The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1906-06-14
NATURES
COUR Sc
By NORA BRYANT
Copyright, 1906, by Ruby Douglas
By NORA BRYANT

ter and obeying her behests unques
tioningly. Alice possessed all the indie
pendence of spirit which her mother
lacked.
NO, mother said Alice, Selling
viciously on a pea pod and breaking i
open, mo. You can't. 1t just isn't bor1
in you. I've got to do it alone"
WHY, Affect" exclaimed her mother
with hurt infection.
"Oh, know it. mother. I'm a horri(
cross girl, but can't help it. Fathers
gone off again and left us with nc
wood. This has been going on fol
three years now. Sometimes lie re
members to buy load, but when he
does we have to split it, And in the
meantime we have to scratch anG
scramble for wood just as if we were
as poor as poverty. Just look, we've
burned most of the fences till the place
looks more, CHASTITY than ever, if pos
sible"
Alice. Alice sighed Mrs. Hum
phfey. ''ycu shouldn't talk so of your
father
Alice's face flushed deeper and she
sAelled q laatifs:! OF peas before reply
ing. Then size looked out of the door al
the jimson weeds.
Everything is all wrong, and it's all
fathers fault. Why shouldn't marry
Bob Phillips? Tell me that? Just be
cause he is q college man and his PEG.
pie live IN town father has set himself
against him. Now. why does father
send me to college if he expects me to
settle down TO cloppin@ wood and cook
ing for the rest of my life? No. mother.
I'm sophomore ROW ana | know moro
than did once. am going to marry
Bob and father is going to agree to it
too
Alice looked at be-: mother. steraly.
See your hands, blistered and hard.
You creep out and chop wood every
time turn my back. Look at my
hands, She held UP slender fingers.
Nice things TO cary back to the cell
lege this fall Now, Tn going out to
chop enough to get dinner with And.
pulling Il shade hat over her eyes, Alice
walked out into the hot harvest sun
and picked up the AK.
Straight up to the new brooder house
she went and With a neat swing of the
az began battering up the brooder
house door. In a few moments the
door had disappeared and in its stead
on the ground near by lay neat pile
OF stove wood. Still not quite satisfied,
Alice looked about her A hayracl
lay on the ground waiting for the aft
ernoon trip to the oat field. A few
firm blows from the broad of the az,
and the side boards showed signs Of
weakening. Half dozen clever cuts
With the blade, and the boards dropped
to the ground. In five minutes the
pile of wood by the brooder house was
augmented by pile of heavy sticks.
and before Mrs. Humphrey could catch
breath to inquire the source a brisk
blaze lighted up the front of the old
cooking stove.
A little after 10 Mr.. Humphrey ap-
peared at the door.
Mother - Mrs. Humphrey paused.
with bit of bacon poised Oh her fork
-"mother can you tell me what has
happened to the old hayrack and to
the brooder house door:"
Mrs. Humphrey looked at Alice
why : why, father, l don't know.
Alice, do you knowy'
Alice poured the steaming peas into
a china dish and then glanced at her
father. WELL" she said calmly, you
will find part of the door still in the
wood box, but the last of the hayrack
is just going up the chimney" Then
she carried the dish of peas into the
dining room and set it carefully down
on the table.
Then Mr.. Humphrey began: "Alice,
If you We're not grown up I'd send you
to bed for two days"
Alice squared her shoulders, looking
into her fathers eyes with an express
sion strangely like his own. Father"
she said, you are not fair You give
your men the best sort of implements
with which to do their work You keep
the horses and cattle in buildings that
are for their greatest comfort but you
expect mother and me to find our own
means for doing work that neither of
,!s is strong enough to do and to live in
a building that scorches us in summer
AID freezes us in winter. To say the
least, you are not fair"
The great veins swelled in Mr.. Hum
phray's forehead, and lie took single
step toward Alice ana then stopped as
if controlling himself by physical
effort.
Alice" he said, 81 forbid you to de-
stroy any more of ny property. Just
how to punish you for what you have
already done don't know. shall wait
until tonight
That afternoon Alice was left alone.
as he. mother was called away to see g
sick neighbor. For awhile she sat
quietly. then suddenly she flushed Il lit
tie. Far down TIE "oad Sic cold sec
the figure of a man and a horse moving.
leisureiy through the heat. Alice
smoothed her hair ard glanced down at
the dainty whiteness of her gown
Than chn y.,oitnI Cnop tl,o ,;Jor f,,,.,,