Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1911-07-15
NATURES
COURSE
1t Settled the Tro BILE In Its
Own Sweet Way.
BY NORA BRYANT.

Mrs. Humphrey shelled the peas in
silence. waiting for the outburst. She
was a meek little woman accustomed
to listening to her beautiful, tall dadgh-
ter and obeying her behests unques.
tioningly. Alice possessed all the indie
pendence OF spirit which her mother
lacked.
mo. mother" said Alice. Selling
viciously on pea pod and breaking It
open-''no. you can't. It just isn't born
In you. I've got to do 1t alone"
"Why. Alicer exclaimed her mother
with hurt infection.
"Oh, I know, mother. I'm horrid.
cross girl. but can't help It. Fathers
gone or 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 It. And in the
meantime we have to scratch and
scramble for wood just as II we were
as poor as poverty. Just look-we've
burned most of the fences till the place
looks more CHASTITY than ever, IL pos
sible."
"Alice, Alice" sighed Mrs. Hum.
phrey. you shouldn't talk so of your
father"
Alice's face flushed deeper, and she
shelled 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 Phillips2 Tell me that. Just be-
cause he Is college man and his peo-
pie live In town father has set himself
against him. Now, why does father
send me to college IL he expects me to
settle down to chopping wood and
cooking for the rest of my life7 No.
mother I'm a sophomore now, and
know more than did once. l am GO
ing to marry Bob, and father is going
to agree to 1t too"
Alice looked at her mother sternly
"See your hands, blistered and hard
You creep out and chop wood every
time l turn my back. Look at my
hands" She held up slender fingers.
Mice things to carry back to the col
lege this fall! Now I'm 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 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 a neat pile
of stove wood Still not quite satisfied,
Alice looked about her. A hayrack lay
on the ground waiting for the after
noon trip to the oatfield. A few firm
blows from the broad of the az. and
the side boards showed signs Of weak
ening. Half q dozen clever cuts with
the blade. and the boards dropped to
the ground. In Eve minutes the pile
Of wood by the brooder house was aug
mented by a Pile OF heavy sticks, and
before Mrs. Humphrey could catch
breath to inquire the source q brisk
blaze lighted up the front OF the old
cooking stove.
A little after II Mr.. Humphrey ap-
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. don't know.
Alice. do you known
Alice poured the steaming peas into
a china dish and then glanced at her
father. "Well," she said calmly. "you
Will flnd 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 were 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 build
ings that are for their greatest COM
fort, but you expect mother and me
to find our own means for doing work
that neither of Us Is strong enough to
do and live In building that scorches
MS In summer and freezes us in win
ter. To say the least, you are not
fair"
The great veins swelled in Mr.. Hum
phrey's forehead, and he took a single
step toward Alice and then stopped as
II controlling himself by a physical
effort.
"Alice." he said, II 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 left alone.
as her mother was called away to see
a sick neighbor. For awhile she sat
quietly. then suddenly she flushed
little. Far down the road she could
see the figure OF man and a horse
moving leisurely through the heat
Alice smoothed her hair and glanced
down ut the dainty Wilderness of her
gown. Then sho waited. Soon the