Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1916-07-27

were, and that certainly you won't be
for year or so-probably more. Now,
that's all a lie Men don't break down
that way at your age. Look at me!
And l tell you, you can shake this
thing Off All you need is a little get
up and a 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, |
won't let yOu-if you lay down on me
now, 1 won't-and that's because if
you lay down you prove you amt the
man l thought you were" He cleared
his throat and finished quietly: "ROs
coe, will you take months vacation
and come back and go to it,"
NO" said Roscoe, listlessly. "Pm
through"
"All right" said Sheridan. He picked
up the evening paper from table,
went to a chair by the fire and sat
down. his back to his son. 'Goodby."
Roscoe rose, his head hanging, but
there was a dull relief in his eyes.
BEST l can do" he muttered, seeming
about to depart, yet lingering. Il 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 | hear, |
was just up to the limit of my nerves
from overWork, and the-the trouble
r,4. IN 4hs,kt 20
fixed me the way 1 am. l 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 it as hard as I was for a while,
and 1 reckon pretty soon if | can get
to feeling little more energy, l better
try to quit entirely-I don't know.
I'm all in-and the doctor says so. |
thought l was running along fine up
to a few months ago, but all the time
I was ready to bust, and didn't know
it. Now, then, l don't want you to
blame Sibyl, and If | 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 a
shock to me, and | don't deny it, 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. 1 don't deny it was a shock and
that it'll always be a hurt inside of me
I'll never get over. But it was my
fault; l 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 I 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 business man. And that's
all l was. I never understood till [
heard her talking when she was so
sick, and [ believe if you'd heard her
then you wouldn't speak so hard
loUIy dDOuI HcI OC44CNC JOu
might have forgiven her like l have.
That's ALL 1 never cared anything for
any girl but her in my life, but | was
SO busy with business | put it ahead
of her. I never thought about her, |
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.
l believe if 1 had to go downtown and
step inside that office door I'd fall
down on the floor, deathly sick. You
talk about a months vacation'-and l
get just as sick Pm 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 l can-and stay. We're going to
Iau5n first and If We"