Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-05-30

TO know II / must wash the dlShes In
boiling water. She said was stupid
not TO put some cold water in too, l
did this and washed the dishes and
dried them and put them away.
by this time 1t was 10 o'clock and
had had no fun at all. ! thought
surely now Lena would come down.
stairs and we could go out to walk
and listen to the birds sing. Lena did
come down. but with the baby in her
arms. and she put him in mine, sagina
that must take care Of him while she
attended to the wants of the younger
children.
81 don't like this at all. but what
could ] do? 1t was the day when l
must obey. so I took the baby from
her. but he didn't wish to leave Lena
and come to me. so he set up yell
loud enough to wake up his ancestors
out In the churchyard. l talked to
him and walked him and danced him
up and down. but the more l persuad-
ed him to be quiet the louder he yelled
and kicked. / said to Lena. Take this
baby yourself; / can't do anything
with him. To this she replied that
must keep him.
IL began to wish that the robbers
who had brought about this custom
had killed all the women so that we
would not be afflicted with it. but I
dare not disobey Lena; no man in the
town dare disobey any woman in that
town. for IL he did all the people would
turn against him for not respecting the
time honored custom.
II did one thing that shows that even
in taking care Of baby man, II he
really brings his mind down to the
- problem. can do It better than a wom-
an. They haven't the inventive power
men have. put the baby to sleep.
How did do that? Why. began to
blow into his eyes. He was obliged
to shut them and keep them shut. and
50 he could do nothing but so to sleep"
The story teller paused to empty his
beer mug. and all the others cried:
Bravo. Carl. You have shown that
you are superior to a woman on her
own ground 'fsc,sgss A..
But putting the baby to sleep didn't
do me any good, for Lena said the
children would soon, come in hungry
and must get the dinner. =
"'Dinnerv I exclaimed. why, I
have only Just got rid of the BREAKFAST
1--WE can't help that Lena answer.
ed. We must all eat, especially chill.
dren.' ~ = - 'Sss 49, 80
They eat all the time, don't theyY
"'Pretty nearly say
There were four dishes to be pre-
pared for dinner and every one of them
was burned, for how was I to attend
to them all at once? Ny hands. which
had been scalded in the morning. were
burned at noon. When the dishes were
set on the table the children made
howl, the baby began to cry and the
dog barked. put my hands to my
| ears and ran away from the house, and
| didn't go back that day either.
| "Soon it was known all over the town
that had been disobedient on wom-
ans day, and everybody was talking
about me. Some persons on meeting
me cut me dead. 1t was Carl, how
could you show such disrespect to
woman's day. which has come down to
US for FIVE or six centuries? No man
| 4
cried. II It ts so bad to obey the wom-
an for one day. what must 1t be to obey
her every day? I'm going to leave
this village and go to America. II
they have there a woman's day I will
go somewhere else and keep on going
till / end a place where no man has
ever to obey a woman
when Lena heard I was going to
America she said she was going with
me. II you do said to her, and we
find there is a woman's day there. you
must understand that it is not to be
observed in our family. She agreed to
this, and here we are in America. Le-
ma takes care of the house and the
children and make the money for the
family"
Are you going to let your vito
voter? asked Hans Muller.
mo. II Lena votes have TO 60 bac1
to that woman's day and do her worf.
You bet don't do that. But / think
Lena wouldn't have time to vote. She
would be like the man who heard that
the bank where he kept all his money
had failed. He ran to the bank and
ed II out to him and the man said. If
you got him no want him. I think
my wife be like this man. If she can't
vote she will want to vote. II she
can vote she say to me: You vote In
my place. got to give the baby bis
BATH"
Nonsense. Carl" rejoined Muller.
THE day for children Is past There's
fewer marriages than formerly and sell
dom more thar one child to a family.
There's no reason why woman Should
stay away from the polls all her life
because of one or two years devoted TO
baby"
swell then" gruntsd Becker. IF the
human race die out. what's the use OF
anybody voting?"
81 give II up said Muller. LET Us
listen to the music"
AEn., an - A ~o~~t1~~