The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1911-02-02
A Fresh Start
BY LOUISE OLNEY
Copyright, 1910. by Associated Literary Press

in a sort of anger.
well, girl, don't be afraid of me.
/ know we have to have things! Well
manage somehow-don't worry"
But he worried, and knew that she
did. They rose, and he lit the fires
and helped the children dress A sort
OF gloom hung over the breakfast
table. and suddenly Johnny exploded
in tears. The little girls joined in
sympathy. The child's grief, wormed
out of him finally, was vested in the
fact that the Jones boys were going
to have turkey an everything else,
an go to the show at the theayter
besides Couldn't they, the Morris
children, have 'nothing?'"
The mother comforted. the father
was little stern.
Well have just what we can af-
ford" he said, land not thing more.
You young ones amt hungry nor cold
nor ragged like children on the street
every day. You keep still and eat
what's put before you. Your mother
always has something good, and If it
amt turkey, it will at least fill you
up. Now you finish your breakfast,
Johnny, and bring in some more coal
and get ready for school We don't
pattern after the Jonses, and you
got to learn that and several other
things. One of them things is to be
glad for what you got now, and then
to go on with whatever your little
business is
The father rose and took his dinner
pail. Rose had filed it unusually
well with better food than usual Her
man, the breadwinner, should be the
last to feel any lack. He went to his
days carpentering
When the three older children were
in school, Rose cooked for dear life.
She got plenty of good tender beef
and boiled it for pie, which should
be overfiowing with gravy, and re-
plete with little carrots and onions,
parsley and "fixin's." She made
huge sheet of ginger bread. She
baked pumpkin pie. She nodded the
cranberry sauce in little forms. She
made a great plateful of molasses
candy in fancy shapes, for she was
clever through her love. There would
be mashed potato, and an orange a
piece and some nuts, too. Her day
was full, for the baby was wakeful.
Supper was plentiful, though plain,
but after waiting long and vainly,
mother and children sat down and
ate alone Finally the little ones
went to bed At eight he had not
come, nor at nine At ten she was
stiff with fear. What had happened?
An accident-she would have heard OF
that She conjured up fears, still
mending mechanically. Could he have
begun to drink again? There had
been some bad months in their first
married year But for eight years now
he had been all husband could be
then the familiar step camo.
Sam came in, quietly, not to wake
the babies. He was painting for
breath, black with coal dust, his eyes
bloodshot. He sank into a chair.
Then he smiled at his wife, and I'M
clinching his right hand put two sill
yer dollars on the table before her.
For tomorrow" he explained. 1T
may get chicken enough-or p small
turkey I've unloaded coal since s.
The haulers have struck. / was glad
of the chance. See here. Rose, while
you get me a bite let me tell you
the news. We amt so bad of. = saw
Jim Forney's pail, and he had only
bread and a little cooked meat /
divided with him-and | gave him two
dollars. He's up against it. You don't
mind?"
She shook her head and stirred the
fire.
And there's trouble at Jones's.
He's mortgaged his place, and he got
fred today-some tricky business
about the material On top of that,
young Peters is going to marry some
rich girl tomorrow Elvie's all broke
up"
He went to the sink and washed,
and, sitting down, attacked the baked
beans and bread and coffee. She
watched him, glad OF his returned
cheerfulness.
"Other folks troubles makes a fell
| low glad for what he's got. I'm
ashamed of the crouch I've had on.
You have the worst end of this part
nership, anyhow. Girl we will cheer
| up and take a fresh start"
He rose and lit his pipe. Then he
came to her chair and put his big arm
over her shoulder.
81 hope ! amt glad or Jones's trou-
ble." he said awkwardly. Il know
I'm sorry for him. But-they gave
| me his job That means $15 more
every month. You glad?'
| She Rugged her head down against
his arm and nodded. She could not
speak. After a while, she took the
silver dollars from the table.
ssSam, what you said to Johnny this
morning was all right. I've got a
good dinner planned and We'll have
| lust that and nothing more. This
money will get the boy his new shoes.
/ He's rnf tn learn to put I'D with what