Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1906-06-28
NATURES
COURSE
By NORA BRYANT
Copyright. 1906. by Ruby Douglas

/ u IlSttuliiE 10 ucI Dtuulllui, tail uuuEh-
ter and obeying her behests unques-
tioningly. Alice possessed all the indie
pendence OF spirit which her mother
lacked
| mo, mother said Alice, seizing
viciously on n pea pod and breaking 1t
open. mo. you can't. II just isn't born
in you. I've got to do 1t alone
"Why. Alice" exclaimed her mother
with hurt infection.
"Oh, know 1t. mother. I'm Il horrid
cross girl, but can't help it. Fathers
| gone off again and left US with no
| wood This has been going on for
| three years now. Sometimes he re-
members to buy a load. but when he
does we have to split 1t. And in the
meantime we have to scratch and
| 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, II pos
sible.
"Alice. Alice" sighed Mrs. Hum
phrey, you shouldn't talk so of your
| father"
Alice's face flushed deeper and she
shellcd n handful of peas before reply
ing Then she looked out of the door at
the jimson weeds.
Everything is all wrong, and it's all
fathers fault Why shouldn't l marry
Bob Phillips? Tell me thatl Just be-
cause he Is a college man and his peo-
pie live I'm town father has set himself
| against him. Now, why does father
send me TO college If he expects me to
settle down to chopp!ng wood and cook
ing for the rest of my life? No, mother.
I'm a sophomore now and know more
/ than did once. ! am going to marry
Bob and father is going to agree to it
too"
{, Alice looked at her mother sterniy.
"See your hands, blstered and hard.
You creep out and chop wood every
time l turn my back Look at my
hands, She held up slender fingers.
"Niee things to carry back to the col
lege this fall! Now, Im going out to
chop enough to get dinner with" And,
pulling 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
| ak began battering up the brooder
house door In 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 \ hayrack
lay on the ground waiting for the aft
| ernoon trip to the oat field A few
firm blows from the broad of the ak,
| 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 II Mr.. Humphrey APP
| peared at the door
| Mother Mrs. Humphrey paused,
| with bit OF bacon poised on 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 know"
| 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
| us is strong enough to do rld to live in
a building that scorches us ia summer
| and freezes us in winter To say the
least, you are not fair"
The great veins swelled I'm Mr.. Hum
phrey's forehead. and he took single
step toward Alice and then stopped as
Ii controlling himself by n physical
effort.
Mice" he said. Il forbid you to de-
stroy any more Of my property Just
how to punish you for what you have
already done don't know | shall wait
until tonight
That afternoon Alice was loft alone.
as her mother was called away to see
sick neighhor. For awhile she sat
quietly, then suddenly she flushed a lit
tie. Far down the road she could see
the figure of man and horse moving
ieisurely through the heat. Alice
smoothed her hair and glanced down at
the dainty whiteness of her gown.
Then she waited. Soon the rider turn
cd Into the yard, with an eager shout at
the sight of Alice. A fine looking young
fellow was Boz Phillips In his natty
riding togs. sitting his saddle with the
90.