Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1916-10-05

Roscoe rose, his head hanging, but
there was a dull relief in his eyes.
BEST can do" he muttered, seeming
about to depart, yet lingering. II fig
ure it out a good deal like this he
said 81 didn't know my job was any
strain, and l managed all right, but
from what Gur-from what I hear, [
was just up to the limit of my nerves
from overwork, and the-the trouble
at home was the extra strain that's
Fixed me the way / am. I tried to
brace, so | could stand the work and
the trouble too, on Whisky-and that
put the finish to me! I'm not hit
ting 1t as hard as 1 was for a while,
and [ reckon pretty soon If ! can get
10 feeling a little more energy, l better
try to quit entirely don't know.
I'm all in-and the doctor says so. l
thought / was running along fine up
TO a few months ago, but all the time
was ready to bust, and didn't know
1t. Now, the, l don't want you to
blame Sibyl, and if 1 were you
wouldn't speak of her as that wom-
an because she's your daughter-in-
law and going.to stay that way. She
didn't do anything wicked. It was a
shock to me, and / don't deny it, to
md what she had done-encouraging
that fellow to hang around her after
he began trying to fiirt with her, and
losing her head over him the way she
did. / don't deny it was a shock and
that it'll always be hurt inside Of me
I'll never get over. But 1t was my
fault; / didn't understand a woman's
nature" Poor Roscoe spoke In the
most profound and desolate earnest
"a woman Graves society, and gayety,
and meeting attractive people, and
travelling. WenxI can't give her the
other things, bu~ [ can give her the
traveling-real travelling, not just go
ing to Atlantic City or New Orleans,
the way she has, two, three times. A
woman has to have something in her
life besides a business man. And that's
all | was. I never understood till I
heard her talking when she was so
sick, and | believe If you'd heard her
then you wouldn't speak so hard
heartedly about her; | believe you
might have forgiven her like I have
That's all. never cared anything for
any girl but her In my life, but l was
so busy with business I put it ahead
of her. | never thought about her, I
was so busy thinking business. Well
this Is where it's brought US to-and
now when you talk about business
TO me | feel the way you do when any
body talks about Quincy to you. The
word business makes me dizzy-it
makes be honestly sick at the stomach
believe IL had to go downtown and
step inside that office door I'd fall
down on the floor, deathly sick You
talk about months vacation'-and I
get just as sick. I'm rattled-I can't
explain-I haven't got any plans-can't
make any, except to take my girl and
get just as far away from that office
as can-and stay. We're going to
Japan first, and IL We"
we're, and that certainly you won't be
Tor year or s0-probably more. Now,
that's all a lie. Men don't break down
that way at your age. Look at me!
And / tell you, you can shake this
thing OF. All you need is q little get
up and little gumption. Men don't
go away for years and then come back
into moving businesses like ours-they
lose the strings. And If you could, 1
won't let you-if You lay down on me
now. / won't-and that's because If
His father rustled the paper. SCI said
Soodby, Roscoe"
'Goodby," said Roscoe, istlessly.