The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1920-07-23
Commencement.
CHAPT. XII.

| While Jack and Collins were attend
ing the now historic trial at Boise,
Olive Anderson graduated from High
School at Anamoose, after which, she
was persuaded by her mother to take
a trip to Colorado, for her summer
vacation. Needless to say, the idea
was entirely agreeable to her, nor was
the reason for her willingness OBJ
scure. Colorado at this time was the
storm center of the class war. And it
was the class war in which she was
supremely interested. Had her mother
known the real cause of her willing
ness she would have opposed her
going with all her power. But Mrs.
Anderson, like most bourgeois mothers,
knew nothing of the class struggle
neither did she know anything of the
power with which lit grips the human
soul. She thought that her daughter
was in love with to her, an unknown
boy. As a matter of fact Olive was
infected with Socialism, and was going
through, what may be termed the
acute stage. Jack was factor in her
life, the ideals of Socialism were her
life itself.
She had an uncle who lived at
Boulder, Colorado. He was her
mothers brother. Mrs. Anderson felt
sure that if she could get her child
from under the influence of her hus-
band and under the brother's care,
she would be far less likely to meet
the boy again, and if she did the
mother knew that her brother would
be formidable opponent to the bay.
Mrs. Anderson expected Jack to re-
turn at harvest time to the wheat
fields of North Dakota with intention
of harvesting more than wheel. With
mind that seldom raised itself above
the ritualism Of religion or the gossip
of the neighborhood she could see in
her daughters interest in the boy,
nothing higher than mere sex at.
traction 1t must be said however, that
Olives conversation, and the occas-
oional letters she happened to find in
the room greatly tended to strengthen
her suspicious. She firmly resolved, to
leave no stone unturned in her endo
vor to keep these two apart.
The fact, that if Olive correspOn-
ded with him from North Dakota,
she would correspond with him from
Colorado, and that if the boy would
come back to her in North Dakota he
would alsa go to her in Colorado,
was not lost to the mind of mother
Anderson. 1t also figured prominently
in the calculations of her husband. |
True, Anderson pointed out these facts
to his spouse and urged not without
logic that if what Mrs. Anderson
feared were true, it would be better to |
have the girl at home, where they
could watch the progress af the af. |
fair, and if need be use drastic meas
ures to stop it. While, if she met him
in Colorado, she would be practically |
left to her own devices.
Sound as Anderson IS logic undoubt-
edly was. it had little or no weight
with his wife. Nothing he ever did or
said. had any weight, with her OK.
'ept his pocket book. Between him,
and his wife, love had died years
ago. She surrendering her love to
Jesus, and he devoting himself to
business and cultivating a misguided
zeal trying to keep his daughter ig.
norant of the ways of the world To
his Wife he was little more than a
;ource Of income. With customary
bourgeois intelligence, she took the
money he gathered, and spent it on
Ter beloved parson, and the conven.
ionql church charities, thanking God,
nstead of him
But, if Anderson S logic was good
lis wife could not see it. She feared
hat her husband with his apparent
dmiration for the boy, would prob
bly, encourage, rather than oppose.
Dives association with him. In this,
owever, she was entirely mistaken.
anderson loved his daughter above
verything else on earth. Mrs. An.
erson could not see that, but her
aughter knew it,. With Olive, his
Mistakes had been those of the heart
ather than the brain, that is as
ar as his relations with her was
He had only love. and no ,
mbition for his child, except to zee
he flower of her genius bloom forch 4,
nhampered, to its richest color and :
ragnance. While her mother. con. /,
rary to the conventional conception -,
I what mothers ought to he. wanted
use Olive as link with which to
lie herself to her favorite social CLIQUE. 7
ne.
Thus IL was, that Mrs. Anderson cal. @
ulated that her brother in Colorado, Q
hose religious and social proclivities.
ere very much like her own, would
a more formidable enemy ta Jack, k
nan her husband. d
OF one thing she felt certain, that {
er brother would consult her, on all
iatters pertaining to the girls wei. j..
ire, and do his utmost to inforce her Z
Others will upon the child. While a
cr husband would, as a general rule, II
'nsult either his own mind. or Weld q
his daughters. For these reasons =
le decided to let Olive 90 10 Boul.
Pr for the summer, where she would a
in a community of her church u
rethern, and where later she could CT
lter the university. h
She felt certain that her brother .,
onld cooperate with her to the full. = =
st extent. In fact she had written II
i'm what she considered to be the a
lets in the case, and he had agreed Il
buy Jack off as soon as he ap r
Jared on the scene, failing in which, .
would send Olive home immediate 81
These plans she had kept care. t
eveland newspapers, grapsing the +,
tuation, made clenr IN Tptor,h,,,L III