The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1920-12-23


| his time about reopening the subject.
When supper was finished Allan
went TO the stables to give final atten-
| ton to the horses-a duty that had
always fallen to Jim-and Harris, af
ter a few minutes quiet rest in his
chair, began TO remove his boots.
The cows are not MIXED, John"
said his wife. She tried to speak in n
matter-of-fact way, but the tremOr in
her voice betrayed the import Of the
simple statement.
Harris paused with a boot half I'M
laced. While his recollection of Bcu-
| labs defiance was clear enough, ii
had not occurred TO him that the girl
actually would stand by her guns. He
had told her that she would milk the
cows tonight as usual, and he had as
sumed, as a matter of course, that she
would do so. He was not accustomed
to being disobeyed.
"Where's Beuah?" he demanded.
81 guess she's in her ROOM"
Harris laced up his boot. Then he
started upstairs.
"Don't be too hard on her, John"
urged his wife, with little catch in
her voice.
II won't he too hard on anybody"
he replied CURLY. ITS a strange thing
you wouldn't see that she did as she
was told. l suppose 1 have to plug
away in the field until dark and then
come i'm and do another half-day's
work because my women folk are too
lazy or stubborn 70 do it themselves"
If this outburst was intended to
crush Mary Harris it had very diff
ferent effect. She seemed TO straighten-
up under the attack; the color came
back TO her cheeks. and ner eyes were
bright and defiant.
"John Harris" she said. you know
better than to say that your women
folk are either lazy or stubborn, but
there's a point where imposition, even
the imposition of a husband, has to
stop, and you've reached that point.
You didn't have to stay In the field
until dark. There's another day COM
ing and the plowing'll keep. 1t isn't
like the harvest. II was just your own
contrariness that kept you there. You
in fit of temper. and now you're try
ing TO take ii out on U.S."
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 a husband and father, even If
its 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.
~ thought / made it clear to you at
noon that they wouldn't be MIXED by
me-" she answered, land there didn't
seem to be anybody else laundering for
the job"
"Beulah," he said. trying to speak
calmly, don't you think this nonsense
has gone far enoughY'
TOO far" she agreed. But you
started it--let's see you stop it,"
"Beulah." he said, with rising anger,
81 won't allow you to talk to me like
that Remember I'm your father, and
you've a right 70 do as you're told.
Haven't | given you everything-given
you a home, and all that, and are you
goin' to defy me in my own houser
II 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
I'm ungrateful, but ii doesn't look half
so big from my side of the fence"
"Well, what more do you want2" he
demanded.
For one thing, wouldn't mind hav1
ing a father"
what do you mean? Amt / your
fatherT
Nor she cried. NO! MOI 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 You have a spare hour
you 90 10 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-
listing. Don't you see what | 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, II tLat'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