The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-02-22

In this manner passed hours ano
hours. When addressed by wife OF
step-daughter he nodded or ignored
them. Always he was thinking
thinking, misunderstanding over &
wrong. The neighbors declared he
was holding it against his wife 70,
giving him d crippled idiot as his
only son. But that was conjecture
At ten O'Clock he would descend to
the cellar for his-porter He drank il
alone by lantern-light in the musty
regions belowstairs. Then he went
to bed without speaking and snored
through the hours. Weeks passed
thus always the brooding, brooding,
brooding,-a always the watching of
the movements of wife or step-daugh-
ter with the baleful green eyes, al
ways biding his time to set a great
wrong right.
This man came into the girls room
carrying the lantern which the woman
with the terrible redeemed hands left
burning each night in the kitchen to
light him for his slug of porter. He
set the lantern down upon a corner
of the dresser where it's greasy base
marked ring which ruined the de-
licate embroidery. Kicking the
rocker out of the way, he moved
toward the bed, the green eyes fixed
ominously on the girls white face.
opal" she cried.
She shrank away from him, hud-
He'd down against the opposite wall,
the bedclothing drawn to her throat.
'Pa! What is it you want?"
The step-father stood unsteadily
before her. Sensing the feel of an
ugly knife in his coarse palm, force
of habit prompted him to bring a
plug of tobacco from his overalls
pocket and cut himself huge twisted
chew.
81 want to know sometin' 1 want
to know how old you be-"
Gather! You know how old I am.
I'm nineteen-going- ontwenty.
"Yas! You're nineteen-going-on-
twenty. You're nineteen goin'on-
twenty! So I been thinkin'!"
His tone was onninous. He return
ed the plug and knife to his sinking
clothes.
The girl was terrified by her
mothers absence and that the man
was not intoxicated with the same
effect as on other nights.
"Yas, your nineteen-goin' on-twen-
ty," continued Silent Wheeler "And
l been thinkin', I tell you'll been
thinkin' Tell me this: What'ye ever
done to help earn your livin' or bring
in money to support yourself or help
the family?"
"But this is home,-our home to-
gether. Does a girl have to earn
money and pay board at homer"
"Don't it cost money to support a
female O. your size, at homer"
"But l can't work outside and go
to the Academy at the same time.
And l do so want to go to the Acad-
envy. I'll be finished in another
year"
"Yas! And who pays your keep in
the meantime?"
The girl knew that to answer would
add fuel to the fires of wrath smold-
ering behind the strange green eyes.
"Tell meY' he roared suddenly.
sI-I-thought my own step-father
might"
"That's it! That's it! Me! I
thought SO. And why should 1? Tell
me thatl Are you my daughter? Are
your.
"I'm your step-daughter."
"Are you my daughter? Tell me
that"
"You married mother. Isn't it the
same?"
"I married your mother But it
amt the same. You heard what
said; it amt the same. I been think
in"
"You never raised any question be-
fore about me staying here. haven't
any other place-to CO."
"How about lookin' after yourself?'
How about you maxim some place?v
81 wanted to finish school first. I'll
be better equipped to-"
Continued on page ~