
much. He Lad never heard her com
plain before. Perhaps that was the
reason why. when she did complain
she uttered such bitter words. He
would have liked to go to her and
throw his strong arms about her and
kiss her, the way he had seen other
men treat their wives when little
temporary annoyance made them
cross. But he had never been able tC
take such liberties with her. They
seemed liberties to him. She was
something wonderful, in his eyes, and
with his dull consciousness, he was
perfectly satisfied to sit and watch
her. day after day, and not help hei
even so much as to make the fire fol
her.
Presently she spoke.
Yer can git work if We want to,
she said.
He began to notice the coldness Ill
her voice. the strangeneSs OF her man
her, which was unaccOuntable to him
even though he appreciated the fac
that she was angry.
"Whar?n he asked, wondering wha'
she meant.
She hesitated a moment. Then SHE
said
Il heerd of a prospectin' expedish
un that was to start to-mOrry anC
tibet wanted men,
Yer don't mean ter say, Jane" he
said, after waiting Il moment, Us
though he expected her to take the
words back-'yer don't mean ter say
tibet yer want me to go on that thai
, prospectin' expedishuns -
Its work, she answered, evasive
) ly.
, But it's to be gone for year, Jane
an maybe two, an maybe forever
, an God knows eff I'd ever see vel
ag'in or not. You don't mean tibet
Ny wife don't want me to go on the
Inc married man, with a-with q
home. Why, the young feller'
won't go on tibet. Why, yer don't
want me to go on tibet, Jane, surely
Its work. she said again, coldly.
He sat stupefieand d silent for a long
time. 1t was the first time he haC
l ever attempted to adjust his owl
/, ideas to those of his wife. Naturally
! the only way by which the adjust
r ment could be accomplished was the
total substitution of his wife's dea
for his own.
III CO. he said suddenly. They
start to-morry, an eff I'm to git the
, job I've got ter go now
He rather expectsd her to cry. HI
hoped that at the last moment sh,
, | would protest. She did neither, H,