Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1920-01-24
wen. Annfn be nrEaa.

Once she looked up.
"Tn mention the price. Of course?"
she said.
~Of course" he assented.
Finally she whirled the sheet Of
paper from her typewriter. and read:
Henry Bradford announces that he
win donate to the new church. short
ly to be erected on Center street. q
large stained glass window, as a mem,
orial to his beloved wife. Mary Under
hill Bradford. recently deceased. The
window Is TO be the work OF q Chicago
firm. The chief feature Of the pro-
posed design Is q huge figure, Wom-
an. seated on q dais, on her face the
smiling realization Of the peace Of soul
that is to be found only In house
Of worship. II IL reported that the
window win cost not less than twelve
hundred dollars"
Mr.. Bradford stood up, q pleased
smile on his face.
"Well. that's about right, Ann" he
said. 'T'm very much obliged to you.
Ill be going along now"
"Sit down, Henry" said Miss Per
kins, suddenly, firmly.
He stared at her, amazed.
"Sit down q little longer. That will
do for n news item, but there's some
thing else want to write. Something
for the editorial column. ST down
and wait, Henryl" Her tone was com,
manAdng, forceful.
He Obeyed, against his own better
Judgment
Miss Parkins drew close 70 her tyre
writer, and over It stared ct Henry
Bradford. He stirred resNessly be-
meath her stare. He did not know
that she was looking through him
beyond-tinto the dead past. For ten
minutes she sat like this, and then
the noise Of her quick fingers on the
keys began.
Fifteen minutes passed. Henry
Bradford got up and nervOusly paced
the floor. He wandered through the
Eagles small composing room, the
odor OF ink in his nostrils. The ONCE
cat leaped out into the circle Of light,
but when he stopped to pat II, Il
scurried away. =
TITS getting late. Ann" he COM
planned, at last.
you wait, Henry" she replied in
the voice Of one who must not be dis
turbed.
Twenty minutes later, she rose
from the machine and turned toward
her desk. Her firm gaze caught Hen
~ Bradford's unsteady one. and held
1t fascinated.
"A little editorial, Henry" she an
nounced. ."I think I shall call it "A
Stained-GIass Window should like
to read 1t to you, II you don't mind"
'Y-yes." he stammered. This thing
was getting on his nerves. He glanced
timidly out at Main street, the band
concert was long since over, the pave
ments were almost deserted now. He
dropped into q chair, and fixed his
eyes on q calendar on the wall. Go
on, Ann" he said.
Miss Parlkins smiled her twisted lit
tie smile, and began:
"OVer thirty years ago, the writer
Of this editorial had a friend, a happy
girl whose heart beat fast and whose
eyes shone bright with the very joy
Of living. For live she did-every mo-
ment of every day to the full-and
she looked forward to the future with
eager expectancy.
"And then-she married the man
she loved, man she thought fine and
noble, to be his companion and his
partner. Her face alight with pride
and happiness, she followed him of to
the home he had waiting for her-a
great farmhouse back in the hills.
And there suddenly. tragically, she
learned that she was to be not his
partner, but his unpaid servant He
worked her to the last ounce of her
strength; he drove her as effectually
as If he had stood over her with q
whip.
Few who have ever lived on a
farm realize the drab, terrible, monOt-
ony Of labor that many women on
farms endure. Some die; some 90
mad. This little bride Of whom we
write, did neither. She became a
machine. She went to bed at eight
o'clock each night, weary of body and
soul. She rose at four each morning
still weary. She cooked. she swept,
she baked, she MIXED. and churned.
She never entered her parlor except
to clean 1t. All the pretty little things
Of life for which she lOnged were de-
MED her. All the companionship Of
books and friends that had formerly
been hers was shut OF from her now.
She was married.
'Woman's place is in the home.
The tragic meaning Of that sentiment
to herl In the home, not as wife and
companion. but as a prisoner, with
the curtains down, the doors barred,
and all the joyousness of life pass
ing by on the other sidei And all
this that her husband might pile dol
lar on dollar that. in greed and selfish
ness he might grow rfchf