The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1920-12-09

IN TO tnat moment nnd NOT reUecIen
that his hasty action In dsmissine
Travers would result In much more
delay than anything else that had oc.
Cured. "well. wen have to get some
body else Wen manage till noon.
and then you better ride over to
Grants or Morrison's. They'll he able
10 lend n man or one OF the boys for
day or two"
At noon Jim's chair was vacant. and
the family sat down to dinner amid n
depressing silence. No mention was
made Of the mornings incident until
the meal was wells advanced. when
Harris. feeling that he ought in some
way 10 introduce the subject, said !:
as Jim gomez"
"Yes. he's gone" blazed Beulah
"You didn't expect he'd wait to kiss
you good-by. did your"
"One In the family Is enough for
that treatment" put In Allan. whose
swollen chin and stiff neck still biased
him against Travers.
"He didn't, either And II he did
It's none Of your business you big"
she looked her brother straight In the
face. her swollen eyes telling their
own story. and repeated deliberately.
'you big coward"
Allan bit his lip.
"Jlm's quito a hero, all right. ft's
too bad he's gone"
TITS a good job he's gone" said
Harris. "By the way Beulah talks
things have gone far enough. ! don't
want my daughter marrying farmer"
Her grandmother's daughter did"
said Mrs. Harris.
"Yes. | know, but things are differ
for Beulah"
II was characteristic Of Harris, as
Of thousands Of others. that, although
n farmer himself. he looked for some
thing better for his daughter. He
was resigned TO Allan being a farmer;
his intimate, daily relationship with
his son shrank from any possibility
Of separation. But for his daughter
no. He had mapped out no career
for her; she might marry doctor.
lawyer, merchant. tradesman. even n
minister, but not a farmer. IL Is
popularity OF the agriculturlst that,
among all professions. he holds his
own In the worst repute. In later
years has come gradually broaden
Ing conception that farming. after all.
g.. In
that the man who can wrestle a sue
cessful living from nature has as much
right TO hold up his head In the world
as the experimenter In medicine or
the lawyer playing hide-and-seek with
Justice through the cracks In the Grim
inal code. Herein Is a germ OF the
cityward migration: the farmer him
self is looking for something better"
for his children.
"Jlm was a good man." persisted
his wife. Don't you think you were
well. perhaps. a little hasty with
him1"
Harris sat back. II was his wife's
business TO agree. For twenty years
and more she had been faithful In the
discharge Of that duty. That she
should suggest an opinion out OF har-
mony with his indicated a lack of dis
cipline. not very serious, perhaps, but
seed which. II permitted TO flourish,
might develop TO dangerous proper
tons.
$50 you're goln' to take his part
too? It's a strange thing II ] can't
handle my hired help without advice
from the house"
Mary flushed at the remark. Any
open quarrel with her husband, espe-
ciaIy before the children-for she
still thought OF the man and woman
to her left and right as "the children"
was more painful to her than any
submission could have been. II would
be so much easier TO change the sub
ject. to follow the line of least resist
ance, and forgot the incident as quick
~ as possible. But Of late the convic-
ton had been coming home 10 her
that some time, somewhere, she must
make a stand. And. quite unbidden'
a strange surge of defiance welled in
her when her husband so frankly told
her TO mind her own business.
81 was under the impression we
we're managing this farm together,
you and l, John" she said. very calm
ly, but with strange ring In her
voice. "When We came West | under
stood Il was to build our home.
didn't know II was just TO be your
home"
! The look of surprise with which
Harris greeted her words was abso-
lutely genuine. A hot. stinging retori
sprang TO his lips, but by a sudden
effort he suppressed IL. 1--WE will talk
about that some other time, Mary" he
said. IF Jim had answered my ques'
ton -airly, as he had a right TO, In
stead of beatln' around the bushA
might we let him off. But when ]
wanted 10 know what kept him he
simply parted me, maxim a fool OF
me and rubin IL In with that infer
| ..l .,.,lla ~ his