The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-09-22


was a daughter. Ruth. ana up TO the
age OF thirteen she was under the same
influence as her mother. Al that age
she went 10 another state TO live with
an aunt and did not return until she
was sixteen. The amazement Of the
father when he met her at the village
railroad depot was intense-in fact. it
kept him dumb all the way home Ruth
had become some one else-that Is, she
was Ike the average girl OF sixteen
who had been allowed the usual Mber-
ties and hadn't been crushed every time
she laughed or spoke She had hat
with flowers on il: she had a dress
made by a dressmaker; she had shoes
that cost So; she even had kid gloves;
she was also chatty and spoke OF her
father as dad"
The deacon realized that there was a
big undertaking on hand for him. Ruth
had got out from under his influence
and must be squelched. The only re-
proof he administered on the way home
was his silence. but she did not seem TO
mind that in the least. Just how TO
begin the squelching bothered the IA
Their Bit for two or three days, and be
waited for an excuse. At last he found
one. Among Ruth's baggage was
hammock There were locust trees in
the front yard 10 suspend il from, but
such a thing as a hammock had never
appeared on that farm. 1t was e1-
trayagance, profanity. flying in the face
OF Providence. Ruth put II up while
her father was hoeing corn one aftec-
noon, and she was not only lying IN 1t
when he came UP TO supper. but algo
was reading love story The deacon
hardly waited TO hang up his hoe on
the limb Of cherry tree. Standing
before the girl. he exclaimed hoarsely:
Get out OF that
why, daddy, what is itT she asked.
You are disgracing me and yourself,
People are looking at you as they drive
by
But I'm only lying in hammock"
And I tell you 10 get out. It's a
shame and a disgrace. The next thins
you'll be doing is 10 ride horseback"
Il was going TO ask you If l might dc
that tomorrow"
That was the beginning of the sQuelch-
ing process. From that time on for
week the deacon nagged and ordered
and lectured. He couldn't prevent
Ruth from having opinions and from
talking back. but he managed TO make
her very uncomfortable. AT length she
positively refused 10 obey him in some
thing, and, after turning very pale and
swallowing at the lump in his throat,
he went out to the barn to think things
over. Ruth was too big 10 be cuffed
or whipped. and ii was plain that she
did not intend to surrender her opin-
ions. After puzzling over the matter
for long time the father returned &c
the house.
Ruth" he began, you have seen fit
TO set my authority at defiance. Until
you have change Of heart and ask my
pardon shall not speak to you again !"
That was the way the deacon had
brought his wife around TO his way of
thinking in the early days. He had
refused to speak to her for days or
weeks at a time, and the strain was
more than she could stand. With
Ruth. however, the case was different
She preferred his silence TO his fault
finding. The hammock was taken
down and she did not ride horseback
nor walk around on stills. She would
have had beaus but for the father. As
be was not speaking to her he did not
forbid her, but when a young man
called things were made so unpleasant
for him that he never repeated his
visit
As the summer passed and winter
came on there were candy pulls and
spelling schools. Both were the height
Of sacrilege in the deacon's eyes, and
he groaned in spirit and gritted his
teeth when he knew that his daughter
attended them.
1t was in June that the deacon had
vowed not TO speak TO his daughter
again until she had become repentant.