The Detroit times., 1913-07-18

j
and strong. Surely in the country
the fat land, there vas place for a
man stout OF heart and willing. too
old 10 work AZ ais trade. but TOO
young 10 lose hope. He would save
himself from the Stag heap OF the
cities, where in the blatant religion
OF success. he who fails is either
vicious or lazy. SO he came to the
river bottoms where his wife had
heard OF an uncle squatted on un-
| claimed land and Embarrassing for "A
livelihood There, crowding into
| Uncle Michigan's house-boat, which
| had grown through the years by the
addition OF several crazy lean-tos UNI
! I'll II was now rambling cottage.
the Lindstroms were one OF the few
very poor families OF the rich county.
| They were big with the hope OF the
country five years ago. They did not
know that. first of all, the farmer is
a capitalist. and the city man turned
adrift there, penniless and with
mouths to feed, is helpless. John be.
came day worker in Tanners quar-
ries; his wife, Tennessee woman,
! long expatriated from her hills. whin-
ing TO be gone forever of Chicago,
was now a querulous invalid, what
with labor and chid-bearing. There
Lindstrom fought his inevitable los
ing fight; but with Old Michigan's
Embarrassing, which cloaked his whis-
ky peddling. and Johns wages they
all got on until Tanners quarry ma
chine crushed the chief bread-win-
ner's hand
So II was damn the law, When
one is old. bewidered. helpless be-
fore all these smooth phrases and
precedents. all this fine talk OF sleek
men TO the jury, and one hears the
judge direct the verdict against one.
does one mince words? Why, then,
did the lawyers say one had right
If the Judge knew so glibly different?
A good workman. too. on the rock
pile; quiet, steady, matching his
strength against the young men,
those terrible. merciless young men
who fling the discard aside, take his
job and go whistling down the road,
pipe in mouth when the day is done
And now, broken, crushed, bewild-
cred with the smooth talk OF the law
yers. and knowing one has lost-does
man take it calmly when the Judge
sentences him and his children to
beggary? No. he raises his fist-and
damn the law.
Lindstrom came back the quarry
road 70 his shanty. He sat across
the table from his two freckled sons
and the old. one-legged soldier wills
ky-smuggler smoking his pipe by the
wood box. They feared 10 question
the returned jailbird when his wife
whined some complaint. as she held
the baby TO her fiat breast, stirring
her pots over the stove. he growled
a rough tenderness.
There. woman. The jail-you can
smell ii on me, but no matter. And
the work-we can do bit yet with
the garden. It's here Wen stay, for
III not lift my face in town again.
| They heaped the filth Of the law on
me. and my childrens name. Well
have no more of their town and
schools and all If I'm no fiji man for
EN-. my lads are not-well take no
more OF their time and money
She oked up IN her slattern fright
He ruled them with his heavy Puri-
tans righteousness Even Aurelie,
Michigan gypsy limb OF a girl. UNI
der Johns foster parenthood these
five years since the Lindstrom 8
came. had TO be still before him.
"Ah, John u the mother cried
Take the children out of school?
Knute ready for his seventh grade,
and Aurelie in high school And like
TO graduate if we can get the dress
and all" She rubbed her bony hand
across her chin 10 ease the sting OF
the burning pork fat and muttered,
MY mans crazy
Damn their schools he growled
and courts. God will hold US safe
not man with his fine talk OF justice.
I'll have no more of it.
Old Michigan took out his pipe TO
murmur. John. man-don't take IT
so bitter. There's enough know
you're an honest man. A day in jail
who'll think worse of We for that?"
The Guarryman Topped his big
frame over chair at the table. Year
by year he had come 10 extend his
authority over Miohigans sorry house
and patch OF land snatched from the
willow slough Of the ever-changing
river bed The old Confederate had
taken himself to the woods when the
Lindstroms overran him too much: