Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-02-28

FNy No
soul of a serf. The familiar sight stirred
her to fresh rebellion at the discordance
She did not move when her mother
came softly up behind her and clasped
caressing hands about her slim waist.
Honey, this bas' fits you like you
was melted into it. And to think you
done it all yourself"
Liza turned a clouded, distracted face
toward her, saying inco%nsequently:
Mother, why did you ave permit
my father to go into such a business as
this?"
Mrs. Martin removed her caressing
hands and fell back a step or two,
frowning perplexedly.
$50 inter it? Why. chile, he was
born inter it. The Martins have been
overseein for the Strongs, father and
son, as far back as the days of this Gov
ernor Strong's grandpa-and him in his
seventies. Not Martin, he amt but 60
year old. The Martins and the Strongs
jus seem natcherly to belong to each
other. And when my Eben is gone (may
l go tirst), and the old man up at the big
house is gone, too, l reckon my Seth
and my Charlie will be carryin the ole
place on for Adrien same as ever"
This with a note Of pride in her voice
both exasperating and inexplicable to
Liza.
"But have you eve had any m
bition for him or for my brothers to be
something else something better -
mother?"
Mrs. Martin twisted her apron strings
ret1ectively. She could see Eben and
the boys from where she stood. There
was nothing in the sight to stir her tc
vain regrets or to futile dreaming.
Eben-with a pair of heavy steel
bowed glasses astride his nose for great.
er accuracy in weighing, his coat off
for freer play of his muscular arms
was placidly batting the hand scales
with a fresh slab Of meat, whistlins
the while, with cheerful discordance, d
measure from Captain Jinks of the
reflected in Mrs. Martins face.
"Tlat's a mighty nice, fresh lookil
chunk of pork. Eben better be lookil
out fur my sto'room too"
She stepped to the end of the gallery
and lifted her voice arrestingly:
sole man, | know a good piece o
meat when | see it. Save some QUITE
that barrel befo' it all goes"
Then she returned to Liza:
enc, honey, | can't just say as
have. Ii you suit this sort of bushes
and it suits you, it amt SO bad. Now
your pa does suit the business, and j
does suit him. He don't know nothil
else. Him and this plantation have
growed about each other like the bari
about a tree. And then, sick on well
rain or shine, come hard times, com
easy, he is dead shore Of his 81, 200 {
year, rent free, and as big a garden
patch as we care to tend, 1t amt every
to'keeper nor lawyer nor doctor neither
car say as much"
"But the social %ostracism, mother. ,
Rebecca's mild blue ayes wandered
wistfully over her girls pretty, cloud
ed face. Dissatisfaction was writer
there in a language she could under
stand plainly enough, ever though Lizs
had couched it in one of those mysteri
Gus "book words which were a perpet
ual stumbling block and offense to her
Her humiliation was complete wheneve
she needed to have Liza's fine phraseol
ogy translated into her sort of English
She blushed shyly,
"The-what, honey?"
I'VE are nobodies, mother, absolutel,
nobodies."
The mother laughed pleasantly an,
shook her head as%sentingly.
"That's so, honey. There's no deny
in that the Martins don't count fol
much outside Of work. But till 20,
come home and Strong sorter soured OF
everything the rest Of us didn't pestel
ourselves much on that sco'."
Just then Eben's hearty voice, rol
licking in a healthy burst Of boisterou'
merriment, came to them from the in
terror Of the smokehouse. Rebeccs
laughed contagiously and turned to he
daughter with a refuting air.
"Lis'n to that, if you please. Tina
don't sound much like a man that ha
missed his way in this world and
grieyin about society and things."
Eben appeared in the smokehous
door holding aloft a battered, unrecog
nizable object. He was wiping his eye
on his shirt sleeves and still shaking
with the ground swell of mirth.
"What is it, ole man? Let us inter tn
joke"
IA rat in the meal barrel. ! wisl
you could a-seen Charlie jump. It wa
better'n Dan Rice's clown. Duke jus
chawed him up"
He flung the unfortunate rodent fal
out into the quarter lot, brushed hi
hands lightly against each other and re
sumed Captain Jinks" and the hanG
scales simultaneously.
"You are right, mother, and-1 I'm
~simpleton. Father does not look like
man who was spending his life in vai1
regrets. | am a dreadful simpleton.
mo, honey, only natcherly a littl'
raw yet. It'll all come right in time.
She glanced beyond the pretty, cloud
ed face Of the girl to where a slow hob
bling figure wa advancing toward then
by the aid Of a stout, age blackenet
hickory stat.
my good gracious! Here comes tn
old wandering Jew, as Seth calls him
To my certain knowledge old Reube1
has been comm to the house every Sat
urday steady for ten years. Won't HI
never get over that misery in the back?'
Liza shrugged her shoulders ant
laughed mirthlessly.
II should miss Reuben dreadfully il
he were to get we'll n to die. He is tn
one immutable thing | know Of" AN