The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1920-06-11
Chapter XXXIv.
The Fathers View.

path, in which she ought to walk. She
told him, that Olive had received, and
answered a letter from shat man /,
and also that she had broken with
poor Frank Cartwright. This was the
unkindest cut of all. For it was Mrs.
Anderson IS fond ambition, to see every
thing between Olive and Frank go well.
She looked upon Frank as an ideal
young man, principally because he went
to church when Olive went, and be-
cause he was physically and mentally
to weak to be wicked. 1t must be said
to the credit of Olive that she had
tolerated the boys attention, practi-
callv for no other reason than that it
pleased her mother. This it was that
caused Mrs. Anderson to storm and
rave about the girls action.
As usual, however, Gus. Anderson
refused to become excited. Nothing
his wife ever said or did either, sur.
prised or excited him. He had always
made his living by his wits, and he
had learned from experience that wits
are dulled by excitement. ga man does
not do his best thinking when all up
in the air. he was wont to say. "He
generally gets himself into trouble, and
trouble don't pay" Anderson did not
like trouble when it affected him or
his. He did not mind making trouble
for other people, if by so doing, his
ends were served. He was a typical
Teuton. He loved to carry the war into
the other fellows territory whenever he
found it necessary to carry on war.
At home he frankly admitted that
he had surrendered to his daughter
and that he had accepted his wife,
as an unavoidable visitation Tonight
he listened to her story with his usual
nonchalange, while he made himself
comfortable in his old arm chair in
front of the fire place. He reached over
and took his tobacco box from the
center table and methodieally filled
mis- pipe, springling little grains Of
tobacco over his well proportioned, and
not too immaculate abdomen. Next he
labOriously hoisted his right foot upon
his left knee and struck match on the
sole of his shoe. He now lighted his
pipe, drew in the smoke with great
deliberation, as he held the match be.
fore him and watched it burn out
Next he blew series of tiny ringlets
of smoke into the air, and leaned back
lazily as he watched them dissolve
away, all the while listening to Mrs
Anderson prophecies and lamenta
tions.
When she had finished, or perhaps
only paused for breath her husband
remarked quietly. "That was a quee,
lad, that hobo, you ought to have seer
him. I'll be damned if l don't believe
he wasn't a hobo at all He sure didn 4
act like them. Generally, they art
towards or rough necks. He wa.
neither. He sure got Ollie started, !,
Yes" broke in the mother, "that
is what comes of sending innocent girl.
into jails to try and reform hardened
criminals. That man has been on hel
mind ever since"
Gus. Anderson looked at his wife
amusement written on his face. Mrs
Anderson was fanatical church wo
man. Il was she who ineulcated thu
idea that it was Gods will that W,
visit those in prison, into her daughter
Personally Anderson professed no rc
llglon. in fact he looked upon churcl
and church work, as a social fad ant
famenine pastime. He never let al
opportunity pass to point out its in
consistences to his wife Especial,
since Olive had met that boy in jai
ana started on rampage about officia
iniquity. 1t amuesd him to hear hi.
wife say the very same things he hat
said few months before. So he re
marked that it seemed to him, tina,
Tod should keep an eye on those who
served Him. "He is father to tn,
orphans and husband to the widows, ,
ne chafed. Tie took certain delight
in punching holes in his wife's chri
stianity.
Returning to the subject of the bow
he asked Mrs. Anderson how she knew
that he was a hardened criminal
Holding his pipe between two finger
before him and looking at her through
a blush cloud Of smoke he said
He may be a good boy for all 20,
know -
:" He was Jail bird, that's enough
No decent man ever goes to Jail. An,
to think that my daughter should writ,
to him. l have always been goo,
woman, why must this happen to me. ;
~ can't see that anything is hap
pening to you, or for that matter !,
Ollie either that is not Just now. An,
what is more if there is any thing t.
your religion at all, then it preache
morals, justice and other things, whicl
have no place in business world. ]
that hobo is all that you say he is
then you must still give him credi
for putting life in your daughters ro
hgion. That is more than your penn,
grabbing sky pilot ever accomplished
She surely got the people stirred IL,
and the bunch exposed. If your religion
IS any more than a dress parade, or
gossip mill If it really aims to be
moral force then you should thanl
God that that boy was locked up. Hi
being in Jail was q God send, altho
admit Gods are generally expensiv
visitors. just think of the fines, Duff
used to put on the buns. Why the
nearly paid our city taxes and left u
a handsome bunch Of graft to deeorat
the church with. Then came along tina
bum, and he met our daughter or rathc
she found him, and she stirred up tn
old maids in skirts and pants, to
sentimentally moral consciousness, an
now we have to pay the taxes and tn
Ipeurent out of our own pockets. Fror
moral view point, her work wa
fine, and l am proud Of it. But moral
cost money. They have no place in bus
ness. 1t was an expensive clean NJ
and it cost us some powerful friend
as well. It isn't good policy to pr
into methods by which other peopi