Los Angeles herald., 1906-03-04


I&0&I the scorching heat of the summers day
The haymakers in the great Judklns
field were wiping their perspiring brows and pre-
pairing to 20 home. The huge vain went lumper-
ING ND the iead-road and through the big gate
1vav the horses shifting food and rest IN the even
ing air.
A woman stood in the middle of the field apart
from the rest, and leaning upon her rake' lookeu
dreamily away to the horizon A man capie ny
and touched her arm. She started, and ther'
falling into his step, walked on with him.
"Howdy, john" she said. "You like to skeereo
me- -,
'rWhat was you thinking ahout? ne asked.
ooh nothin', 1 was Jest a-studyln; was
too tired even to think. 80. >,
"It is tiresome work fur woman wisnV
"It amt easy" she replied, unheedlng MS eur
barrassed halt,' "but body's got 10 oo Soine'
thing" epr+n-be
u.tharod hoIdpess~"theres other things fur wom'
- - do besides workin' out in the hayht-d
alonr with the men" ,..
"None O. my folks amt never gone INTO mouse
.o,,,;ce an: I guess ny mother 'u'd turn over
IN her praye eff I was to go into anybody else
kitchen" ~, uo,don,s
..o;oo .Jobn Stearns detected it, and MS voice
trembled as he reoined, every woman ougn'
70 have kitchen of her own to be IN
"of course she ought but ef she hasn't, OF can
orlv he in her own after serving somepouy else'
what thenT -,
uer ewes fell on the mans face with the starved
exnression which comes to the countenance - VI
woman when her hungry soul is feeding on IL
self. John Stearns answered 1t with looA aS
hopeless and deprecating gesture
"Ef had my way" he said, you should nave
a kitchen Of yore own, and you shouio never Sei'e
ANYBODY but yourself. But ,,
1T know John, know" she broke IN L
understand it all; but it don't do any good to
+,ll, about these things; it only makes us dis
s.+;seed and rebelious" The woman laid her
r.le across her shoulder and quickened her pace,
as ;f 70 outr,,n her thoughts. John fastened to
catch UP with her.
"I know it don't do no good to talk about 1t,
an I don't never say no more than L can help,
but there is times when the words Jest naturally
snill out of my heart, and it's sort OF satlstac-
tion to let them spill. I've been raised peculiar,
Maria" IT,
vore raisin'-mnd l amt a-blamin yore folks,
now. but can't lay the blame you"
Seems g eff somebody ought to be blamed,
don't it?"
"Yes, it does"
"Here we been a-waitin' year IN an year out.
You're thirty-fve, M'i" 1t sounded like an ac-
cusation 1--WE been goin' along steady an sober
a-mindin' our own business an hopin'-that is,
hopin' fur the best" he added, coloring. We've
seen lots O. people younger than us grow up an,
marry, but it don't seem to be intended fur us.
"No, it don't John, it don't seem to be intend
ed fur us, ever"
"I know what folks say" he went on bitterly.
1T know that everybody thinks that eff l was
any kind of man I would go ahead an take
the intentions into my own hands and make 'em
what wanted 'em to be. But can'tl 1 can't!
I tell you I've been raised peculiar, and what's
crowed into mans bones from childhood up it's
hard to git out O. him. 1t allus seems to me
like eff I'd go ag'in' my mothers wishes, it 'ud
lest be like putin her aside when she was help
less 1t used to be when l child that
she could spank me and make me mind; but
Jest as soon as I git beyond the spankn' age
take the first chance / can git o shown off an
shamin' her. Don't you see, M'ri', how it 'u'd
look?"
"I'do see, an I wouldn't want you to do any
other way than what you're a-doin'. I've been
raised peculiar, too, John. Most of us in these
parts has And there's somethin' l feel that you
don't seem to see at all. Tt does look to me like
was jest a-knder standn' around waitin' fur