The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1902-05-13
WHEN THE
WORM TURNED


beat their wiIain:'
Reckon So" he replied.
But l want to tell yo' befo' we git
married that yo'-yo hadn't better"
"Why?" !
"Kase won't abide it."
"Shool ShooI'
"Kase If yo' ever wallop me I'll dun
have yo'r life fur shore?'
Then mebbe l won't" he said.
The next day they were married, and
Linda vent to the new shack" three
miles away. to live. 1t was little she
carried with her, and there were no
goodbys as she left the tumble down
old cabin in which she was born. They
were probably as happy as the average
squatter bride and groom. and had it
not been for one thing Dave might
have smiled oftener. Linda had warn
ed him before their marriage that he
must not beat her. Wife beating, at
least in that community, was a COM
mon thing, and most of the women
submitted to it without protest. No
squatter felt his position as ''boss" Sc
cure unless he had applied the rod to
.
vised by his father and grandfather to
fall into line, and when a month had
gone by and be could not say that he
had yet beaten his bride he was In dan
ger of being looked down upon in con-
tempt. There had been no cause to
strike her. and yet it ranked that she
had warned and defied him. He
thought the thing over until he finally
got to feel that he must either switch
her or give up any claim to being the
I head of the house, and he set the day
and hour of her humiliation. She was
sweeping the dirt floor with a broom
made of twigs when he entered the
cabin with a switch in his hand and
said:
LINDA. I'm goin' to wallop y0."
"What fur:" she asked.
| "Jest to wallop. Come over yere."
| Dave, do yO' remember what dun
told yo' befo' we was marriedY she
asked as she stood before him.
Reckon l do. but that don't count
shall wallop yo' mighty hard.''
Better not"
"Shoo! Shoov'
And be seized her arm with his left
hand and held her in place while he
used the switch over her shoulders un-
til it was worn out. She did not strug-
gle or cry out. With pale face and set
teeth she took ber punishment as if in
sensible to pain. but there was look
in her eyes that made the young hus-
band uneasy. He tried to make him.
self believe that he had done his duty
and that the whipping would in some
way have great moral effect on the
freckle faced woman who had received
it. but he came to almost wish he
hadn't done it. Even when his ia.
lther praised him for the stand he had
taken the words aroused no gratifca
ton, and when his mother added that
Linda wouldn't feel above her betters
, now Dave WINGED at the thought of hel
humiliation. AS for her threat ht
scarcely gave it thought. Linda was
quiet. even spoken and appeared to bt
without temper. He did not know hu
man nature well enough to know thai
such people are the most cruel and un
forgiving. Three days passed. ant
there had been no outbreak. The hus
: band could not tell from Linda's look,
, and actions whether she had been hum
bIed or still defied him. Then he wok'
=, up one morning to find himself tiet
hand and foot to the bed. Linda hat
prepared breakfast and sat down to
: alone.
3 whats this fussin' about?" de
. manded Dave as he found himsel
3 helpless.
D "Tied up" briefly replied Linda.
4 "But what fur?"
"Kase I'm gwine to have yo'r nf
fur wallopin' me. dun told yo'."
The man was no coward, even thoug
a wife beater. His cheek paled an
: his blood chilled at her words. Sh
y spoke without passion. and there wa
cause for fear.
b "And yo'r gwine to kill me?" he ash
!. ed as she ate her food without tn
/, slightest sign Of nervousness.
Fur shore | dun told yO,. but. "
" walloped me-"
. But don't my pop wallop2 Don
d yo'r pop wailop? Don't Jim Rensha'
s and Tom Carter and Joe Hazen wa
lop?"
3 "Makes no difference"
n "Then I'm sorry"
:. "Makes no difference"
Dave saw that Linda was implac.
BILE. Even with the chill Of fear at b
y heart he had to smile at her originalit,
d Here was a squatter's daughter wit
n independence. here slip OF vii
@ who objected to the switch. here
a | woman seeking revenge for what ST
~ called her humiliation. but which 9TH
. women locked upon as part or Il
routine She was truly novelty. Ut
~ er women would have stormed al
g went. Linda was calm and quiet.
Y. had said he was sorry. and he real
d was. but he decided as he lay the
ID and watched the woman's impassi'
10 face that he would switch her aga
10 rs soon as he got loose. His dlgnl
demanded that. When he had come
this conclusion. he said:
W Linda. unite me-
le Cant do it," she replied.
ii "I'n wallop yo' ag'in and wallop )
IN powerful hard"
"A -Rut yo' won't. Better git ready
N "Yo' Amt gwine to kill me?" he at
. ed as she showed back from the tai
20 at last.
Got to. | dun told yo'."
% But they'll hang yo'. Linda"
10 81 don't keer."
re
a 1t was she herself that gave inform
On ton of the murder. and there was
" trace of excitement about her wh
she confessed her crime.
III. QUAD