The Connecticut labor press., 1920-12-18

l "John Harris" she said. "You know | better than to say that your women folk are either lazy or stubborn, but l there's point where imposition, even | the imposition of a husband, has to l stop, and you've reached that point | You didn't have to stay in .he field
 until dark. There's another day conn | ing and the plowing'H keep. It | like the harvest. It was just you cOntrariness that kept you there. Du | fired the best man you ever had today, in fit of temper, and now you're try ing to take it out on us." Harris looked at her for a moment
 then, without speaking, he continued
 up the stairs. He felt that he was
 being very unfairly used, but he had
 no intention of shrinking from his
 duty as husband and father, even if
 it's discharge should bring pain to all
 of them.
 He found Beulah in her room, os- tensibly reading.
 "Why are the COWS not milked?" he demanded.
 "I thought I made it clear to you at noon that they wouldn't be milked by me-" she answered, "and there didn't seem to be anybody else hankering for the job.'
 "Beulah," he said, trying to speak calmly, don't you think this nonsense has gone far enough?"
 'Too far," she agreed. But you started it-let's see you stop it."
 "Beulah," he said, with rising anger, 'I won't allow you to talk to me like that. Remember I'm your father, and you've right to do as you're told. Haven't I given you everything-giv you a home, and all that, and are you goin' to defy me in my own house?"
 T don't want to defy you" she an- swered, ''but if you're going to let your temper run away with you. you can put on the brakes yourself. And as for all you've done for me-maybe Pm ungrateful, but it doesn't look half so big from my side of the fence"
 Well, what more do you want?" he demanded.
 For one thing, wouldn't mind hav- ing a father"
 What do you mean? Amt I your father?'
 ''No!" she cried. 'No! Nol There's no father here. You're just the boss the foreman on the farm. You board with mother and me. We see you at meal-times. We wouldn't see you then if you didn't have to make use of us in that way. If yo1 have a spare hour you go to town. You're always so busy, busy, with your little things that you have no time for big things. I'd like to see you think about living instead of working. And we're not living-not really living, you know-we're just ex- isting. Don't you see what I mean? We're living all in the flesh. like an animal. When you feed the horses and put them under shelter you can't do anything more for them. But when you feed and shelter your daughter you have only half provided for her, and it's the other half, the starving half, that refuses to starve any longer"
 I'm not kickin' on religion, if t--at's what you mean. Beulah," he said. You get goin' to church as often as you like, and"
 "Oh, it's not religion" she protest ed. At least, it's not just going to church, and things like that, although l guess it is q more real religion, if we just understood. What are we here for, anyway? Whats the an swer?"
 'Well, I'm here just now to tell you those cows are to be milked before"
 ''Yes, dodge it! You've dodged that question so long you daren't face it. But there must be an answer some where, or there wouldn't be the cues ton. There's Riles, now; he doesn't know there is such a question. He takes it for granted we're here to grab money. And then, there's the Grants. They know there is such a question, and I'm sure that to some extent they've answered it, You know, I like them, but 1 never go into their house that I don't feel out of place. I feel like they have something that haven't something that makes them very rich and shows me how very poor I am. And it's embarrassing to feel poor among rich folks. Why, tonight George Grant stopped on his way home to say a word to me, and what do you SUD- pose he eaid? Nothing about the weather, or the neighbors or the crops | He asked me what I thought of the l Venezuelan treaty. Of course I'd | never heard Of such thing, but I said | 1 hoped it would be for the best, or 1 like that. but I was ashamed l so ashamed he might have seen it in | the dusk. You see, they're living and we're existing"
 If Beulah hoped by such argument | to persuade her father, or even to in- fuence him, she was doomed to disap- pOintment. You're talking good | deal of nonsense, Beulah." he said. | ''When you get older these questions won't worry you. In the meantime.