Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1916-07-13

In. The doctor says this and The
doctor says THAR 1t makes me sick.
H0w's this country expect to get its
work done II Quincy and all the other
old nanny-goats keep up this blattin'.
So he says you got nervous exhaustion
Induced by overwork and emotional
strain They always got to stick the
you did have the emotional strain.
and that's al's the matter with you.
You'll be over it soon's this woman's
gone. and works the very thing to
make you quit frettin' about her."
did Quincy tell you | was dit to
work."
''SIut up.' Sheridan beloved. "I'm
SO sick o. that mans name | feel like
shootin' anybody that says 1t to mer'
He fumed and chafed. swearing indis-
tinctly. then came and stood before his
son. Look here; do you think you're
doin' the square thing by me? Do
you? How much you WORTH"
"l've got between seven and eight
thousand year clear Of my own, out
side the salary. That much is mine
whether work or not"
at Is? You could "a pulled 1t out
without me. suppose you think. at
your age?'
mo. But it's mine, and it's enough"
my Lord! It's about what a con-
gresham gets, and you want to quit
there! ! suppose you think you'll get
the rest when kick the bucket and
all You have to do is lay back and
wait! You let me tell you right here,
you'll never see one cent Of II. You
go out o. business now, and what
would you know about handlin' 1t five
or ten or twenty years from now? Be-
cause I intend to stay here little
while yet, my boy! They'd either get
1t away from you or you'd sell for a
nickel and let 1t be split up and"
He whirled about. marched to the
other end Of the room. and stood silent
a moment. Then he said, solemnly:
Listen. III you go out now, you leave
me In the lurch. with nothin' on Gods
green earth to depend on but your
brother-and you know what he Is.
I've depended on you for 1t all since
Jim died. Now you've listened to that
dam doctor, and he says maybe you
won't ever be as good a man as you
were, and that certainly you won't be
for year or so-probably more. Now.
that's all lie. Men don't break down
that way at your age. Look at me!
And l tell you, you can shake this
thing or. All you need Is 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 il you could. I
won't let you--if you lay down on me
now, won't-and that's because II
you lay down you prove you amt the
man I thought you WERE" He cleared
his throat and finished quietly: "Ros-
coe, will you take months vacation
and come back and go to it?"
mo" said Roscoe. listlessly. I'm
through"
"All right" said Sheridan. He picked
up the evening paper from a table,
went to chair by the fire and sat
down, his back to his son. "Goodby."
Roscoe rose, his head hanging, but
there was dull relief In his eyes.
BEST can do" he muttered. seeming
about to depart, yet lingering. 81 fig
ure it out a good deal like this" he
said. II 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 oyerwork, and the-the trouble
at home was the extra strain that's
fixed me the way | am. l tried to
brace, so / could stand the work and
the trouble too, on whisky--and that
put the finish to me! lin not hit
ting it as hard as was for while,
and ! reckon pretty soon IL can get
to feeling little more energy, better
try to quit entirely-I don't know
I'm all inland the doctor says so. /
thought ! was running along fine up
to few months ago, but all the time
was ready to bust, and didn't know
1t. Now, then, | don't want you to
blame Sibyl, and IL 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. 1t was
shock to me, and don't deny 1t. to
find 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. l don't deny It was a shock and
that it'll always be hurt inside of me
I'll never get over. But it 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. Well. can't give her the
other things. but can give her the
traveIlng-real travelling, not just 60
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
heard her talking when she was SC
sick, and believe II you'd heard her
then you wouldn't speak so hard
heartedly about her; l believe you
might have forgiven her like | have.